Mr.Spigot Posted 20 November , 2023 Share Posted 20 November , 2023 (edited) I am going to Cambrai with a group of friends next April and each of us is giving a talk on a specific part of the battle in November/December 2017. My subject is A Battalion of the Tank Corps, as my Great Uncle, Rupert McFadden (200062), was involved. While I have been discovering a large amount of information about the Battalion's part in the battle, I wondered if there are any contemporary photos of Good Old Man Farm on Welsh Ridge and the area around it? I have found a perfect spot to give the talk on a farm track just to the north of the overgrown ruins of the farm, but some contemporary photos to put it all into context would be very interesting. I have contacted the Tank Museum and await their response, but if anyone has any other sources, I would be grateful to hear. Edited 20 November , 2023 by Mr.Spigot spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 20 November , 2023 Admin Share Posted 20 November , 2023 Do you have any of the Battleground Europe books covering that area? Not sure if there would be a photo in any of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 20 November , 2023 Admin Share Posted 20 November , 2023 I’ve just looked at my copies, all I can find is a photo of it in 1995. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Spigot Posted 20 November , 2023 Author Share Posted 20 November , 2023 Yes, I have the book too, but just a modern photo. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johntaylor Posted 20 November , 2023 Share Posted 20 November , 2023 Hi, you should contact Philippe Gorczynski who runs the Hotel Beatus in Cambrai: http://beatus-cambrai.com/en , which is an ideal base for exploring the area. He knows the battlefield better than anyone and there's a chance he may have photos of Good Old Man Farm. In addition, he is always delighted to hear from the descendant of a Cambrai veteran! All the best, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mebu Posted 20 November , 2023 Share Posted 20 November , 2023 I'm sure I've seen an old b/w pic somewhere, may just post war, can't find it anywhere. I think in some history related to 42nd Division who took the ridge in 1918. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Spigot Posted 20 November , 2023 Author Share Posted 20 November , 2023 4 hours ago, johntaylor said: Hi, you should contact Philippe Gorczynski who runs the Hotel Beatus in Cambrai: http://beatus-cambrai.com/en , which is an ideal base for exploring the area. He knows the battlefield better than anyone and there's a chance he may have photos of Good Old Man Farm. In addition, he is always delighted to hear from the descendant of a Cambrai veteran! All the best, John I emailed him over a month ago but got no reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 21 November , 2023 Admin Share Posted 21 November , 2023 @Philippe Gorczynski is an occasional visitor to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johntaylor Posted 21 November , 2023 Share Posted 21 November , 2023 Sorry to hear this Mr Spigot - I know Philippe is always rushed off his feet, and I've made him aware of this. All the best, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Spigot Posted 21 November , 2023 Author Share Posted 21 November , 2023 Many thanks. I don’t want to hassle him as I am sure he has enough to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johntaylor Posted 21 November , 2023 Share Posted 21 November , 2023 That's certainly true, but I'm happy to hassle him on your behalf! All the best, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johntaylor Posted 25 November , 2023 Share Posted 25 November , 2023 Hi, I've spoken to Philippe and understand you're now in contact via email, so hopefully that will prove helpful in your research. All the best, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Spigot Posted 25 November , 2023 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2023 Yes, many thanks for your prompting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 25 November , 2023 Admin Share Posted 25 November , 2023 I’d be interested to see any photos of the farm if you do get them please, I’m hoping to return to the area in February and am planning to re walk the ground around there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Spigot Posted 25 November , 2023 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2023 I will post them if successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johntaylor Posted 25 November , 2023 Share Posted 25 November , 2023 Hi, I'll mention it to him and see what he says. He's super-busy at present with the annual Cambrai commemoration events. All the best, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 25 November , 2023 Admin Share Posted 25 November , 2023 2 minutes ago, Mr.Spigot said: I will post them if successful. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardyCrooks Posted 26 November , 2023 Share Posted 26 November , 2023 On 20/11/2023 at 18:09, Mr.Spigot said: I emailed him over a month ago but got no reply. I've tried to book a room and it says no availability (tried several long weekends in March) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 26 November , 2023 Admin Share Posted 26 November , 2023 On 20/11/2023 at 08:29, Mr.Spigot said: I have contacted the Tank Museum and await their response, but if anyone has any other sources, here's a few from the IWM etc https://duckduckgo.com/?q=the+battle+of+cambrai+imperial+war+museum&t=osx&iax=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.iwm.org.uk%2Fciim5%2F58%2F405%2Flarge_000000.jpg&ia=images Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johntaylor Posted 26 November , 2023 Share Posted 26 November , 2023 1 hour ago, HardyCrooks said: I've tried to book a room and it says no availability (tried several long weekends in March) Thanks, I'll pass on the message. If the online booking doesn't work there's a phone number and email address on the hotel website: http://www.beatus-cambrai.com/en All the best, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Spigot Posted 26 November , 2023 Author Share Posted 26 November , 2023 1 hour ago, kenf48 said: here's a few from the IWM etc https://duckduckgo.com/?q=the+battle+of+cambrai+imperial+war+museum&t=osx&iax=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.iwm.org.uk%2Fciim5%2F58%2F405%2Flarge_000000.jpg&ia=images Thanks for the link. Is there any way of finding out what each photo is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 26 November , 2023 Admin Share Posted 26 November , 2023 20 minutes ago, Mr.Spigot said: Thanks for the link. Is there any way of finding out what each photo is? If you go to the IWM collections and browse the photos held by them have a descriptive caption https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?filters[eventString][Battle of Cambrai 1917%2C Allied Offensives 1917%2C Western Front%2C First World War]=on A cautionary note IWM captions are not always accurate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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