ArmyOfficer Posted 14 January , 2009 Share Posted 14 January , 2009 Hello all - Not many battlefield tourists come down this way. Here are some pictures of some of the sights south of Mons, in particular the battlefields just north of Frameries where 7th and 9th Brigades defended positions against the German 24th and 64th Infantry Regiments. The first is the site of the 1 / Lincs defense. The Battalion was in line along this road - facing left (north). On the right side of this street (previously Rue du Dames, now Rue Champ Du Bataille) there was a rope factory. The Lincolns returned to Frameries in December 1918 and found many of their casualties buried along this street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyOfficer Posted 14 January , 2009 Author Share Posted 14 January , 2009 Another view of the 1/Lincolns position. Just across the Rue du Dames from the rope factory was a farm who's orchard was occupied by one of their companies (B Co. I think). The farm is long gone although the descendants of the original orchard are in the center of the picture. The German axis of attack was from the left (NW) to right (SE) in the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nachtjager Posted 15 January , 2009 Share Posted 15 January , 2009 Thanks for the very interesting pics, maybe I can get by there next year! Early war sites that can be identified are seriously interesting indeed! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyOfficer Posted 15 January , 2009 Author Share Posted 15 January , 2009 Nachtjager - Thank you for that - and if you come over, please let me know. Here's another field - this is the 2/South Lancs position (other side of Frameries from 1/Lincs). The photo is looking north from a position about 500m north of the Frameries cemetary. In 1914 this was a major road intersection. The north / south road ran from Cuesmes to Frameries and the east / west road was the old "Rue du Binche" - running to Binche (hence the name). The South Lancs were defending along the black line in the photo. They were originally dug in facing north (e.g. away from the camera) but, in the words of the Battalion Commander he " ...was more impressed than ever that our chief weakness lay on our left flank where the railroad embankment would afford excellent cover to the enemy's infantry...". Therefore, he moved D Co. 2/S Lancs to the flank, creating the salient you see as drawn on the black lines in the photo. It was this flank that saw the first DCM awarded in the war to the Regiment. I won't tie up any more bandwidth on the board - but if any are interested in the fight south of Mons on 24 August and would like photos, please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofatfortakeoff Posted 16 March , 2018 Share Posted 16 March , 2018 Hi am just here off the back of a search in Red Cross records-it looks like quite a few of the Lincolns were captured here too-the entries are not until October 1914 for the IRC I also would love to come over and have a look at the area-one of our Barton men was lost around this time and several from my town fought there. Many thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianmorris547 Posted 16 March , 2018 Share Posted 16 March , 2018 TFFTO This thread contains a link to Simpson's Official History of The Lincolnshire Regiment in the Great War. There is an account of the 1st Bn at Mons and a map of Frameries on p 15 which you will find interesting. I went there in 1987. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofatfortakeoff Posted 16 March , 2018 Share Posted 16 March , 2018 Brian-greetings--I tried to get war diary of the first among a bundle-it was the only one I think that glitched on me (online) will have another crack at that-many thanks for tweaking my memory! I can see 20 captured on the day and at least and a high rank NCO RSM I think. Definitely a must do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loader Posted 16 March , 2018 Share Posted 16 March , 2018 My memory fails me now so this may be totaly off base. I seem to recall a photo posted somewhere on this forum some time ago that was said to be of the Lincolns at MONS showing an officer walking out front of a line of men & clear field in front of them. I wonder if it was taken of the Bn on this day at or near the location in the posted photos? However as I said the memory often fails me so it may be I am 100% in error & the photo I saw was not of the Lincolns at all but some other Bn. Hope someone with more skill & time can find the photo & see if there is a connection. Thanks to all who read this for your patience with my ramblings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 16 March , 2018 Share Posted 16 March , 2018 Is this the one ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianmorris547 Posted 17 March , 2018 Share Posted 17 March , 2018 The above photo is the one that came to my mind from Loader's description. I read somewhere that it was taken at Riez de L'Erelle as the Bn was preparing to march up to Mons. This would put the date at 21/08/1914 (see the link provided by Woollamc in post 6 i.e. Simpson pp 6-7). Riez de L'erelle is on the France Belgium border near the battlefield of Malplacquet. