 Complete the following phrase:  The division was committed to the Allied offensive in the Somme area in late July. Positions adjacent to the village of Guillemont were occupied on the 30th; in the process of relieving a battalion east of Trônes Wood, the 18th sustained 18 casualties. Guillemont, where other battalions of the Kings Regiment had fought with resultingly high casualties, was the 18ths second major battle, on 8 August. The five-day tour that preceded it was expensive, with about 50 casualties being incurred and an intense skirmish occurring on the 2nd. In the subsequent battle, the battalion was directed to attack on the right of the 14th Royal Lancasters and establish itself on the northern boundary of Guillemont, extending as far as the villages railway station. The battle commenced at 4:20am, upon which time the artillery bombardment ceased. While the 14th Kings Own encountered dense barbed wire, the Liverpool Irish, attacking in conditions severely limiting visibility, penetrated the frontline and continued to advance rapidly. Progress had been so sudden that the first-line trenches remained uncleared of German troops. The supporting a hrefLoyal20North20Lancashire20Regiment14th Loyalsa withdrew from the German trenches as a consequence. Although 1st Kings had entered Guillemont as well, the 18th was effectively unsupported after the Loyals withdrew. The battalion and its regular counterpart became isolated and surrounded. Casualties for the Liverpool Irish exceeded 550: five officers and ten other ranks OR had been confirmed killed; eight officers and 47 ORs were wounded and 502 missing. The 