The action on 26 October was part of what is officially known as the Second Battle of Passchendaele. Here is a transcipt of the battalion war diary, starting 24 October 1917:
24 Voormezele
Relieved the 17th Kings Royal Rifles for operations at Gheluvelt.
Operation orders:
X Corps are to co-operate with the main attack further north, bu attacking Gheluvelt and Polderhoek Wood. The role of the 7th Division: to capture Gheluvelt, some ground along Zandvoorde spur, and so secure Tower Hamlets ridge.
Battalion orders: B Coy on right front, D in centre, C on left. 2 platoons of A Coy to support C, the remainder of A to support B and D. 1 Coy of 22nd Manchesters attached, whose objective will be to take over battalion front line.
Barrage 150 yards in front for 4 minutes, then creep 200 yards in 12 minutes, then 200 in 8, then 100 per 12 minutes to Red Protective barrage.
Consolidation will be carried out, to obtain a good observation and defence line, to obtain a line of postst from The Mound (J.26.b.0.8) to Berry Cotts to Spur (J.27.a.7.5), plus an intermediate line of posts from Hamp Farm (J.27.a.17.55 to 35.76).
21st Manchesters will be on our left. 19th Division on our right will not attack.
4 Vickers guns will advance with battalion, 2 to rear of Berry Cotts, 2 in the old front line.
4 Stokes mortars under Lt W.C.Conley MC.
Advanced Battalion HQ under 2/Lt G.A.C.Sheffield, will be in old front line.
Signals will, on reaching Red and Blue Lines, show Red and Green Very. Red and White flares, if called by Contact Aeroplane.
SOS will be rifle grenade parachute flares showing red over green over yellow.
Operations narrative:
Battalion formed up without incident, in spite of the moon.
At zero, there was heavy enemy machine gun fire, and a medium barrage on the whole ridge, especially severe on Battalion HQ.
C Coy on left progressed, with heavy casualties, until 50 yards from Berry Cotts. There they encountered very strong opposition, using stick bombs. The Coy were swept by machine guns from Berry Cotts and Lewis House. Mud had rendered riflse and Lewis guns useless. C Coy strength was down to 1 offiecr and about 20 other ranks, who lay out in shell holes.
D Coy met very strong opposition from Hamp Farm and cross-fire. They only got 50 yards from our front line.
B Coy, protected a little by the lie of the ground, made more progress. They attacked the Mound, with heavy fighting. Both officers and all NCOs were killed or wounded. The remainder of the Coy, now under a Corporal, carried their objective.
The enemy retired, and positions were consolidated. Runners were sent back for reinforcements, but all became casualties. No message got to Battalion HQ. The remnants of B Coy fell back after dusk, destroying one machine gun befire doing so.
Casualties:
Killed in action:
2/Lt (A/Capt) W.H.Curry
2/Lt R.S.Pullen
2/Lt D.S.Glaze
2/Lt G.A.C.Sheffield
2/Lt V.Hield
2/Lt W.H.Noakes
38 other ranks
Wounded:
2/Lt S.H.Houle
136 other ranks
Missing:
2/Lt H.E.Poulton
91 other ranks
27 October
Relieved quietly by 20th Manchesters(at 2300 on 26th), marched back to camp at Vierstraat.