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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: AnnieP on Sunday 18 March 18 12:11 GMT (UK)
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I've managed to transcribe most of this description of the action but was unsure about the '600x' after 'brought down by hostile fire'.
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The x is the symbol for yards.
MaxD
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Thanks so much. Another question if I may, Halfway through the month it lists where they were which was Beuvry as a heading and a few days further down just A1, again as a heading. Any ideas?
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Prefer to look at it in context - what diary is it.
MaxD
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I looked at the UK WW1 War Diaries 1914-1920 for the Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment, 33rd Division (19 Jan 1916- 1918 Jan) on Ancestry. Samuel Frank Burgess was killed on the 19th Feb 1916. The A1 was in the place column.
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What Battalion?
OK was the 1st.
A1 looks like a map reference but I'll check it out.
Brigade diary refers to subsection A1.
Top LH corner of this map:
http://maps.nls.uk/view/101465011
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Deleted
Giving it thought and discussing off line with jim1.
MaxD
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I don't know about MaxD but these diaries are annoying me.
1 map reference from 100/Bde. refers to a bombing party attacking a German m/g position in A.28.a.5.7.
Other map refs. put them in A.21.
So in the right sector.
33/Div. have the Bethune map not that it's much use.
I think the coding used was only known to the Div. C.O.
Even some of the Batt. C.O's are questioning it.
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This seems to have caused some discussion and comment. I was only curious because I had no idea whether it was a map reference or a road name. I looked at the map you gave me but could see no sign of Beuvry. I'm writing a chapter about this soldier in a book about his family and as his service records were unavailable, all I had was a date of death, his interment at Cambrin Military Cemetery and an obituary in the local newspaper. It made such stark reading -2 dead,10 wounded.
I'm only assuming that one of the dead would be him. he was in a team of machine gunners according to the newspaper report. Anyway once again many thanks. Annie
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AnnieP
I should explain. Jim1 and I are in agreement that A1, rather than a map reference, is the code, if you will, for a section/sector of the front line trenches. Others mentioned in neighbouring battalions are A2, Z0, Z South and so on. Quite common for this to be seen but without a sketch map or a listing of map references for each sector which the division, brigade and battalion diaries don't have, knowing exactly where A1 is not easy.
Jim1 finds the enemy in A 28 and A 21. Referring to the supporting artillery, I find reference to the front line extending from A 21 d 9 7.5 to A 28 d 0.5 1.5 (gunner precision) which accords with those references. The map is 36C NW1 1/10000. The side by side map at the link:
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=50.5105&lon=2.7693&layers=101465011&right=BingHyb
shows Auchy (also accords with one of jim1's findings) and squares 21 and 28 are in the middle of the map. The map is from June of 1916 and the front line of the time is shown.
In sum, my reading of A1, failing finding a trench sketch, is somewhere on the line between the two squares mentioned.
An interesting exercise for a snowy day!
MaxD
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Quick follow up. Auchy-les-mines is only some 2 miles from the cemetery at Cambrin.
MaxD
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I'm amazed at the wealth of information coming from the pair of you. I may have a quick glance but any deeper research may well be left until another day. Even with my experience of maps many years ago as a cartographical draughtswoman in the Ordnance Survey I found it quite difficult possibly because of not being familiar with the French towns and village names.
Thanks to the pair of you, I now have more than enough to write about.
AnnieP
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This map helps us a bit.
Reading the numerous diaries it would appear that the Northern Brigade boundary is in A.15 with the Southern boundary in A.28.
I believe A1 is at the Northern end.
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That's brilliant. I shall be able to add this to the chapter and give a clearer picture of where he died.
You've done all the hard work for me, thank you.
AnnieP
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Slight alteration. A1 is at the Southern end. 98/Bde.-100/Bde. (The Queens) relief table puts a guide at F. 29 Annequin crossroads.