Scaled down 'miniature' trench maps

[CROONAERT]

I recently obtained an item that I had never come across before and am wondering as to what it's purpose was.

It's a complete and standard (and original) 1:10,000 scale trench map from September 1915 (and marked up as such) that has been scaled down to (approx.) 1:20,000 scale. Measuring in total about 17 by 15 inches, it is a complete (and still easily readable) trench map....but in miniature!

Has anyone got any ideas as to exactly why this map would have been scaled down to such a size? Also, to whom might it have been issued (which might actually be encompassed in the 'why' question).

Has anyone ever come across any of these before? I certainly haven't!

Thanks,

Dave.

[Roger H]

Dave. If you don't know..........

Roger

[CROONAERT]

Dave. If you don't know..........

Roger

Looks like that is probably the case, Roger!

You never know, though. There's always someone who might have come across an obscure reference whilst looking for something else, so its always worth an ask.

It's nothing crucial (and I'll probably come across another half dozen or so of them now! ), more of an idle curiosity thing really .... but they must have existed for a reason (which doesn't appear to get a mention in anywhere I've looked).

Cheers.

Dave.

[Guest]

Not sure if this means anything Click

" When the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) went to war in France and Belgium it had to rely on the existing maps available to the General Staff in the August of 1914. Most of these maps were at a scale of 1:40,000 (for Belgium) or 1:80,000 (for France). Some were at an even smaller scale of 1:100,000 or 1:120,000. Maps at this scale were acceptable for senior commanders moving their forces against the enemy in what was a war of movement during the first few weeks of the war. "

Mike

[CROONAERT]

Thanks Mike, but, no, that's not a relevant case with this map.

Mine is a complete 1:10,000 scale map that has just simply been shrunk down in size (both in print and in the area of the actual paper used.... a little bit like what G.H.Smith & Son have done with their 7/10 size reproduction trench maps). Though it still states 1:10,000, it's actually (almost) 1:20,000 (I say 'almost' because I've got a 1:20,000 scale map of the same area and it nearly (but not quite) matches up exactly.

Dave

[SapperBoo]

Is it 100 years old and is it monochrome? If it is it could have been a photographic reduction of the 1:10,000 scale used by Ordnance Survey to create the 1:20,000 scale map. I think the very large format cameras needed to do this would only have been available at Ordnance Survey. If it is colour it is probably modern (an April fool?).

Well that's my guess.

[CROONAERT]

Is it 100 years old and is it monochrome? If it is it could have been a photographic reduction of the 1:10,000 scale used by Ordnance Survey to create the 1:20,000 scale map. I think the very large format cameras needed to do this would only have been available at Ordnance Survey. If it is colour it is probably modern (an April fool?).

As mentioned , it is an original (100 year old) map with a September 1915 print date and , yes, it is monochrome. However, it wouldn't have been used to create the 1:20,000 scale map as they are totally different printings/drawings/base with far greater detail being on the 1:10,000. The 1:20,000 scale map I have compared it with is also the earlier dated (July 1915) of the two anyway.

...and March 30th (when I first posted my query) is a little early for an April Fool trick wouldn't you say?

Dave

[CROONAERT]

Extract from the Sept 1915 1:10,000 'miniature' map in question...(ironically, the bigger of the two images! ) ...along with an extract from the July 1915 1:20,000 scale version for comparison

[CROONAERT]

...and a (British) 1:20,000 scale extract from Nov 1916 for further comparison...

[SapperBoo]

Dave,

OK not an April fool, which takes me back to my original point. I think the only technology that could handle the reduction of a map of that size is a large format process camera. Below is a photograph of a process camera that was in use at Ordnance Survey until the early 1990's. I think somewhere I may have a photograph of a process camera from 1900 (ish).

The process of reducing large scale maps (1:10,000 scale) to smaller scale maps (1:20,000 scale) was standard practice before the advent of computer mapping (that why we stopped using the process camera in the early 1990's). Once the reduction had been created the cartographer would use the reduction (now at 1:20,000 scale) to update the existing edition to create a new edition. This update was a manual process that included some level of generalisation.

My guess is it was created for the surveyors of the Field Survey Companies. It retained all the detail of the 1:10,000 scale map but was of a size that could fit on a plane table. The guy on the right is leaning on a plane table.

Clive

PS I have recently taken delivery of one of your trench map CDs and I am very please with them!

[CROONAERT]

My guess is it was created for the surveyors of the Field Survey Companies. It retained all the detail of the 1:10,000 scale map but was of a size that could fit on a plane table. The guy on the right is leaning on a plane table.

Thanks Clive.... it's certainly a possibility worth looking into.

(the guy on the left of your photo looks vaguely familiar, by the way...... contemplating waiting another few years before invading Poland perhaps? )

Cheers.

Dave

[SapperBoo]

On 02/04/2016 at 10:24, CROONAERT said:

Thanks Clive.... it's certainly a possibility worth looking into.

(the guy on the left of your photo looks vaguely familiar, by the way...... contemplating waiting another few years before invading Poland perhaps? )

Cheers.

Dave

Dave,  I finally found a photograph of the c1914 process camera.  This was taken at the Ordnance Survey HQ in Southampton and is marked 'Prior to 1914' on the back. Clive