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Remembered Today:

Identity of Modern Day Trench Locations - The Bluff, Ypres


AM87

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I have come across this picture of the trenches at the Bluff, Ypres in 1915 and would like to know where they are located.  i have used google earth and i am really struggling.  would be grateful for any assistance,

post-4619-1191310372.jpg.9c70f21b117b313a635c09aa4abcda90.jpg

 

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Hello AM87 I don't have much time at the moment. Using a combination of these websites it's possible to get a good approximation of the area. See how you get on

 

Input the name of trench into McMaster select 'Trench (not place name) thi will give you rough coordinates. Input them into Muninn

 

For example Bydand Avenue gives you Bydand Avenue    Zillebeke    28NW4 & NE3    I 24 b

 

Input 28.I.24.b. into Muninn you get " The centroid of grid location 28.I.24.b. is at 50.8380, 2.9460. "

 

Input "50.8380, 2.9460." minus the full stop at end ie 50.8380, 2.9460 into google earth Bob's y'er uncle, hopefully.

 

British Trench Map Converter

 

McMaster Maps

 

Mike

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The T-junction immediately south of the STRONG POINT at the top of your map is at Trench Ref 28.I.34.a.83.25.

 

This equates to Lat 50.8202N, Long 2.9163E.

 

This link shows the area, but I could not find any contemporary trench map with the British trenches named.

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/sidebyside.cfm#zoom=16&lat=50.8197&lon=2.9169&layers=101464642&right=BingHyb

 

 

HTH

Mark

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Skipman said:

Hello AM87 I don't have much time at the moment. Using a combination of these websites it's possible to get a good approximation of the area. See how you get on

 

Input the name of trench into McMaster select 'Trench (not place name) thi will give you rough coordinates. Input them into Muninn

 

For example Bydand Avenue gives you Bydand Avenue    Zillebeke    28NW4 & NE3    I 24 b

 

Mike

Perfectly sound method, but seems to be a different BYDAND AVENUE in SANCTUARY WOOD about 2 miles to the NE in square I.24.

 

We need to be down in square I.34.

 

Those Gordon Highlanders got everywhere and certainly "bided" a lot  :thumbsup:

Edited by MBrockway
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It is tricky to fit the canal and straight line features with the posted map. Either the tracks fit or the canal. When rotated to suit the North arrow, the canal direction does not fit, it maybe magnetic north which was about 13.5 degrees west at the time. If so, that roughly works.

 

Howard

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The line where the sketch map's trench '29' is going SSW and then curving westwards to meet the canal is following the E and then the S edges of The Bluff itself.

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This is the only map I can find that gives a reasonable placing. It is 1:5000, undated and is included on the WFA Mapping teh Front DVD for Ypres.

 

You can see trench 29, 32 etc. so you should be able to position that on Google Earth. I hope it helps.

 

Howard

594cdf6d8e72c_TheBluff15000.jpg.15458e8ed1c526dae30768b3b3a04f40.jpeg

 

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On 23/06/2017 at 19:14, Howard said:

It is tricky to fit the canal and straight line features with the posted map. Either the tracks fit or the canal. When rotated to suit the North arrow, the canal direction does not fit, it maybe magnetic north which was about 13.5 degrees west at the time. If so, that roughly works.

 

Howard

Impossible in fact!

 

This is the best I could do and its deficiencies are obvious ...

 

594ce5d9eb078_BluffTM.jpg.be2607f9d814eaee2ef07e65617e9fe3.jpeg

594ce5e3a96d6_Copy(2)ofBluffsketchmapSep1915.jpg.5cd95b74aa279dd5c1c2c3d89775130b.jpeg

 

The southern edge of the sketch map is off the bottom of the trench map.

 

I guess tight georeferencing over the whole drawing is expecting to much of a sketch map, which anyway looks to have come from an after-the-event unit history rather than a sketch map used in action at the time and created by drawing an overlay from an actual trench map.

 

Great 1:5,000 map by the way Howard!

 

Mark

 

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thanks everyone.  my great granfather was with the 10th Sherwoods and held the trenches here in Feb 16.  the war diary speaks of a great german bombardment and the detonation of a german mine.  i am looking at google earth to try and find the mind but im assuming its all over grown now.

594cfac9880f5_wardiary1.png.5caa58c2f1db8228d38acfcf7ad2b996.png

594cfad13c6de_wardiary2.png.0bf8129d477c1f2eb8526ce5aa3cb01e.png

594cfada61333_wardiary3.png.ef8375da1ccee33bc2da8e219945e198.png

 

 

 

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Hello

 

There are some useful contemporary sketches in the Book, Armageddon Road covering actions on the Bluff in 1915.  The sketches were drawn by Billy Congreve VC, if my memory serves me well. Really hope this helps. 

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Use www.tmapper.com to search for one of these trenches, Angle trench, via this search "http://www.tmapper.com/search/search.php?query=angle" gives a first result of http://www.tmapper.com/mapping/showmap.php?name=Angle+Trench+nr.+Zillebeke+Map+28+I.34.c&map=28&sheet=I.34.c&lat=50.817075&lon=2.914406

 

This link shows you The Bluff and vicinity on Google Maps, which can be exported to Excel for Google Earth or other application.  Or you can see the same result in McMaster, NLS or Muninn.

 

 

2017-06-23.png.5e16647e97088c1c5131c5de43c07302.png

 

 

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In case you have plans to visit the area: buy Linesman and you can walk to any trench you like using a tablet & gps.

 

Roel

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  • 2 years later...

Late to this post but plan to walk the area between Hill 60 and the Bluff next week- the map below is from the History the of 8 DLI.

25D04355-954A-4998-B862-F16FD537A255.jpeg

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm a little late to the discussion as well, but I have a panorama fairly close to the Bluff, right in front of Woods Cemetery. If you pan to the left, you can also see the First DCLI Cemetery, the Bluff. I can't believe I missed the Bluff area by the canal on my last visit; this was the closest I got.   https://greatwar360.com/sw-of-zillebeke/

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  • 2 months later...

I'm also late to the post too, but I visited the Bluff in May 19 and we were lucky enough to be there when the local archaeologists were opening up an old trench and dug out on the German lines right at the top of the hill, though they weren't that friendly or engaging with us to be honest and didn't want us anywhere near them. I managed to get a photo. It was all back filled when we returned in Oct 19.

 

As a lot of sites are now the whole area is a lovely wood with no signs of the conflict though we were lucky when we walked the area.

IMG_1495.JPG

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slightly off topic, but in the same area,any GWF know why the metal kit equipment is near the Devonshires Cemetery,I have never seen anything like this before, I never took any photos while there

:poppy:

 

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