page_title: Battle of Mouquet Farm
section_title: 16–26 September
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Mouquet Farm / Battle / 16–26 September
context_page_description: The Battle of Mouquet Farm, also known as the Fighting for Mouquet Farm was part of the Battle of the Somme and began during the Battle of Pozières. The fighting began on 23 July with attacks by the British Reserve Army. The farm was captured by the 3rd Canadian Division of the Canadian Corps on 16 September. The farm was lost to a German counter-attack, before being re-captured on 26 September during an attack by the 11th Division during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge. No. 16 Section of the 6th Battalion East Yorkshire smoked out the last German defenders.
context_section_description: During the battle, the divisions of I Anzac Corps advanced north-west along the Pozières ridge, towards Mouquet Farm, with British divisions supporting on the left. The approaches to the farm were watched by German artillery observers, who directed artillery-fire on the attackers from three sides of the salient that had developed in the lines. Many casualties were caused to the attackers as they approached the farm; in August and into September, the Australian divisions were repulsed three times from the farm.
  The Canadian Corps relieved the I Anzac Corps on 5 September. The Canadians captured part of the farm on 16 September and were then repulsed by a counter-attack. By 25 September, further attacks had captured part of the farm on the surface but the Germans still held the cellars, dug-outs and tunnels beneath. The farm was captured on 26 September by the 34th Brigade of the 11th (Northern) Division, in the general attack of the Battle of Thiepval Ridge. The 9th Lancashire Fusiliers bombed the exits of the underground positions and also managed to reach the second objective, at the west end of Zollern Trench, where German machine-gun nests had held up previous attacks. The 6th East Yorkshire (Pioneers) overwhelmed the last defenders with smoke grenades and took 56 prisoners.
caption: Mouquet farm, Pozières, by Fred Leist
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