Hi Ian
Information taken from History of the South Staffordshire Regiment by Jones.
“February 17th was fixed for an attack on Baillescourt Farm,which, if won, would give us the command of the Western approaches to Miraumont. The Battalion left their billets Farm in the evening of the 16th for the front line. The cloudy weather resulted in a pitch dark night, and the thaw made going very difficult. The Germans evidently expected an attack, and their artillery shelled the front and forming-up places continuously, so that the carrying parties were late in arriving. About 5.45 a.m. our barrage opened, and the assaulting lines began to crawl forward to get to their position in I. Trench. For some time the position was rather obscure. The Battalion had gained its objective, but was subjected to the German machine gun fire and casualties were heavy. Afterwards, it was discovered that the attack had been given away and the German line strongly reinforced with men and machine guns.”
64 men and four officers were killed in the assualt.
To answer your question the area of the attack was in the Courcelette subsectorwhich came under the Battle of the Somme.
The Thiepval Memorial, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Hope this helps.
Regards Doug.
