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Remembered Today:

"Pounden Camp"


Arne Vandendriessche

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Hello everyone,

 

On the website of the IWM I found a painting of in (the village of Proven).
The painting shows a tent camp.
A building is also visible in the background.
The painting was made in Proven by Smith, Phillip, W.
The name of the camp was: "Pounden Camp".
Is it possible with this information to know approximately where this was? I wonder if the building in the background is still there.
I already looked on T mapper myself and did not find a similar name at Proven. Do you know how and where I can look further for sources about this sort of thing? Or who can help me?

Attached the link: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/24979 

 

Greetings Arne

Pounden camp.jpg

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Proven is in West-Vlaanderen, Vlaanderen, Belgium and about 4 miles from Poperinge.  The Army has a habit of calling Camps after anything and not necessarily related to the location.  I suspect a period "Trench Map" might reveal the precise location of Pounden Camp. Try searching for a map at: www.mcmaster.ca.maps/ww1/scources.htm

 

Edited by TullochArd
Try searching for one at: www.mcmaster.ca.maps/ww1/scources.htm
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Arne

Some time ago I was researching October 1917 and I read the WD of the Commander Royal Engineers 17 Div. In October 1917 there is a reference to 17 Div HQ at Proven.

I checked the WD of 17 Div HQ General Staff for October 1917 and there is a list of Unit dispositions dated 08/10/1917. It shows HQ 50 Infantry Brigade at Poundon Camp. (Ancestry p 186/598).

The WD of 50 Infantry Brigade for October 1917 records that the HQ was at Poundon Camp at map ref F 15 d 1 7. (Page attached courtesy TNA/Ancestry WO 95/1999 p 38/557).

I could not find any maps in the War Diaries but I did not check the other Units of 17 Div. This 1918 NLS map shows F 15 south east of Proven.

Brian

https://maps.nls.uk/view/101464879

 

43112_1999_0-00037.jpg

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Great find Brian. 

Arne - here is Sheet 27 1:40 000 (1915) with the site of Poundon Camp (SE of Proven) at F 15 d 1 7.  (McMaster Uni - Public Domain).  Notice how the individual unit camps all start with a "P" in the WD above.

 

Sheet 27 F15.png

Edited by TullochArd
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Unfortunately google streetview doesn't cover that part of the Canadaweg, but I see an old white farm there on the aerial view.

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I do not have the 1:20 000 IGN (or NGI) but it will be number 27.

This is from the 1:50 000 27-28-36 ieper.

Brian

001.JPG

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  • 1 month later...

Hi

I'm looking for a fairly exact location of the camp: Dingley Dell. It must be located somewhere near the Lovie airport.
This also has a connection with Pounden camp.

Greetings Arne 

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Hi Arne,

Here are all the camps SE of Proven, from May 1918 (courtesy IWM & WFA), including Pounden which is SE of Canada.  PM me for a larger extract.  Below this are the camps from the Unit War Diary with modern locations (courtesy tMapper & National Library of Scotland).

image.png.801a299c971c7b0b975b58257ed6d340.png

image.png.eb75642ce8a1b67f22535df9818f55bf.png

image.png.ec61f7ca8558d8058c938478ad86f545.png

 

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Hi Arne,

@Arne Vandendriessche, there were dozens of camps marked on the same sheet as Proven and there are around 6 just in the same grid square as Lovie Chateau.

Here is a zoomable map with georeferenced trench map showing named camps such as Post, Plumstead and Penshurt as well as numerous others within the 8 x 6 km zone.  Coverage is Proven, Watou and Sint-Jan Ter Biezen.  Use the opacity slider to see the modern map, the distance and bearing tool to take measurements and the baselayer control to show satellite or street maps.  You can zoom in or out and pan around (map courtesy IWM & WFA, map tiling & georeferencing courtesy tMapper).

To abide with fair-dealing provisions, the map URL will expire at some stage.  It is hosted at http://georef.tmapper.com/seadragon/ma_00204027.html.

image.png.608aae82bcc6296088c88fe1972f83d2.png

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks again everyone for the help.
I took a look at the farm and the building in the painting is still the same as it is today.

Attached is a photo of the house now.

Greetings Arne 
 

 
 
 

20210812_140648.jpg

Edited by Arne Vandendriessche
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