Stephen Nulty Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Looking through 1/5th SLR diaries for 1918 and I keep encountering this, as in "will enter the O.B.L. " "and entered the O.B.L. at its junction " "We went back along the O.B.L. " It's probably flippin obvious, but I simply can't figure out what it means. My best guess is "Old Bosche Line" (Google throws up thousands of refereences to Osama Bin LAden!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeClarke Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Old British Line ????? Graeme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Today it's military meaning is Operational Baseline see Abbreviations.com See example "In addition to K Battery the other sub units of 5 Regiment RA have deployed to theatre - P Battery on Op TELIC 5 and 9; 53 Battery Op TELIC 6 and 35 Battery of 39 Regiment RA for Op TELIC 7. At least one operational baseline in the Basra Area has remained operational for every day since Op TELIC 4, in all weathers, in one of the harshest environments possible and has proved to be reliable, sustainable and very effective - no mean achievement. " Journal of the Defence Surveyors Association Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Nulty Posted 12 June , 2014 Author Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Old British Line makes sense in the context... "We left the supporting party at 8:00 a.m. and entered the O.B.L. at its junction with LLOYD’S AVENUE at 8:15 a.m. and moved North-wards 150 yards examining shelters. The shelters had the remains of British kit in them, but there were no signs of any German kit." Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Stephen - Old British Line sounds plausible. On what dates and at which locations was the term used? That might help you confirm your theory. I would recommend caution with a number of the military abbreviations on abbreviations.com. OBL is not the abbreviation for Operational Baseline/BaseLine, in fact it is not a current military abbreviation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Not only plausible, but correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Nulty Posted 12 June , 2014 Author Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Not only plausible, but correct. Can't argue with that, eh? Gareth - we're talking about Festubert in July 1918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Stephen Chris's post means my post has been OBE (overtaken by events), also not a current military abbreviation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Nulty Posted 12 June , 2014 Author Share Posted 12 June , 2014 This document is my transcription of the relevant parts of the diary http://www.prescot-rollofhonour.info/Documents/JUly1918_Patrol.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Not only plausible, but correct. Maybe not The West Yorkshire Regiment in the War 1914-1918 Volume-II contains the following two references When daylight brokeon 22nd the 50th Brigade was disposed as follows: l0th WestYorkshires in West Trench, O.B.L. Avenue and Lurgan Switch(with Battalion Headquarters in Maxwell Avenue), two companiesof 7th East Yorkshires in support behind Maxwell Avenue. Onthe right of the 50th Brigade the 52nd held Havrincourt as far as thewestern bank of the Canal du Nord. The West York–shires had built a bombing stop at the junction of O.B.L. Avenue and Slag Avenue and here Old British Line Avenue doesn't sound quite right The relevant trench map should clarify as this is very location specific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Chris's post means my post has been OBE (overtaken by events), also not a current military abbreviation. Possibly not, but I suspect you wouldn't turn one down, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Probably not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 12 June , 2014 Share Posted 12 June , 2014 Maybe not The West Yorkshire Regiment in the War 1914-1918 Volume-II contains the following two references When daylight brokeon 22nd the 50th Brigade was disposed as follows: l0th WestYorkshires in West Trench, O.B.L. Avenue and Lurgan Switch(with Battalion Headquarters in Maxwell Avenue), two companiesof 7th East Yorkshires in support behind Maxwell Avenue. Onthe right of the 50th Brigade the 52nd held Havrincourt as far as thewestern bank of the Canal du Nord. The West York–shires had built a bombing stop at the junction of O.B.L. Avenue and Slag Avenue and here Old British Line Avenue doesn't sound quite right The relevant trench map should clarify as this is very location specific. Cent, what month and year is this from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 13 June , 2014 Share Posted 13 June , 2014 Maybe not The West Yorkshire Regiment in the War 1914-1918 Volume-II contains the following two references When daylight brokeon 22nd the 50th Brigade was disposed as follows: l0th WestYorkshires in West Trench, O.B.L. Avenue and Lurgan Switch(with Battalion Headquarters in Maxwell Avenue), two companiesof 7th East Yorkshires in support behind Maxwell Avenue. Onthe right of the 50th Brigade the 52nd held Havrincourt as far as thewestern bank of the Canal du Nord. The West York–shires had built a bombing stop at the junction of O.B.L. Avenue and Slag Avenue and here Old British Line Avenue doesn't sound quite right The relevant trench map should clarify as this is very location specific. Cent, what dates are these 2 references from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarsA Posted 13 June , 2014 Share Posted 13 June , 2014 I think it is from march/april 1918. I once had an MM-group to a 10th West Yorks from this period, and the war diary had a reference to OBL Avenue or Trench. ATB, Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 13 June , 2014 Share Posted 13 June , 2014 Thanks Lars. Hopefully Cent will be able to confirm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Riley Posted 13 June , 2014 Share Posted 13 June , 2014 'OBL', 'OB Line' and 'Old British Line' are used fairly interchangeably in the 55th (West Lancs) Division General Staff Diary for this period Ian PS For those not of West Lancashire persuasion, this is the formation of which 1/5 SLR was part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 13 June , 2014 Share Posted 13 June , 2014 Trench Name Nearest Place Map Sheet Number Map Squares O.B.L. Avenue Hermies 57cNE3 K 7 c, d, 13 b, 14 a McMaster Maps Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 14 June , 2014 Share Posted 14 June , 2014 Ta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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