Manor Farm - 154 Siege Battery positions

[marc coene]

Recently we organised at Manor Farm (Zillebeke,nearby Ypres) and around a Remembrance weekend for the families of some soldiers we could retrace of the 154 Siege Battery. The Battery manned 4 heavy 9.2" guns standing about around the farm, we guess.

The Remembrance was a very special event with the family of a Scottish (Gunner Hugh Graham, MM), a British (2nd Lieutenant Greene, MC) and a Irish (Captain Walker,MC) soldier. They all came over to see the place where their father or grandfather had been during the war from January till April 1918. Just before them the 117 th Siege Battery was positioned at Manor Farm.

Even a grandson came over for some days from Washington.

Luckily we have the History of the 154 Siege Battery written by Captain Walker, so we could retrace a lot of things. Also aerial photos make some things clear but just till now we could not retrace the position of the guns.

Several members of the family and also myself are interested in the positions where the guns might have been. Finally it would make the history of the Battery more complete. Also German air photos while they try to photograph the enemy postions may be interesting but were to find of that period?

My question: are there maps (and were are they to find) period January -April 1918 (British maps or German Artillerie Wochenkartes) where the postions of the (enemy) guns would be marked on? The exact position of Manor Farm is 28I22c (near Zillebeke Lake in the Ypres region). Or for the Germans maps it is about the 6744 sqaure.

Are there German air photos to find as I read in the History book of the Battery that in January 1918 they even did not put covers upon the guns? Reason why they were marked up by German balloons or aeroplanes with heavy sheltering afterwards.

Thanks for the answers.

Regards

Marc