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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Tank 2024 A59, White Chateau, Hollebeke


Yeomans

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Hi Egbert,

the last pic is White Chateau

Cnock

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Nick

Thanks for the offer Im always interested in aerial photos. If you would like slightly better copies of the two I posted PM me.

Tim B

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Here is an aerial from 16 Feb 1918 of the Hollebeke Chateau east of the town (egbert's Kleines Schlob) it was located where the dark patches are to the bottom of the photo. Given the attention they always attract Im sure that there is an opening for a book on ruined chateaus of the war :lol: .

Tim B

post-8032-1248509138.jpg

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Given the attention they always attract Im sure that there is an opening for a book on ruined chateaus of the war :lol: .

Tim B

Tim I am in with lots of aerials and photos of different chateau's. Here is your same area end of 1914/early 1915

post-80-1248510070.jpg

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Hi

White Chateau (Bayernschlos) at the left, at the right is Schloss Hollebeke

Cnock

post-7723-1248512889.jpg

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Well, a handful of postings have been added since I was in this Topic yesterday !

After I had discussed, a month or three ago, the Hollebeke Castles elsewhere on other Forums, this appeared to be my end conclusion :

- Northwest of the village centre of Hollebeke, but on Voormezele territory, and now where the Palingbeek golf is :

White Chateau / Chateau Mahieu / Bayernschloss

(depending on the source)

What is confusing : sometimes this is called Hollebeke Schloss or Schloss Hollebeke (see Egbert)

- The stables of this chateau in German sources are called : Rotes Schloss

- East of the village centre, and immediately east of the railroad : Hollebeke Schloss or Schloss Hollebeke

(And in this Topic I learned that it is also called : Kleines Schloss. (Which is, compared to the White Chateau, understandable.)

- A small castle, 1 km due north of Hollebeke Schloss : Voddekasteeltje (must have another name in English or German, but can't remember that right now). Sabine, I don't know if this is "Vierlingen". It seems to me that Vierlingen area is west of the railroad ? And Voddekasteeltje is east of it. Right now there is a large building there, which last time I was near appeared to be in renovation ?

Egbert, I am not familiar with the word "hoeft" (your aerial pic), the location southwest of Hollebeke (Kleines) Schloss. Must be the "hoeve" (farm) of the Schloss ?

Aurel

(Edited : Sorry, Cnock, your map wasn't there yet when I was writing my posting.)

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Egbert, I am not familiar with the word "hoeft" (your aerial pic), the location southwest of Hollebeke (Kleines) Schloss. Must be the "hoeve" (farm) of the Schloss ?

Aurel

Sorry , shall read "Kasteelhoek"

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Egbert,

Yes, I had thought that too in the first place, because that's the name of the area ... But as it refers to a specific farm (and thinking of the word Gehöft (Gehoeft ?)...

Aurel

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Wow.......

I wasn't able to access the Forum yesterday but what a great response - thank you everybody.

Tim (or anybody) - can you explain how I load images up to the website I have scanned a couple of aerial photographs but they are obviously too large (in MB's to upload). If I compress the image I loose all the detail. Sorry a bit of a novice at this !

Thanks

Nick

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Aerial photograph from 4th June 1917.

Didn't the landscape change dramatically in just a few weeks !!

Will post a couple of more if this works.

Nick

post-38721-1248597504.jpg

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At first sight I recognized the pic. But then somehow I found it a little difficult to find my orientation. Yes, there are some three or so lakes / ponds in a row (and they are still there now), but in relation to the ruins, something doesn't work out.

Just this : in the top right corner, just in front of the date, there is an arrow ? Correct ? So north = up ?

Aurel

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Yes, I believe so. The trench system agrees with that shown on the attached. Do you agree ?

Nick

post-38721-1248606785.jpg

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Nick,

Yes, I think I tend to agree.

And on the aerial pic : up = north ?

And the white area, is that the ruins of the Chateau (which is north of the pond/lake), or of the Stables (which were south) ?

Aurel

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Detail long distance pic from German observation balloon at Geluwe, 30/9/1917

nr. 4 : White Chateau

nr. 8 : Ypern Canal

nr. 9 : Kanalknie

Cnock

post-7723-1248611723.jpg

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Aurel,

Yes - north is to the top of the photograph. You can just see the tail of the north pointer next to the date.

I think the ruins are those of the White Chateau. They are to the north of the lake and the rectangular feature shown in the trench line corresponds with a similar feature on the trench map.

Nick

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This is Arthur Speadborough (left) first driver of tank A59 a Male Mk IV of No 12 Section, No. 3 Company "A" Battalion Heavy Branch MGC - commanded by 2nd Lieut Harold Duckett and attached to 47th Division. His tank was detailed to attack the White Chateau in support of 7th London Regiment on 7th June 1917 but it became ditched there and Arthur was killed trying to dig the tank out of a deep shell hole. He has no known grave but is listed on the Ypres Memorial to the Missing under Machine Gun Corps.

post-38721-1248617960.jpg

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One of the first tankees then!

I assume he deployed to France on 20 September with A Coy

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Great photo of Speadborough, thanks for posting Yeoman!

Let me guess - taken by H. Phillips of Peabody Road, Farnborough, Hampshire?

cheers

Steve

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Yes - north is to the top of the photograph. You can just see the tail of the north pointer next to the date.

Nick

Nick,

Thanks.

Yes, now I understand. I was a little confused because what was left of the lake was a big pool, and some smaller ones west of it. But now I realize that there must have been a couple of small ones east of it as well.

Aurel

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Yes - I think Arthur was one of the first tankees. He enlisted in the Machine Gun Corps at Bisley in May 1916 - presumably direct into Heavy Section and then proceeded to France as a First Driver with "A" Battalion in September 1916.

Steve - the copy of the photograph I have doesn't disclose who took it but I think you could well be right as Arthur lived in Somerset Road - Farnborough. His brother Arthur is in the photograph with him. I would be intrigued to know how you were able to identify the likely photographers.

Nick

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Hi Nick,

Sorry for dangling the proverbial carrot - I just couldn't resist it! :D In all seriousness though, the back drop and the props on your photo are exactly the same as in one taken of my granddad at that studio when he was based in Aldershot with his RGA battery in the summer of 1916 (see below). I've also seen a number of other portrait photos of soldiers (mostly artillery though), again with the same backdrop and props, and also, as it turns out, taken at the same studio.

post-2839-1248692307.jpg

cheers

Steve

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  • 3 years later...

@Yeomans

Perhaps I can help you with a photography of the said tank: At the begin of 1918, my grandfather (10th Magdeburgian Hussars) headed an observation squad of the 7th German Division. In anticipation of the 2nd battle of Kemmel he had to observe for a couple of days from "Bayernschloss" which was heavily under shelling. He also conducted several patrols where he passed a wrecked tank that was between the lines, and he took some photographies of it using his "Icarette" pocket camera. And he wrote in the album: "What a collossal cheek to take photographies at that location under the eyes of the British!"

I do not believe that there were many destroyed tanks around "Bayernschloss". It must have been the said one.

Unfortunately there are only 6x6-cm printouts in a very poor left, the negatives are gone. I can try to take a photo of the printout. But please do not expect a very clear picture! Please let me know if it is still interesting for you.

Regards

Henry

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