The latest despatch from Sir John French was issued on
Monday. It describes the operations from the beginning of June to October 8th, and therefore includes the battle of Loos and the subsequent German counter-attack. In summarizing the results of the battle of Loos Sir John French remarks that, in view of the strength of the German positions, and our successes in making a very considerable advance and capturing twenty-six field guns and three thousand prisoners, our losses, though heavy—they were nearly fifty thousand—were not excessive. The proportion of slightly wounded, we are glad to learn, Was relatively very large. The German counter- attack on October 8th against the whole British and French lines at Loos, and in its immediate neighbourhood, was con- ceived on the grand scale. The enemy losses in dead alone are estimated at between eight and nine thousand. The despatch informs us that, owing to the extension of the British line in June to Boesingbe, British troops became responsible for the whole of the dangerous Ypres salient. A little later still more trenches were taken over from the French south of the La Bass6e Canal, but a few days after the battle of September 25th the French resumed some of the positions on their left so as to include the village of Loos and the part of Hill 70 won by the British.
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