swizz Posted 4 July , 2007 Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Just a bit of advance warning that I hope to visit the Asiago plateau in August and I'd be more than happy to take pictures for anyone who wants them. I hope to visit these CWGC cemeteries: Cavalletto Barenthal Magnaboschi Granezza Boscon If you're interested, let me know! The visit isn't definitely confirmed, but its fairly likely. Swizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Saunders Posted 4 July , 2007 Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Is this an organised trip or a personal pilgrimage? Most envious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizz Posted 4 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 4 July , 2007 I wouldn't call it a pilgrimage exactly - I'm just interested to see the area. I know very little about the Italian Front (but I'm learning!) and I know the area is much less frequently visited than the Western Front. There seem to be lots of Italian and Austro-Hungarian sites of interest in addition to the British cemeteries. I visited Trieste a few months ago and it was a real eye-opener about the international nature of the war. I think many people coming at it from a British point of view don't think about the other nations involved. We can be quite parochial sometimes! We (myself and my husband) are going under our own steam so I'm currently trying to sort out maps and a rough itinerary so we see as much as possible. And of course I'm happy to take the pictures because forum members have helped me a lot with different things and I see this as a way that I can give something back! Swizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjames Posted 4 July , 2007 Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Swizz I hope you manage to go and I do hope you enjoy the trip. If time and opportunity is available, I would be extremely grateful for snaps of the headstones of: 2Lt A ALDRICH, Worcs Regt, died 1st May 1918, Granezza Cemetery, Plot I, Row A, Grave 9 Pte Charles Arthur COLES, Glos Regt, died 15th June 1918, Magnaboschi Cemetery, Plot I, Row F, Grave 8 Pte Albert Edward HARRISON, Glos Regt, died 15th June 1918, Magnaboschi Cemetery, Plot I, Row G, Grave 10 Very many thanks Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizz Posted 4 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Hi Jimmy Your requests are first on the list! I will do my best to get these for you. Swizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 4 July , 2007 Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Swizz, can recommend Hotel da Barba close to Asiago. Its actually about 7-8 minutes walk from the trenches on the San Sisto ridge, where the 11th Sherwoods were breached on 15th June 1918, but promptly threw the Austrians out of their trenches. CO Lt Col Hudson awarded the VC. Fairly close to all those cemeteries listed. The tourist Office in Asiago have in the past had an excellent map , a Carta Turistica, "I Luoghi della Grande Guerra 1915-1918". Well worth acquiring if you can. Good WW I Museum in Canove, where, iirc, there is a good shoe shop (or so Mrs Greenwoodman tells me!). We've been twice, and will be there in June next year again. PM me if any help needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 5 July , 2007 Share Posted 5 July , 2007 Swizz, wonder if you are able to help on this one? A picture of the San Sisto Ridge where the 9th battalion York and Lancasters were in June 1918. In the same brigade as the Sherwood Foresters mentioned above. My wife's grandfather won his DCM there so that's the reason for asking. Anything you can do much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave ricketts Posted 5 July , 2007 Share Posted 5 July , 2007 Swizz, If you make it to Cavaletto, I would very much appreciate a picture of the grave of one of the Littlethorpe lads. He is: Private T.W. COULSON 1/5th Warwicks PLOT 1, Row D, Grave 11 I imagine that it would be very interesting, being so different to the Western Front. Thanks a lot. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Saunders Posted 5 July , 2007 Share Posted 5 July , 2007 We (myself and my husband) are going under our own steam so I'm currently trying to sort out maps and a rough itinerary so we see as much as possible. Lucky you!! Its been top of my listy for a couple of years and still havent made it. Battleground Europe have a couple of guides, Asiago and Touring teh Italian Front. May be of use if you wasnt aware of these already. Regards, Jon S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 5 July , 2007 Share Posted 5 July , 2007 Just for info, which you may already have, the 9th Y & L were on the left of the two-battalion 70th Brigade frontage (11th Sherwoods on the right). Sherwoods were on San Sisto ridge and Y & L on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Kaberlaba south of Poslen Farm (still there). