This is how the action is described in Tom Johnstone's book Orange, Green & Khaki

:

The Dublins had just finished stand-to at 0400 and rum was being issued, a

tablespoon a man, when a loud explosion and bombardment began and a wall of

gas rolled down each side of the farm. The colonel shouted “Get your respirators,

boys, here comes the gas!” So close together were the German and Dublin

trenches that there was little time to put on respirators. For once, the German

assault infantry followed close behind their gas and were able to gain entry into

the trenches. Col. Loveband was shot dead, his second in command, Maj.

Mangan was gassed and dying. All company officers fought on, either dying or

gassed at their posts. The farm was taken and then retaken in a day of heavy

fighting which reduced it to a heap of ‘mud and rubbish’… The Dublins held the

line until after midday when ‘organised defence came to an end’…The

commanding officer and eleven other officers were killed; four officers were

wounded or gassed; one, the machine-gun officer who had stayed by his guns

was taken prisoner. 583 other ranks, practically all the battalion, were killed,

wounded or gassed.