Pre-WW1 photos of Zwarteleen?

[kerry]

Dear All,

having now established that some 140 officers and men appear to have vanished on the 7th May 1915 attack from Trench 40, into the Zwarteleen Salient, an area no larger than 6 or 7 tennis courts, and vanished without trace over a few hours, I now need to start checking the accuracy of the available sketch maps published in the various books. Because the area was so small it just doesn't add up, that so many men could have simply disappeared.

The German-occupied trenches of 42, 43, and 45 were so close to the British that artillery would not have been used owing to the small area (no more than 1.700 square metres). So I now need to find out what plans and maps there are that might give the precise location of these trenches.

One way of starting to build the picture would be to see what Zwarteleen looked like before the War.

Any ideas? Many thanks

Kerry

[Aurel Sercu]

Kerry,

Pre-war photos of Zwarteleen ?

If only I had known this morning before I set off to the Ypres Documentation Centre...

I will have a look if there are photos next Wednesday. But don't be too optimistic !...

(By the way, where exactly is the position you are interested in ? Zwarteleen itself, or just north, reast, west or south of it ?)

Aurel

[kerry]

Aurel,

I am interested in the area of the village south of the road that passes in front of Hill 60 and the QVR Museum, and by the area enclosed by the two roads that make a long 'u' shape, next to the modern south north road from Zillebeke to Kleine Zillebeke.

I'm trying to recheck the origin of the diagrams used in the Battleground Europe series of the Zwarteleen Salient. Trench 40 is shown on one map due north of the opening of the Salient, and about 100 yards away from it, whereas another schematic shows the same trench some 500 yards away (according to the scale on that particular map), near Trench 38 and the railway line.

The schematic in the KOYLI history is not much help either, because it is a hand sketch showing no scale or relation to objects on the ground, or size or distance.

And the trenches marked on the 1916 trench map (copy) I have, bear absolutely no relation to any salient of any kind on the east side of Hill 60 as you look at the map.

Grateful for anything you can unearth. Please also give my warmest regards to Bert - I tried to thank him for the material he left me on my final morning yesterday but he was arriving at the airport. I will e-mail him seperately.

Thanks

Kerry