He returned to the front in November. On 21 December 1914 he was promoted to command the 1st Division from 21 December 1914, with the rank of major-general. His division took part in the Battle of Aubers Ridge (also known as the first Battle of Fromelles) in May 1915, where the three attacking divisions suffered a total of 11,600 casualties and where he argued for further attacks despite the clear failure of the first assault. His attacking brigades lost over 50% of their fighting strength in little over an hour. He was not blamed for what Simpson describes as the "flawed artillery plan and lack of artillery support" at Aubers Ridge.