Capture of Regina Trench (1916)

One of the most difficult battles of the Somme offensive of 1916, during the First World War, was that of Ancre Heights in France, especially the attempt to seize the heavily defended Regina Trench, north of Courcelette. Facing enemy rifles, machine guns, mortars, and artillery, the Canadian attackers were particularly vulnerable when they advanced over no man’s land. The 4th Division, in what was its first operation, did so successfully on 11 Nov. 1916, after several weeks of efforts complicated by bad weather.