North of the village the valley widens Expansion into a basin , which forks north-east around the Morval Spur .

XVIII Corps ( Lieutenant-General Ivor Maxse ) of the Fifth Army was to advance onto the Gravenstafel Spur , an area held Defending by the German 36th Division since 8 September .

The 58th Division objective was ahead , among German strongpoints on Wurst Farm Ridge , at the west end of Gravenstafel Spur .