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizz Posted 5 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 5 July , 2007 Greenwoodman - many thanks for this info. We haven't arranged accommodation yet (which is the main reason behind the uncertainty about whether we're going!) so I will definitely check that out. Thanks also for the info on San Sisto ridge. How obvious would you say the trench lines are? I would like to get the pic for Squirrel but as I've said before this is not an area I am familiar with at all. Squirrel - as above! I will do my best to get this for you! Jonathan - Yes I'm getting quite excited about it. I have both the Mackay books but not much else unfortunately. I've found some useful websites but they're in Italian so my dictionary has been getting a lot of use!! Dave - no probs - I've made a note of those details. Swizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 5 July , 2007 Share Posted 5 July , 2007 Swizz Yes, the track that passes Poslen Farm turns right and passes through the ridge line. The trench lines, cut out of rock at that point on both sides of the track iirc, are easily visible. Got photos somewhere, and if I can dig them out I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 6 July , 2007 Share Posted 6 July , 2007 Swizz, thanks for that; you are a real star. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 6 July , 2007 Share Posted 6 July , 2007 This photo taken from the track that passes through the ridge line, showing firstly the 11th Sherwoods trench to the east of the track - the Austrian lines are therefore to the left. Taken June 2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 6 July , 2007 Share Posted 6 July , 2007 Second one iirc the western side of the track, with Austrian lines to the right this time. Very clear, and easy to walk a little way into, but caution, there are dugout entrances in the floor of the trench. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 6 July , 2007 Share Posted 6 July , 2007 M'mm on second thoughts, although this is on the west side of the track, I think it might be facing east, towards the track. But this I believe to be 9th Y&L trench on 15th June 1918. (taken in the morning, trench runs roughly east-west, sun slanting in from SE.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizz Posted 10 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 10 July , 2007 Greenwood man Sorry for the delay in getting back to you - I've been offline for a few days. These are great pictures and have made me quite excited about the trip! As you said the trench lines do seem quite obvious. This is a great help! Swizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 10 July , 2007 Share Posted 10 July , 2007 Better just pass on that the land the trenches are on is private. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizz Posted 11 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 11 July , 2007 Aha. That might change things. I'll have to suss it out when I get there. Thanks for the tip. Swizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versigny Posted 12 July , 2007 Share Posted 12 July , 2007 I have a photo of Arnold Aldrich's grave in Granezza (front row left, just along from that of Vera Brittain's brother Edward). Happy to copy it, though unfortunately it's not of the best quality (too much sun glare) so you will probably get a better one if you wait for Swizz. Anyone visiting Magnaboschi, and even more so Granezza, should definitely get a really good map or directions beforehand. Once up on the Asiago Plateau is not really the time to realise, as we did, that our Michelin 1/400,000 map and the descriptions of location in Vera Brittain's book weren't going to get us to these places without a lot of trial and error driving up and down mountains! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizz Posted 23 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 23 July , 2007 We're definitely going now (in mid August), so just bumping this up in case anyone else has any requests? Swizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizz Posted 20 August , 2007 Author Share Posted 20 August , 2007 Well we're back now and had a great (and really interesting) time. Here are the pics requested on this thread. I've reduced these down in size so anyone wants the full size images just send me a PM. Swizz So, beginning with Jimmy's three: Aldrich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizz Posted 20 August , 2007 Author Share Posted 20 August , 2007 Coles Harrison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizz Posted 20 August , 2007 Author Share Posted 20 August , 2007 For Dave - Coulson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjames Posted 20 August , 2007 Share Posted 20 August , 2007 Swizz Very many thanks indeed for the snaps, I really am most grateful. If I send you mail e-mail address via PM perhaps you would be good enough to send me the full size images. Delighted to see you had a good trip and found it interesting. A visit to the area is on my "To Do" list but regretably won't happen any time soon. Best regards Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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