buxton_blade Posted 12 July , 2017 Share Posted 12 July , 2017 I have the 14 star for a man KIA with Nelso Battalion in the early hours of 6th June. Does anyone have a transcript of the war diary for this period? He is buried between 'Backhouse Road and Brown House' - anyone know where that is? I went to Gallipoli a few years ago but can't remember those names. He is remembered on the helles memorial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 12 July , 2017 Share Posted 12 July , 2017 This map shows Nelson Ave (top, centre) which is the general area of the fighting for the Nelson Batt. at this time Backhouse Road runs right to left across the map and at Achi Baba Nullah continues to the left as the Redoubt Line The Brown House is seen at the bottom centre I hope that this helps regards Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 12 July , 2017 Share Posted 12 July , 2017 The following is from the battalion history by Capt. Swales which I mentioned on your other thread "Nelson Battalion remained holding the left of the RND line, including their new trench running forward half-left to the right flank of the 42nd Division. The resulting diagonal trench fire trench, bridging the dangerous gap between the 42nd and RN Divisions, became known as Nelson Avenue. Turkish counter-attacks continued through 5 June as the dangerous work of consolidating continued. On the following day (6th June 1915) at least two major attacks on the new line were made by Turkish reinforcements who had hurried forward in response to the Allied attack. Nelson Battalion continued to take casualties throughout." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buxton_blade Posted 12 July , 2017 Author Share Posted 12 July , 2017 Cheers Michael Just to get some perspective for me. I have walked through 'The Vineyard' is that close? In what direction is it? Regards Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 12 July , 2017 Share Posted 12 July , 2017 (edited) The Vineyard is just off the top of the cropped map above: very, very close indeed. Walking this battlefield, which is cultivated land today, it is very hard to pin-point places: I could find little or no trace of the "small nullah" You have to walk across from the Krithia Road to Achi Baba Nullah and then pace back to have some idea of where Nelson Ave might have been Edited 12 July , 2017 by michaeldr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buxton_blade Posted 13 July , 2017 Author Share Posted 13 July , 2017 Thanks Michael I walked the fields of the vineyard and found old trench lines (now hedges - overgrown depressions in the ground) and the finds were very disturbing. Plenty of rum jar fragments near the trench but as you walked towards the Turkish Lines these were replaced by bones!! Stopped looking after coming across a human jaw bone. Regards Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 13 July , 2017 Share Posted 13 July , 2017 If you manage to get out there again then below is a helpful overlay produced for me by our GWF Pal Eric (aka the plummed goose) This was in 2015 when we were staying at his super comfortable hotel The Gallipoli Houses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 13 July , 2017 Share Posted 13 July , 2017 As near as I could manage it in March 2015, this is looking back down Nelson Ave toward the British lines and rear but as you can see, there is very little to guide one with any degree of certainty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buxton_blade Posted 13 July , 2017 Author Share Posted 13 July , 2017 Thanks Michael Looks like I was on the opposite side of the road in the field next to the orchard. I was looking for the Manchesters Trench at the time. I recommend the trip to everyone who can make it as it was wonderful to be In and around these iconic battlefields and being the only person there (apart from ANZAC) to soak up the atmosphere. Hope to make it again one day - managed all the main areas and cemeteries. Next time I would spend more time on the beaches/ Vineyard exploring the area Regards Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 13 July , 2017 Share Posted 13 July , 2017 Glad to have been of some help Good Luck with your research best regards Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 19 July , 2017 Share Posted 19 July , 2017 Mate, The Ottomans record their attack by five to six Bn's on that front. (2Bn/56th Regt 1st & 2nd Bn's/45th Regt, 1st & 2nd Bn's/38th Regt and 1Bn/20th Regt) They went over the top around 0330 6 June, and reports mention there gaining the British trenches. Heavy fighting continued all day and they record some 4000 British losses and 2000 French. They (Ottomans) give there losses as 56 officers and men killed and 4965 officers and men wounded. Other report Turkish losses as around 9000 (Sanders) and 6000 (weber). Cheers S.