17 AUGUST 1918, Page 1
On Monday the Australians, having cleared the southern bank of
the Somme near Mericourt on the previous day, captured Proyart. There was heavy fighting west and south of Chaulnes, and also to the south of Roye, where the French by taking Les Loges almost reached the main Roye-Lassigny road. Our Allies continued to progress in the Lassigny hills, and on Wednesday took Ribecourt. On Thursday Sir Douglas Haig announced that our Fourth Army and the French First Army had taken in sevea days over thirty thousand prisoners, including at least eight hundred officers; with six hundred guns, and several thousand machine- guns. General Humbert's captures, which must be large, were not included in this handsome total.
