huwrevans Posted 13 March , 2018 Share Posted 13 March , 2018 Hi, A friend of mine is off out to Arras for the Easter break and was asking for places of interest to look out for - apart from the Wellington Tunnels. It's not an area I have researched or really visited but can anyone on here suggest WW1 things to search out that may be off the beaten track? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 13 March , 2018 Share Posted 13 March , 2018 What's her/his area of interest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnSchultz Posted 13 March , 2018 Share Posted 13 March , 2018 Not exactly off the beaten track; but the former mine craters known as Claude, Cuthbert, and Clarence are worth a quick look. Claude is on minor road NE of city running towards airfield. Clothed in impenetrable scrub (and probably dangerous underfoot); but, in the absence of visible trench lines, Claude helped bring the battlefield (where my grandfather spent three months in late 1916) to life for me. http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/others/arras-1/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertBr Posted 16 March , 2018 Share Posted 16 March , 2018 My old post "Mars Offensive 28th March 1918" maps out the battle North East of the city on Maundy Thursday/Good Friday. Nowadays the area is not exactly inspiring, a gentle ridge (extending from Vimy) flat fields and small villages. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejwalshe Posted 16 March , 2018 Share Posted 16 March , 2018 Go to any battlefield cemetery - that's where the living and all the dying occurred. Stand on the bench (always in a larger battlefield cemetery) and look out over the battlefield. These benches are not made for sitting - they are intentionally placed on the side of the cemetery overlooking where the dead were brought in. That is where you will notice other, smaller and personal memorials that you would not otherwise be aware of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorre Posted 6 August , 2022 Share Posted 6 August , 2022 On 13/03/2018 at 21:29, JohnSchultz said: Not exactly off the beaten track; but the former mine craters known as Claude, Cuthbert, and Clarence are worth a quick look Hello, Can someone tell me some more about the Craters. How did they get there, Who made them... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbem Posted 6 August , 2022 Share Posted 6 August , 2022 58 minutes ago, Lorre said: Hello, Can someone tell me some more about the Craters. How did they get there, Who made them... Thanks! The fight for Claude, Clarence and Cuthbert Craters - The Long, Long Trail (longlongtrail.co.uk) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbem Posted 6 August , 2022 Share Posted 6 August , 2022 Arras battlefields (Page 1): World War One Battlefields (ww1battlefields.co.uk) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnSchultz Posted 6 August , 2022 Share Posted 6 August , 2022 Both sides dug tunnels that extended under the enemy lines, and then detonated mines that led to the ground collapsing beneath the enemy trenches. This left craters, some of which were huge and survive to this day. The three I referred to (near Arras) are now completely overgrown and fenced off for safety. One of the largest - and most famous - is called Lochnagar: see Lochnagar mine - Wikipedia. Miners from Durham were famously used to dig some tunnels; the New Zealanders also had a unit that specialised in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted 6 August , 2022 Share Posted 6 August , 2022 1 hour ago, Lorre said: Hello, Can someone tell me some more about the Craters. How did they get there, Who made them... Thanks! many books on the subject, even down to the miners having to dig quietly as each side had listening posts, listening for digging. It was known for miners to be discovered and if they met their opposites , hand to hand fighting took place , underground also if two tunnels came close then one would blow the front of the tunnel in an attempt to kill the miners opposite them. this would have resulted in smaller craters. Hawthorn Ridge is another example. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorn_Ridge_Redoubt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorre Posted 6 August , 2022 Share Posted 6 August , 2022 Great! Thanks for the reply guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorre Posted 6 August , 2022 Share Posted 6 August , 2022 If You know other good sites about the battle of Arras, always Welcome. Also good trench maps or other info, much appreciated! Thanks 3 hours ago, jonbem said: Arras battlefields (Page 1): World War One Battlefields (ww1battlefields.co.uk) Brilliant work from Chris Baker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbem Posted 6 August , 2022 Share Posted 6 August , 2022 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Lorre said: Also good trench maps or other info, much appreciated! Index for WWI Maps & Air Photos (mcmaster.ca) tMapper: WW1 Mapping British First World War Trench Maps, 1915-1918 - National Library of Scotland (nls.uk) Edited 6 August , 2022 by jonbem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorre Posted 6 August , 2022 Share Posted 6 August , 2022 17 minutes ago, jonbem said: Index for WWI Maps & Air Photos (mcmaster.ca) tMapper: WW1 Mapping British First World War Trench Maps, 1915-1918 - National Library of Scotland (nls.uk) Brilliant! That helps! Thank You! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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