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Railway Chateau Cemetery- Goldfish Chateau ?


David_Blanchard

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What is the original  name of the chateau that is referred to in Railway Chateau Cemetery? Is it Goldfish Chateau? I have a reference in the WD of the 4 Field Ambulance that refers to opening a Dressing Station at 'Chateau' 1 mile west of Ypres on the Valmertinge Road with 200 beds- 1st November 1914.

I am sure the chateau referred in 4 FA WD to is Railway Chateau Cemetery, but is this what was known as Goldfish Chateau later in the war?

 

David 

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Seminariekasteel, I think (99% sure).

Goldfish Chateau ?... I know that name, but I think the trench maps name of Seminariekasteel is Bobstay Castle.

 

Aurel (hoping that when I am wrong someone soon will correct me)

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I think Goldfish Chateau was approx. 500 m more west of Bobstay Castle. Co-ordinates : 50° 51.096'N 2° 51.005'E

Aurel

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Acknown,

Correct, it says H 4.

Yet somehow it looks to me (on the map) that Goldfish Chateau was  not at H 4 b, but at H 11 a. (The 4 may have been a typo or misreading of 11 ?)

Anyway approx. 500 m west of Bobstay Castle indeed.

Aurel

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Goldfish Chateau on a 1917 Trench Map - It survived the war intact but was destroyed by an explosion of stored ammunition post war

image.png.1e6bfca79f54b8f97e8d04ba94a0a83c.png

image.png.b2a00b9e776a6f019e8edb67eb029317.png

 

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Thanks all,

 

So I am to take it that Goldfish Chateau is in fact the chateau used by the 4 Field Ambulance during November 1914? The CWGC cemetery has graves dating from  the period when there was an Advanced Dressing Station. 
 

David 

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David, I just don't know if I can confirm. (But what you assume is possible ...) The thing is that the origin of Railway Chateau Cem. is rather vague and mysterious ... (There is also mention of a (later moved ?) cemetery nearby with even two different names, but it is not clear whehter this really is a different cemetery or that same Railway Chateau Cem.)

Aurel

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Messier's Feb 1917 map has marked Railway Chau.  Goldfinch is just a tad west.  The bottom cemetery is Divisional Cem. and he shows two more - to the right is St Augustine Cab. Cem and  just south is (hard to read) Harlebeke Ch Yd (Harlebeke Church Yard?)  Maps courtesy of IWM and WFA.  The March 1923 map below shows 2 cemeteries. 

image.png.4aecf8edd78897fd99e7115315bb008a.png

image.png.9409a36dc73591c2d9f1a9a73a7aea4b.png

 

 

 

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WhiteStarLine,

 In my posting I did not mention the two what I thought may have been alternative names for Railway Chateau Cemetery. These names are : St. Augustine Cabaret Cemetery and/or L.4 Post. Now seeing your map (the first) it seems to reassure me thatindeed there were two different cemeteries (different from Railway Chateau Cemetery), but it is also confusing to me. For ... one of the two on your map is named indeed Harlebeke Churchyard. Yes, I happen to know the WW1 cemetery Harlebeke Churchyard, but Harlebeke (present Flemish spelling Harelbeke is ... 33 kilometres (20 miles) east of Ypres...

Somehow an error was made ?

Aurel

P.S. 1 I will also send a PM.

P.S. 2 Sorry David for hijacking your Topic with something that is irrelevant to it.

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For anyone struggling to read the small map extracts, here is a larger copy and the modern locations.  The Asylum is included for reference.  Images courtesy of WFA, IWM, tMapper:

image.png.455f3bee5370317991214ba7a9e6192e.png

image.png.5e1a6043d2ddf7804026cbd9a957867b.png

image.png.795cf7f640b53ed0765dcc6d393d39d7.png

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Admin
On 25/05/2021 at 06:12, David_Blanchard said:

So I am to take it that Goldfish Chateau is in fact the chateau used by the 4 Field Ambulance during November 1914? The CWGC cemetery has graves dating from  the period when there was an Advanced Dressing Station. 

Yes I believe so David. There are 64 odd burials from 1stNov 1914 to 17th Nov 1914, of men belonging to regiments from the First Battle Ypres, when 4 FA were there. Then a big jump until 4th May 1915.  I have been looking for who replaced 4 FA when they left but can find nothing. So perhaps it wasn't used for a while? The attached map is from McMaster dated 1918. Regards, Bob.   http://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/object/macrepo%3A70107

006.jpg.1299d9e1339d42b2a1ab1da90dcdc3a1.jpg

 

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