On Wednesday the enemy, while continuing his attack south of
Armentieres, delivered a furious assault on our lines north of the ruined town, along the Lye and, west of Wameton, to the Ypres- Comities Canal at Hollebeke. The German masses broke through our outposts in the marshy ground by the stream and pressed our men back into Ploegsteert Wood, of evil memory, at the southern end of the Messines-Wytachaete Ridge. Some German infantry climbed the slopes and got into Messines, but were quickly expelled by a counter-attack. To the south of Armentieres the enemy after a long struggle made good a footing west of the Lys between Estaires and Bee St. Maur. But our men stood firm on the south from Estaires to Givenchy. The enemy's advance to the north and south of Armentieres left that wrecked town at the point of a sharp salient Our troops were withdrawn from it on Wednesday night, when the ruins were reported to be full of gas.
