The battle to deny the Germans the heights east and north of Ypres began on 31 July, while the division was still in training. On 23 August the division was placed in reserve, with the 70th Brigade briefly reinforcing the 14th Division after a German attack until 30 August when the division was relieved. From 3 September the division began to make preparations for its attack due east, at first along either side of the Menin Road, and then north of it, on a front 1,000 yards wide with the objective up to 2000 yards away. The division moved into the line on 15 September. The attack began on 20 September with the 68th and 69th brigades advancing, one battalion of each brigade was to secure each of the three phase lines with the fourth as a reserve. The first line was captured within the hour, the advance to the second faced resistance from pill-boxes and dug-outs as did the advance to the third. The division held this line under German artillery fire until 25 September, relieved by the 33rd and 39th divisions. In this attack the division had lost 397 killed, 1,724 wounded and 179 missing, it had captured 596 prisoners.