Location of Camera ? Peter Barton's battlefields of the First Worl

[mick1234]

Hello all,

I need some help with an image in Peter Bartons marvelous book "The Battle fields of the First World War" the unseen panoramas of the Western Front. There is an image on page 329 showing the 16th (public schools) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment retiring across Hawthorn Ridge.For the life of me I cannot figure out the position of the camera. What is throwing me out is the position of the British trenches mentioned on the ridge to the right. I thought the Germans held that ridge so near the Hawthorn mine location. Can anyone help ?

ps The book is really a gem packed with great images and information of a lot of aspects of the War.

[connaughtranger]

Hi

The camera must be very close to the spot where Malins filmed the Hawthorn Ridge mine but panned back to the right towards the British line and the old Beaumont Road

Map Ref: approx Q 4 d 3.3

[peterhogg]

According to Ghosts on the Somme, the area from which this footage was taken was the spot where the mine explosion was filmed. He is looking across the Beaumont Rd towards the north slope of the ridge. To the right is Marlborough Trench which had been the jumping off trench. A still photo was also taken at about this spot which depicts troops retiring back to Marlborough. (IWM Q750). This is very close to the White City and the area where Malins filmed some Lancashire Fusiliers at the junction of Tenderloin and King St, White City. (From that shot in the distance is visible Marlborough Trench)

After the mine sequence and the depiction of attacking troops, Malins moved closer to the Beaumont Rd from White City. I believe the sequence where the casualty is carried across the road depicts a section of Marlborough trench which ran down to the Beaumont Rd. Malins is on the opposite side of the road. That is the road that is crossed by the man carrying the fatally wounded soldier. There were other still shots taken from around these locations that morning.

[mick1234]

Thanks Guys, The mention of marlborough trench has me looking at it right.

Mick