Sunken Lane - Serre Walk

[paullaw1155]

Excellent phographs Paul. We visited the same area in May this year. We all seem to choose the same spots for taking our pictures.

At the moment I am at work viewing you pictures, It is like walking the Somme again, which is a lot better than writing reports.

Thanks

Paul

[willy]

Stunning photos Paul, will be doing this walk in sept but starting from avril's hope the weather is as good. Will

[cockney tone]

Paul,

thanks for the suggested route, I followed it last week from Julie's and had a great time, I came back along the track by Ten Tree Alley. As I walked over the ridge the weather started to change and I could see fork lightning getting seemingly close to the Thiepval Memorial. Very dramatic. Fortunatley got back to Julies just before the heavens opened

Any other threads like this would be very welcome, (especially around Ypres.)

Regards,

Scottie.

[Mat McLachlan]

Paul,

Thanks for posting these great shots. Outstanding, as always.

I especially liked the shot of the unploughed field. I don't know about other pals but I find these 'original' fields some of the most fascinating sites on the Western Front. There's a real feeling of connection whenever you spot that undulating ground.

There's a similar field opposite Waterfields farm on the Passchendaele battlefield. Also, of course, the woods reveal quite a few scars - Polygon Wood, Bailiff Wood and Vaire Wood being good examples.

A question for the pals re Railway Hollow Cem. Any idea what gun caused that massive shell crater near the entrance? Assuming it is a shell crater and not a mine, it must be the biggest still remaining on the Western Front.

Cheers,

Mat

[Paul Reed]

It is a shell crater; I forget which calibre, but it is something about the usual 155mms I suspect. I have seen many larger craters than this, especially at Verdun. There are some 9.2-inch craters in Rossignol Wood, put there by the guns of a veteran I knew - and still almost as deep as they were in 1916.

[NeilD]

Paul,

With reference to your photo of the Herefordshire Regt headstone, my relative enlisted into the Herefords but, folowing Gallipoli was moved to the KSLI and onto the 11th Bn Border Regt (The Lonsdales). Could it be that those fallen were buried with their "parent" regt as opposed to the unit they fought with? The reason I ask is that my relative fought in the Somme in 1916 dying on the last assault on the Munich Trench. He is commemorated on th ethoepval Memorial.

NeilD

[Paul Reed]

Interesting - maybe whoever this was kept some of his insignia, and that was found with this body - making this partial ID possible. Was there are a large draft of them to 11/Border?

[NeilD]

I'm no expert but it's not inconceivable to think that, once the Gallipoli campaign was finished, the powers that be decided to reinforce the units on the Western Front with men returning from the Dardanelles - transferring whole sections, platoons, companies to different Regts. Perhaps someone could shed a bit more light on it. Nevertheless an interesting thought.

P.S.

I will post some of the photos I took of the walk I took in Aug around the Somme.

NeilD