After three days of fighting, 9-12 April 1917, in the area of Fampoux and Arras, there was a lull in the battle. For much of the remainder of April, the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers were either in reserve or resting to the rear of the battle zone.

On 3 May, General Haig ordered a resumption of the fighting on the Arras front; the zero hour of 0345 hours was an ill chosen time for many units, including the Faughs who could not find their way in the darkness. Companies lost their cohesiveness; soldiers got lost, small groups of soldiers disappeared and, if caught by enemy machine gun fire, were never seen again. The Faughs failed to take their objectives. On 4 May the fighting strength of the Battalion was 6 officers and 236 other ranks.