The Battle of Menin Road was a well planned and well executed battle with limited but reasonable objectives which were achieved. Two Australian divisions formed the centre of the attacking force of eleven Divisions of the Second and Fifth Armies. This was the first time two Australian divisions attacked side by side. Lieutenant F Birks, MM of the 6th Bn won the VC when he rushed a pill-box and captured it, enabling his battalion to advance. He was killed the following day, about the time that Lance-Corporal R R Inwood, 10th Bn, was performing the gallant actions which were to win him the VC.
Following the success at Menin Road on 20 September and similar success at Polygon Wood on 26 September a third major assault on German positions near Passchendaele was launched on 4 October 1917. The main assault included the 3rd Australian Division and the New Zealander Division. Heavy casualties were inflicted on the enemy and more than 5,000 prisoners were captured. In bitter fighting against German pillboxes the 1st Division, 2nd Division and two brigades of the 3rd Division lost 6,432 men, but with their allies inflicted on the Germans what their official history calls "the black day of October 4". Lance-Corporal Walter Peeler of the 3rd Pioneer Bn attached to the 37th Bn and Sergeant Lewis McGee of the 40th Bn both won the VC in this battle.
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