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianmorris547 Posted 17 March , 2018 Share Posted 17 March , 2018 21 hours ago, toofatfortakeoff said: Brian-greetings--I tried to get war diary of the first among a bundle-it was the only one I think that glitched on me (online) will have another crack at that-many thanks for tweaking my memory! I can see 20 captured on the day and at least and a high rank NCO RSM I think. Definitely a must do. TFFTO The WD of 1 Lincs from August 1914 is in WO 95/1429 but it is out of sequence. On Ancestry it starts on p 320/435. Re the above photo. I saw it somewhere marked as 1 Lincs on the approach to Mons and I assumed it was at Riez de L'erelle, since that was where the Bn formed a reserve line on 21/08/1914. Not much info in the BN WD but see Simpson and also the WD of 9 Infantry Brigade WO 95/1425/1. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loader Posted 19 March , 2018 Share Posted 19 March , 2018 YES, that was the photo I was thinking about. Thanks so much for finding it & for posting the location. Glad to know I was not imagining it. Wonder what the men in the photo were thinking at the time? They had a date with destiny in 48 hrs then 4 more yrs of it. Thanks for all the photos of the battlefield posted here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 19 March , 2018 Share Posted 19 March , 2018 8 hours ago, Loader said: YES, that was the photo I was thinking about. Thanks so much for finding it & for posting the location. Glad to know I was not imagining it. Wonder what the men in the photo were thinking at the time? They had a date with destiny in 48 hrs then 4 more yrs of it. Thanks for all the photos of the battlefield posted here. The calm before the storm . One of my favourite photographs of the war and it's very interesting to see how the landscape looks in more recent times . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loader Posted 19 March , 2018 Share Posted 19 March , 2018 Here's a very long shot idea. I've seen copies of a magazine called I WAS THERE, THE GREAT WAR from the 20's or 30's. It had many photos in it & the issue I saw there were veterans writing in to identify those in the photos. I wonder if this photo was ever printed in that publication & if so were any of the men identified? I realize on 2 have any chance of being recognized & maybe the man walking in the pasture, I thought it was an officer but now not sure with larger photo shown. Not sure if anyone has copies of these magazines but think they were printed to follow the war ie, first issues covered 1914 then each yr in turn. So maybe anyone with early issued might not have to bad of a trawl to see if the photo was published & if anyone in later issues wrote with info. Still a fine photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 20 March , 2018 Share Posted 20 March , 2018 9 hours ago, Loader said: Here's a very long shot idea. I've seen copies of a magazine called I WAS THERE, THE GREAT WAR from the 20's or 30's. It had many photos in it & the issue I saw there were veterans writing in to identify those in the photos. I wonder if this photo was ever printed in that publication & if so were any of the men identified? I realize on 2 have any chance of being recognized & maybe the man walking in the pasture, I thought it was an officer but now not sure with larger photo shown. Not sure if anyone has copies of these magazines but think they were printed to follow the war ie, first issues covered 1914 then each yr in turn. So maybe anyone with early issued might not have to bad of a trawl to see if the photo was published & if anyone in later issues wrote with info. Still a fine photo. Good idea , I don't ever remember seeing it in there though and having a look through the 1914 section of volume 1( mine are bound ), it doesn't appear there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loader Posted 21 March , 2018 Share Posted 21 March , 2018 DRAT!! Oh well it was a long shot. Here's another question that no doubt the answer is lost in time. Has it ever been documented WHO took the photo? Was it an officer or man of the Bn or some reporter or what? I guess it was before cameras were banned in the forces. Still a fascinating picture of a moment in a time that was about to be changed forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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