This is the secret of Granddads trunk

[egbert]

Neil, this last photo was taken 21 Jan 1918. He was billeted in St.André and was employed in front of Armentières (Dorf vor Armentières) where the picture near the frontline was taken. He was on frontline duty there from 24 Dec1917 - 24 Jan1918.

Photo shows from right to left:

Vizefeldwebel Aepler, †27 Mar 1918,

Unteroffizier Schmitz

Gottfried Sandrock

Unteroffizier Rettich

picture signed in St André, 25.1.1918, "A village in front of Armentières. I was there from 24.12.1917 until 24.1.1918. For my dearest wife and my golden boy. In remembrance"

 

Edited 19 March , 2021 by egbert

[egbert]

On 19/03/2021 at 10:21, egbert said:

Neil, this last photo was taken 21 Jan 1918. He was billeted in St.André and was employed in front of Armentières (Dorf vor Armentières) where the picture near the frontline was taken. He was on frontline duty there from 24 Dec1917 - 24 Jan1918.

Photo shows from right to left:

Vizefeldwebel Aepler, †27 Mar 1918,

Unteroffizier Schmitz

Gottfried Sandrock

Unteroffizier Rettich

picture signed in St André, 25.1.1918, "A village in front of Armentières. I was there from 24.12.1917 until 24.1.1918. For my dearest wife and my golden boy. In remembrance"

 

The above picture was taken somewhere between St.André (Lille) and Armentières. There are 3 geographic-locations mentioned where the so called "Unterabschnitt C" (subsection C"), I.Bn IR49 area of responsibility supposed to be. The 3 names refer to larger pump stations to drain the trenches:

1. Scherbelberg

2. Kahmansgut

3. Lunapark

Anybody has German maps to consult where these places are? With that I could locate the village the picture was probably taken at

[egbert]

Success! With the help of some friends in a German WW1 forum the enigma was solved within 24 hours:

Scherbelberg is a "hill" 22m above ground, Lunapark and Kahmann Gut are 2 farms (Our member Jan aka AOK4 even had a photograph of Lunapark farm). For exact location see attachment.

Somewhere in this triangle was "Unterabschnitt C" and the farm where my GFs last known picture was taken.

 

[egbert]

This is a German trenchmap snippet with mentioned locations

 

[egbert]

What is even more intriguing is that our friend Jan aka AOK4 provided me with 2 postcards, one with Lunapark ferme and one with Scherbelberg artillery spotting position

 

 

 

[egbert]

Lunapark was a farm with adjacent concrete bunker. This was one of the Battalion Operation Centers (BOC) of IR 49. Bunkers were vital because the groundwater was just beneath the surface.

 

These present streetview pictures show Lunapark BOC

1st image grown over

 

 

 

Here a more visible image

[egbert]

The other front line BOC for IR 49 was "Gottschalkburg", a bunker-/farm-complex some 500 m further N/E.

No known war time picture, but a streetview of the 3 bunker cluster is available:

For sure GF roamed here and there in the line of duty......

 

 

 

 

 

[egbert]

To put the images in a trenchmap context, here are the new discoveries depicted as

Lunapark, Gottschalkburg, Kahmann Gut, Scherbelberg and the Regimental Operation Center "Muster Gut"

 

[egbert]

The Regimental Operation Center called "Muster Gut" still exists today. It is located just behind Verlinghem and had to be passed by the troops going into the trenches from their billeting quarters in St.André. So GF was here as well.

 

This war time picture from Jan shows Muster Gut in 1918

 

[egbert]

Interestingly the war time image stopped just short of the adjacent 2-story Regimental bunker. A tribute to censorship most likely.

On this streetview picture you see the bunker coming up on the right side

 

 

 

 

Edited 7 April , 2021 by egbert

[egbert]

Amazingly that the farm did not change even >100 years after the war

 

[egbert]

The Regiment Operation Center was a 2-story bunker.

 

[egbert]

I forgot to post the today's map for all 5 locations, mentioned in the regimental chronic.

Scherbelberg,

Kahmann Gut

Lunapark

Gottschalkburg

Muster Gut

 

So here it is:

 

[egbert]

Apologies for being out of sequence, but here are 2 more pictures from Lunapark and first time from Scherbelberg (credits on image)

 

Lunapark:

 

 

 

[egbert]

....and Scherbelberg

 

 

[egbert]

This is a corresponding Brit Trenchmap where the farms are named with their French original farmnames:

 

Muster Gut = La Tuilerie Fme

Lunapark has no name but was a dairy farm

Kahmann Gut = no name

Scherbelberg = was a stud farm and named Ferme du Chastel

 

detail:

 

[egbert]

For Scherbelberg = Ferme du Chastel I found an interesting article in the www about its history.

Here are more pictures from Scherbelberg 

1914:

 

And this is the sad picture from 1918:

 

[egbert]

Scherbelberg after the war in the 1920s

 

and general view

 

[egbert]

2021 streetview

 

[egbert]

On the premises of the Scherbelberg=Ferme du Chastel ferme , is a German bunker which my Grandfather 100% entered and used. Amazing to see my Grandfather 1918 and 2021 merged. This image is the cherry on the cake (for his Grandson):

 

[Sly]

Great update Egbert !

 

And thanks again for the Zoom today,

 

Sly

[Martin Feledziak]

Automatic notifications appears to have failed.

I only spotted these great updates when I did a search for the "Trunk".

So this morning I had a good look round the area.

 

2 Story Bunker.kmz

3 Bunkers.kmz

Edited 31 July , 2022 by Martin Feledziak

[egbert]

Any photos Martin?

[Martin Feledziak]

Greetings Egbert.

 

No photographs I am not physically on site. I have just used Google earth, street view and such like. 

I am resident in the UK so travel is not as common as it was pre Covid.

 

Great updates though. 

I could not locate the bunker where you overlaid your GGF.

Can you send me a pin ?

 

[egbert]

Scherbelberg.kmz

The bunker is on the premises of Gut Scherbelberg, private property .

French name "Ferme du Chastel". Google for the images and you will see the bunker

Edited 3 August , 2022 by egbert