grantmal Posted 17 January , 2012 Share Posted 17 January , 2012 On 20 September 1917 four German pillboxes between the Ypres--Roulers railway and Zonnebeke Redoubt were captured by the 9th Scottish Rifles. Does anyone have a map with these pillboxes marked? They were numbered R1 - R4. In October 1917 Australian stretcher bearers used a pillbox at 'D.26.d.central' as a relay post -- I was wondering if it was one of the R's. Any info on these pillboxes gratefully received (preferably an oblique aerial from 150 feet)...... Good on you, Grant A map and an aerial photo to follow.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantmal Posted 17 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 17 January , 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mebu Posted 17 January , 2012 Share Posted 17 January , 2012 Grant, Zonnebeke Redoubt is to the rght of your map, at D 26d 6.0. From memory, R1-R4 are marked on map in 9th Division History.....don't have access to this at present but I'm sure someone will have. Peter PS if you go to Amazon and type in 9th Scottish Division you can look at some pages, one of which is relevant map. Can't seem to print it out though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantmal Posted 18 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 18 January , 2012 Peter, Thanks very much for that. I was picturing these pillboxes further east, as part of the 'Draught Trench' position. Courtesy of Amazon, and purely for research purposes: R1 was 'Railway Dump', "a long concrete pill-box sheltering under the bank of the Ypres-Roulers railway." In the October fighting Australian stretcher bearers had a relay post here (next relay from the post in my enquiry) a 12' x 9' "gallery in which cases were stored and bearers rested", sometimes known as 'Ideal House'. Good on you, Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantmal Posted 18 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 18 January , 2012 possibly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mebu Posted 18 January , 2012 Share Posted 18 January , 2012 If it's R1 you are after, thus may be of interest. The rear wall of R1 was evident a while ago but the road has now been widened and I'm not sure what can be seen today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantmal Posted 21 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 21 January , 2012 Peter, Thanks very much for the extra info on R1. The 9th Div history you pointed out at Amazon yielded a few pages on the fight of 20 September, with some nice descriptions of the landscape, so thanks there, again. The AWM has ‘Ideal House’ pictured in its prime: I’m interested in the line of evacuation manned by the 13th Field Ambulance in October 1917, particularly the pillbox at D.26.d.central used as a relay post between R1 and St Joseph’s Institute. Frank Hurley’s famous photo of 13th Field Ambulance stretcher bearers in front of a pillbox ‘on Westhoek Ridge’, was taken, I believe, at this Relay Post (with the Ypres-Roulers Railway in the background). Those distinctive trees out front make it easy to pick this place out – the perfect, low oblique aerial of D.26 should be out there somewhere (not that I’d wish any poor ****** up at low altitude over a battlefield)….. Good on you, Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantmal Posted 21 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 21 January , 2012 ...the close-up that didn't fit last post: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mebu Posted 21 January , 2012 Share Posted 21 January , 2012 If you are desperate for an aerial shot....The Imperial War Museum Dept of Photographs in London most likely has one, but they are not easy to access (they were, probably still are, actually kept at Duxford). Certainly your best bet, but may be a slow process. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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