Current Information:

Born-St Pancras

In mid-February , 1916, 12th Division returned to the area of the Hohenzollern Redoubt that they had left in November 1915 after the Battle of Loos. Since then, by mortaring, shelling and mining the Germans had captured The Chord, a trench that had been the British front line.  They had exploded some shallow mines in the clay above the chalk which formed craters with high lips which made perfect observation posts for them with the British front line strung across the slope below them.  Throughout the winter, 170 Tunnelling Company of the Royal Engineers had laid three deep mines below the German’s  shallow system and they needed firing soon before they were discovered.  The blowing of these mines would leave huge craters for which there would be a desperate fight and after some consideration the decision was taken to explode these mines and recapture the Chord.

This took place on 2nd March, 1916, when at 5.45pm, without any preliminary artillery bombardment, the three mines were detonated and 8th Royal Fusiliers and 9th Royal Fusiliers from 36 Brigade, 12th Division attacked and took possession of the newly formed craters and most of the Chord as well. 11th Middlesex, also of 36 Brigade were in support of this action and two parties of 50 men each were attached to 9th Royal Fusiliers for this purpose.