On the 1st July 1916 whilst many British Army Regiments attacks were turning into bloody ruin some were successful, particularly in the south. Why did this happen ? Was it skill and leadership, the training, the quality and bravery of the soldiers, luck, a successful artillery barrage or poor German performance. Most probably a bit of all these factors. This is the story of the 7th Bedfords, a Kitchener battalion in General Maxse's 18th Eastern Div. The Bedfords captured all their objectives, assisted the units on their flanks and established a new defensive line a mile beyond their objective.