The Bluff

[Dazscuba]

I am looking at a gent that caught Trent foot in both feet and had to be shipped back to the U.K. he died from Gangrene in both feet and Phemonia a couple of days later in Nottingham hospital. 
looking at the war diary (8th Batt, EYR) for the days before it states that they were in the trenches at The Bluff which is near St Eloi just south of Ypres. I have attached a trench map and could anybody tell me if it has The Bluff on please?

 

55% of the battalion went sick at this time with trench foot or other sickness which is a massive amount I think. (Wiki)

image from National Library of Scotland 

 

[Allan1892]

From Wiki --

'The Bluff is a mound near St Eloi, south-east of Ypres in Belgium, created from a spoil heap made during the digging of the Ypres–Comines Canal before the war. From 14 to 15 February and on 2 March 1916, the Germans and the British fought for control of the Bluff, the Germans capturing the mound and defeating counter-attacks only for the British to recapture it and a stretch of the German front line, after pausing to prepare a set-piece attack'.

[Allan1892]

The Bluff isn't on your map, it was situated just above and to the right of St Aloi (images courtesy of the Western Front Association)

[Allan1892]

Found a much better map (I'm new at using / searching trench maps) [Image courtesy of the Western Front Association]

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

59 minutes ago, Dazscuba said:

...caught Trent foot in both feet and had to be shipped back to the U.K. he died .... a couple of days later in Nottingham hospital. 

The irony...

[brianmorris547]

This 1:5000 map is in the August 1915 WD of 17 Div HQ GS. The map is dated March 1916.

TNA/Ancestry WO 95/1980.

Brian

Edited 26 September by brianmorris547
typo

[Dazscuba]

Thanks everybody just shows how good this site is, I was on the wrong map but now know exactly where it is. Also last map is from March 1916 which was the time my gent was there. Went into 17 CCs (8/3/16). 

[brianmorris547]

I only noticed that the map was dated 09/03/1916 when I posted it. I had to edit my post. I had it on my 1915 map index as 09/03/1915.

There are some more detailed maps of the Bluff in the February and March 1916 WDs of 17 Div HQ GS. They will be of interest to the TrenchMapper gents Howard and Bill as the trenches are named.

Brian

[Howard]

The quickest way to find most places on the Western Front is to use Advanced Search in TrenchMapper. Just putting bluff (less text is better), gives The bluff 28.I.34.c.4.1

There are quite a few maps that show The Bluff on TrenchMapper, some hand drawn which is always more poignant. There is also a good aerial photo.

We now have about 48,500 points logged, more than any other Great War points list.

Howard

 

[Matlock1418]

On 26/09/2023 at 14:28, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

On 26/09/2023 at 13:28, Dazscuba said:

...caught Trent foot in both feet and had to be shipped back to the U.K. he died .... a couple of days later in Nottingham hospital. 

The irony...

I haven't missed your observation 

M