Map of Kemmel Hill area in July 1918

[EvgenyS]

I am translating G.S Atkinson's diary and would appreciate if someone can share a map of the Kemmel Hill area in July 1918, it would be really helpful to understand many of the details described in the book.

[busterfield]

Couldn't find coordinates so it's 8 squares in from the left and 5 squares down, square 26

https://maps.nls.uk/view/101464924

Edited 28 August , 2023 by busterfield
missed number

[EDWARD1]

[Messines Region, Wytschaete Ridge] | Digital Archive @ McMaster University Library Very detailed

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

34 minutes ago, busterfield said:

Couldn't find coordinates so it's 8 squares in from the left and 5 squares down, square 26

...or as the military might say:   28.N.26

Edited 28 August , 2023 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr

[busterfield]

13 minutes ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

...or as the military might say:   28.N.26

All I remember from my cadet days was that I had to walk in the door and then use the stairs. Not much help if you cannot find the front door is it ?

[EvgenyS]

Thanks, this is as detailed as can be, though it's very difficult to match the trench officer's views and descriptions and the maps prepared by the H.Q. staff.

[WhiteStarLine]

@EvgenyS, welcome to the forum.  Why not post the 

17 minutes ago, EvgenyS said:

trench officer's views and descriptions and the maps prepared by the H.Q. staff

and we can try and help you match them.

[EvgenyS]

See some of those below. My first impression where their part of the line can be is highighted on the screenshot of the map provided by the forum member above.

Everything is utterly destroyed, and the once prosperous little town in front of us is now nothing but a pile of bricks. [Can't identify what small town this can be]

Away on the left we could distinguish the ruins of Ypres shining faintly in the evening sun, and smoking under a desultory bombardment. Closer to us was the brick pile and swamp once known as Dickebusch, and in front, a few hundred yards away, the bulk of Kemmel Hill towered above us.

There are no trenches, but we hold a broken line of outposts about five hundred yards in front of an old main road [would be useful to identify at least the road] which we are defending. The key of our position is one solitary hill, a small symmetrical hump not more than 100 feet high and entirely overlooked by Mont Kemmel, which is ten times higher. [Can't find this particular hill yet]

[This was written on July 1-3, after which they were building the trenches, and the map is as of July 11, so it must be pretty close]

[WhiteStarLine]

Thanks for that.  Mont Kemmel is shown at the very bottom of the map extract you posted.  If you give us the soldier's unit, that would narrow it down.

I think the little town in front is Kemmel and the aerial below shows a once prosperous town (click to enlarge and look for the name Kemmel near the blue circle) reduced to almost nothing.  A possible location for his position is roughly 500 yards from a main road and a few hundred back from Kemmel.  It is dominated by Mont Kemmel (154m) and Lettenberg (90m).  There are 2 small hills around the position - both are really small plateaus on spurs off Kemmel as the elevation profile shows.  Neither are 1/10th the size of Mont Kemmel but I think if you are facing the Germans with no trenches then accurate heights above mean sea level is really not your highest priority.

In both the area you circled and this one, Ieper is on your left as is Dikkebus.  However, if you approach Kemmel via StreetView there is a symmetrical hill that dominates the approach and a full screen view shows Mont Kemmel rising in the background.

The aerial photo is from 15 July 1918.  Good luck with your transcription.

Cheers, Bill

Photographic Map of Corps Front 1918, showing Messines Mines cratering
Sheet: 28 M6-30, N1-30, O1-26
Scale: 1:10,000. Edition: 15-Jul-18
Branch Intelligence Section No.10 Squadron. RAF With map base

[EvgenyS]

Thank you. Unfortunately in the entire diary there is no mention of the exact unit. It was a F. Coy of Royal Engineers, attached to one or two brigades of a division, but no other details are provided. Infantry regiments mentioned in the brigade/division or as neighbors are Durham and Middlesex, but this doesn't help much with the numerous batallions in different divisions. I think of the 50th Northumberland division, but so far found nothing to be certain about this.

[EvgenyS]

Whoever might be interested to know - my research showed that the author of 'Soldier's Diary' G.S. Atkinson was part of 237 F. Coy of Royal Engineers, 41st division. I have their war diary now including maps, which is helping a lot in the translation.

[EvgenyS]

Attached is a map from the war diary of July 1918 covering all the works they were engaged in. This covered an area approximately between La CLytte and Westoutre, all overlooked by the Kemmel hill. The 'key of position' hill must have been Scherpenberg.

[WhiteStarLine]

That is an interesting map, but I cannot reconcile Scherpenberg with 3 statements he made.  The distance is 3 kilometres, not a few hundred yards, the height is over 120 metres, not 100 feet and the StreetView image from Scherpenberg does not show that it is entirely overlooked by Mont Kemmel:

1. Quote

    

   1. in front, a few hundred yards away, the bulk of Kemmel Hill towered above us
   2. one solitary hill, a small symmetrical hump not more than 100 feet high
   3. entirely overlooked by Mont Kemmel, which is ten times higher

    

[EvgenyS]

I can ony comment that the map shows the entire area where the company operated in July, and the author's description covers just a certain part of  the line closer to Kemmel Hill, which was most exposed and dangerous. I can't identify a more exact location on this map matching that description.

[brianmorris547]

Like Bill I'm struggling with this one. This map is from the August 1918 WD of 41 Div HQ GS. 

TNA/Ancestry WO 95/2618

[brianmorris547]

The WDs of the CRE 41 Div records that on 30/06/1918 they took over from French Engineers in the Sherpenberg Sector and the WD of 237 FC records that on 30/06/1916 they moved to billets at L 36 a 2 4 (sheet 27). On 02/07 the assisted Infantry on the crest of Sherpenberg and on 03/07 were working on a Dressing Station at M 5 b 3 2 and at night wiring at N 13 a 2 6.

Brian

[WhiteStarLine]

12 hours ago, EvgenyS said:

the author's description covers just a certain part of  the line closer to Kemmel Hill, which was most exposed and dangerous

Great summary and I agree.  It has been an interesting exercise and I wish you the best with the translation. 

[WhiteStarLine]

My last post on this one I promise!

Just doing a 3D map for someone for Wytschaete and I thought I'd take a look at nearby Kemmel with a 3.5 exaggeration.  It certainly is the dominating feature and some of the rolling  hills just to the north-west are candidates.  Click to enlarge for full 3D effect.

[brianmorris547]

Re my last post L 36 a 2 4 where 237 FC went into billets is at the bottom right of this map. 

NLS Sheet 27 NE May 1918.

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

I have been comparing it to the IGN 27-28-38 Ieper. The billets were between Abele and Westoutre right on the border of France and Belgium near what is marked on the IGN as Grote O-L-Heer.