Fort Garry, Hill 63

[Beselare]

In the diary of the 46th Battn., AIF, they are described as being at Fort Garry, Hill 63, in July 1917. I can find a Fort Simmons and Fort Briggs on Hill 63 but none of the trench maps seem to identify Fort Garry (presumably short for Fort Garry Horse). Has anyone ever identified this position?

Bob

[mebu]

Was sure I'd seen Garry, just been looking at some maps but cannot find it marked.

The location given in the diary U13c 5.1 puts it in an odd place for a fort, in the wooded slope of Hill 63.

Will try some other sources and report if anything found.

Peter

[Beselare]

Thanks Peter. Good luck.

Bob

[Beselare]

Hello Peter

I saw Claude at L'Auberge Cafe yesterday and asked him about Fort Garry. He had never heard of it and as he is reckoned to be the leading expert on Plugstreet and its area it must be an error in the battalion war diary. Thank you for your efforts.

Bob

[mebu]

Bob, Claude does indeed know a lot about the area....however the diary clearly says Fort Garry. Unlikely to be a mistake, more likely just one of the names which were not important enough to get on the official maps. There are quite a few such names appear in Canadian/British/Australian diaries but not on maps of this area. I went through most engineer diaries for Plug wood and environs last winter (looking for construction info on Blighty hall and the mg posts in the wood) and I know I have seen it.....went through a few last week, but there are so many.

Peter

[Beselare]

Hi Peter

If you have seen it somewhere, then hopefully at some stage it will come to light. Thank you for continuing to try.

Bob

[kenora]

Fort Garry was a garrison in Winnipeg, very significant in that City's history. I wonder was this an informal name for the area given by the Canadians?