by the barrage on Bailiff Wood until when a battalion reached the southern fringe before machine-gun fire from Contalmaison forced them back . The attack on Contalmaison by the 24th Brigade, was to have begun when the 52nd Brigade attacked Pearl Alley again on the right at Mud and communication delays led to the attack not starting until after when two battalions attacked from the south end of Pearl Alley and Shelter Wood on the left. The troops advanced in the open against machine-gun fire and got into Contalmaison up to the church, in which prisoners were taken and counter-attacks by a company of RIR 122 and then a company of GR 9 were repulsed. British artillery-fire on two companies of reinforcements caused them to panic and run away. The attack from Shelter Wood failed because the troops were on lower ground and were slowed by mud and a rainstorm, as machine-gun fire from Contalmaison and Bailiff Wood stopped the attack. The battalion in the village withdrew later in the afternoon after running out of ammunition and hand grenades. An attempt to attack again at was cancelled due to the mud, a heavy German barrage and lack of fresh troops; the 68th Brigade dug in on the west in touch with the 24th Brigade, which faced Contalmaison from the south. XV Corps had ordered the renewal of the attack by the 17th (Northern) and 23rd divisions at but mud delayed the 50th Brigade and its attack was put back to then when two battalions attacked with one from the 52nd Brigade on the left. A 3 Squadron aircraft flew a reconnaissance and dropped a message at that Quadrangle Trench was still full of German troops. All three battalions were caught in the mud and shot down by an artillery barrage and machine-gun fire from ahead and both flanks, losing about by the time the attack was abandoned. The 23rd Division attacked again to close a gap between the 24th and 68th brigades but the troops got into deep mud and were trapped. Later in the day, the 24th Brigade tried to attack Contalmaison but was stopped by machine-gun and artillery fire. On the left, the 19th (Western) Division bombers skirmished all day and at a warning from an observer in a reconnaissance aircraft, led to an advance by German troops towards Bailiff Wood, being ambushed and stopped by small-arms fire.