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Remembered Today:

Authville Wood Trench Map


ryandunny

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Hi, Im trying to pin point exactly where my great uncle, Sgt. Arthur Varney, B Coy, 11 Sherwood Foresters, would have gone 'over the top' on the somme, 1st July.

 

Does anybody happen to have a map showing Glasgow Trench near the Nab, Authuille Wood? 

Thanks in advance!
Ryan

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1 minute ago, ryandunny said:

Glasgow Trench

Have a look on McMaster

https://library.mcmaster.ca/maps/ww1/ndx5to40.htm

Results for search Glasgow Trench

Trench Name Nearest Place Map Sheet Number Map Squares
Glasgow Trench Arras 51bNW3 G 36 b
Glasgow Trench [High Wood] Longueval 57cSW3 S 4 c
Glasgow Road [trench] La Bass�e 36cNW1 A 20 b, 21 a
Glasgow Trench [March 1915] La Bass�e 36cNW1 A 15 a, b
Glasgow Trench Gonnelieu 57cSE2 R 33 b, 34 a
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 Cheers mate. I haven't  used that before! Will have a look now. 

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I think you actually want Map 57d and I can't see a Glasgow Trench near Authuille Wood in post #2, unless I've missed it.  Here is the Authuille Wood and The Nab and an April 27 1916 trench map:

 

image.png.f83c23d756853eaaaf62bba307c4b065.png

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18 hours ago, ryandunny said:

Hi, Im trying to pin point exactly where my great uncle, Sgt. Arthur Varney, B Coy, 11 Sherwood Foresters, would have gone 'over the top' on the somme, 1st July.

 

Does anybody happen to have a map showing Glasgow Trench near the Nab, Authuille Wood? 

Thanks in advance!
Ryan

 

The war diary refers to both Glasgow Street and Glasgow Road but not Glasgow Trench but I can't find them.  I would take it that this was the assembly position for B company.  Another company was in Lower Horwich Street so Glasgow may have been close to that.There are extensive details in Operation Order No. 6 dated 17 June 1916 which begins at:

 

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/60779/43112_2187_0-00000?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return#?imageId=43112_2187_0-00256

 

The Order, in para 32, refers to a list of soldiers including a 17372 Pte Varney (is that him?) remaining with 1st line Transport when the battalion moves into the trenches on the night of 26/27 June (this order pre-dated the postponement so you can probably add a couple of extra says to the dates given in the order).  B coy's bit of the front line was from Quarry Brae Street to Sap 2 at X.1.d.3.5, access being by Quarry Brae Street.

 

Of course there could well have been a world of a difference between the OO and what happened in practice, especially with all the carnage around Authuille Wood and The Nab on 1 July.  This might help with disposition, the battalion generally being in the area of: Longridge Street, Quarry Brae, Bamberbridge St, Chorley St.  I think Quarry Post was intended to be a focal point at one stage (Bn HQ?)

 

PS Please ignore the red flags - they relate to the burial in Lonsdale Cemetery of Capt R Kirk of the 1/6 Cheshires who I was researching, KiA 13 Nov 1916.  However, it is a useful modern day reference point!

 

image.png.c57d11b1fb664ca3d1e5024118a59c2e.png

 

 

Edited by Don Regiano
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Cheers both! That's helped a lot! Yes it was the assembly trench. The Varney above is a different Varney (Belper l, Dwrbyshire, where Arthur was from, had a big Varney presence so possibly another from the village!  I do know Arthur went over the top that day as a local newspaper describes how he was slightly injured that day in the advance. He later won the MM in Italy and was promoted to Sjt. All before the age of 20!  Around this time he described his luck at never being badly hurt during his time on the front but sadly he was killed by shellfire in a communication trench  at St Quentin two weeks before the end of the war. Will be nice to retrace his steps on our next visit to the Somme. Thanks again. 

Ryan.  

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2 hours ago, ryandunny said:

Cheers both! That's helped a lot! Yes it was the assembly trench. The Varney above is a different Varney (Belper l, Dwrbyshire, where Arthur was from, had a big Varney presence so possibly another from the village!  I do know Arthur went over the top that day as a local newspaper describes how he was slightly injured that day in the advance. He later won the MM in Italy and was promoted to Sjt. All before the age of 20!  Around this time he described his luck at never being badly hurt during his time on the front but sadly he was killed by shellfire in a communication trench  at St Quentin two weeks before the end of the war. Will be nice to retrace his steps on our next visit to the Somme. Thanks again. 

Ryan.  

 

OK Ryan.

 

Glasgow is shown on a sketch map from the 70th Brigades war diary:

 

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/60779/43849_2185_0-00000?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return#?imageId=43849_2185_0-00317

 

I would suggest this puts it around X.1.c.6.5

 

There are also extensive narratives of the action of 1 July contained in this diary, one of which has a sketch of the area covered by 11SF.

 

Reg

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59 minutes ago, Don Regiano said:

would suggest this puts it around X.1.c.6.5

image.png.2c9747f8556daea55a8a0e2041093ba0.png

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