Throughout late June 1916, 56th Divisional Artillery was engaged in the preliminary bombardment for the division's attack on Gommecourt, an important diversion to the main British offensive (the Battle of the Somme) due to begin on 1 July.
56th Divisional Artillery was divided into three groups for this task: Northern, Southern and Wire-Cutting; the CO of CCLXXXII Bde, Lt-Col A.F. Prechtel, was placed in command of the wire-cutting group ('Peltart'), comprising five batteries of 18-pounders (A/CCLXXX and C/CCLXXXIII in addition to his own three) and one of 4.5 howitzers (D/CCLXXX, of which two howitzers were at the call of the counter-battery group).
Two guns of C/CCLXXXIII were concealed in an orchard almost in the British front line.
The Peltart group fired almost 24,500 rounds of mainly Shrapnel shell in the days before the attack.
By 28 June the Barbed wire in front of the German first and second lines was reported to be satisfactorily cut, but German working parties continued to repair it at night.

The division's attack on 1 July (the Battle of Gommecourt) was a costly failure.
The artillery observers watched the infantry cross No man's land, clear the German front-line trench and take the initial objectives, but German artillery retaliation and counter-attacks were intense, no reinforcements could cross No man's Land and no further progress could be made.
The wire-cutting guns were now tasked with long-range fire into the enemy's rear areas, but the guns were worn out after the long bombardment, many were out of action with broken buffer springs, and their fire was ineffective.
The division was pushed back into the German front-line trench and lost very heavily.
Afterwards, its commander criticised the plan, especially the long-drawn-out artillery preparation, which allowed the enemy to prepare their response.

On the night of 13 July the divisional artillery made a demonstration to help an attack made further south, and there was some raiding, but 56th Division did not make another offensive move during the weeks it remained in the Gommecourt sector.
It was relieved on 20 August.
Throughout late June 1916, 56th Divisional Artillery was engaged in the preliminary bombardment for the division's attack on Gommecourt, an important diversion to the main British offensive (the Battle of the Somme) due to begin on 1 July. 56th Divisional Artillery was divided into three groups for this task: Northern, Southern and Wire-Cutting; the CO of CCLXXXII Bde, Lt-Col A.F. Prechtel, was placed in command of the wire-cutting group ('Peltart'), comprising five batteries of 18-pounders (A/CCLXXX and C/CCLXXXIII in addition to his own three) and one of 4.5 howitzers (D/CCLXXX, of which two howitzers were at the call of the counter-battery group). Two guns of C/CCLXXXIII were concealed in an orchard almost in the British front line. The Peltart group fired almost 24,500 rounds of mainly Shrapnel shell in the days before the attack. By 28 June the Barbed wire in front of the German first and second lines was reported to be satisfactorily cut, but German working parties continued to repair it at night.
The division's attack on 1 July (the Battle of Gommecourt) was a costly failure. The artillery observers watched the infantry cross No man's land, clear the German front-line trench and take the initial objectives, but German artillery retaliation and counter-attacks were intense, no reinforcements could cross No man's Land and no further progress could be made. The wire-cutting guns were now tasked with long-range fire into the enemy's rear areas, but the guns were worn out after the long bombardment, many were out of action with broken buffer springs, and their fire was ineffective. The division was pushed back into the German front-line trench and lost very heavily. Afterwards, its commander criticised the plan, especially the long-drawn-out artillery preparation, which allowed the enemy to prepare their response.
On the night of 13 July the divisional artillery made a demonstration to help an attack made further south, and there was some raiding, but 56th Division did not make another offensive move during the weeks it remained in the Gommecourt sector. It was relieved on 20 August.
2nd Middlesex Artillery Volunteers