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buxton_blade Posted 19 July , 2017 Author Share Posted 19 July , 2017 Thanks S.B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR Posted 12 April , 2018 Share Posted 12 April , 2018 Hi, Very interesting thread. I am looking at soldier called Wilfred Valentine Gilbert who was killed on the 3rd of June, although a newspaper extract online has it as the 4th. I was wondering if what the diary for those days said. I am presenting in the village close to the Rio Tinto mine in Huelva where we worked so any information i would greatly appreciate to put it in to context. Thanks in advance. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 13 April , 2018 Share Posted 13 April , 2018 Jim, Per the battalion history [Nelson at War 1914-1918 by Captain R Swales RN rtd, Pen & Sword Select, 2004, ISBN 1 84468 018 5] Sub Lieutenant Wilfred Gilbert died of wounds “before the Nelsons went into a full scale battle” on the 5th June They were in the firing line from the 2nd June, so he may have been hit by a sniper at any time during that day or shortly thereafter Captain Swales' footnotes have the following additional details on Gilbert “ Sub Lieutenant Wilfred Valentine Gilbert was commissioned on 7 October 1914. He joined Nelson Battalion on 27 February 1915, the day they left Blandford to embark. He was originally buried by Chaplain B. J. Failes behind the Nelson trenches but is now believed to be buried in Skew Bridge Cemetery, Helles. His younger brother Robert Evelyn Gilbert was also a Nelson sub lieutenant at this time. Robert received a grave bullet wound to the pelvis on 19 May and was in hospital in Malta when his brother was killed. He was discharged from the RND in February 1916.” A photograph and a newspaper cutting are to be seen on the IWM website here https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205295399 regards Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 13 April , 2018 Share Posted 13 April , 2018 (edited) 14 hours ago, JimR said: Rio Tinto mine in Huelva Jim, Is this memorial memorial at Huelva? There are a few further details here https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Mineros_en_la_I_Guerra_Mundial.JPG Edited 13 April , 2018 by michaeldr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR Posted 23 April , 2018 Share Posted 23 April , 2018 Micheal, thats brilliant and yes its the memorial, still there today at the village of Rio Tinto. The column is made from a roman column and the plaque cast from the axles of a roman water wheel found during excavations. I am building up some information of each of them to try and contextualise the happenings to the Spanish who may be interested in listening to my talk. Obviously the Spanish have a very different outlook on war but are extremely interested in learning about their history. of other interest Fabian Ware worked for Rio Tinto i believe in London and at Huelva the Man Who Never Was is buried!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 24 April , 2018 Share Posted 24 April , 2018 18 hours ago, JimR said: at Huelva the Man Who Never Was is buried Not Great War period, but nevertheless a fascinating tale - see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lQtdhtw5eI I expect to visit Skew Bridge in a couple of weeks time and I shall try to remember to keep an eye open for Gilbert's special memorial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 14 May , 2018 Share Posted 14 May , 2018 Wayne, Last week I had another opportunity of walking over this part of the battlefield. This time I was lucky enough to be in the company of Mike Crane who has done a tremendous amount of work matching-up old maps (British and Turkish) with Google Earth. Mike also carried a GPS device, and this together with his maps and overlays confirmed Eric Goossens' work seen in post 7 above. The walk also gave us a chance to see how Nelson Avenue was over looked by the Turkish held ground to the south-east, and to a lesser extent, the north-east. The view below is taken from the south-east side and this higher ground was not taken from the Turks until the middle of July 1915 regards Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 31 July , 2018 Share Posted 31 July , 2018 Mike Crane (mentioned in the previous post) has kindly just sent me a map which refers to the 7th June attack by the 1/9th Manchesters on G10 & G11 It is of interest here because of the hand written footnote note which suggests that the most significant fire on Nelson Avenue (at least on the 4th-5th June) came from F11 That is aprox from the direction of the 'north-east' as mentioned previously On 14/05/2018 at 14:46, michaeldr said: Nelson Avenue was over looked by the Turkish held ground to the south-east, and to a lesser extent, the north-east. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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