Monday 29 November 2010

Places mentioned in Frank Ward’s diaries


1915

Newport
A village just south of Saffron Walden in Essex.

Cassel
16km (10 miles) East-North-East of St Omer.

Arneke
8km (5 miles) North-West of Cassel.

Borre
4km (about 2 1/2 miles) East of Hazebrouck.

Estaires
12km West-South-West of Armentières, and about 4km (2 1/2 miles) West-South-West of Sailly-sur-la-Lys.

Neuve Chapelle
About 11km (7 miles) North-East of Béthune.

Outtersteene
4km (2 1/2 miles) South-West of Bailleul.

Neuve Eglise
In Belgium, about 7km (nearly 5 miles) North-West of Armentières. Flemish name is Nieuwkerke, which means the same as Neuve Eglise. In recent years many place names have been turned into Flemish, as opposed to the French-style names they had up to the late 20th Century.

Bailleul
In France, 8km (5 miles) West of Neuve-Eglise, and about 12km (7 1/2 miles) East of Hazebrouck.

St Julien.
Now St Juliaan, about 4km (2 1/2 miles) North-East of Ypres.

Poperinge
10km (6 miles) West of Ypres (now Ieper on maps).


Locre & Dranoutre
Loker, Dranouter, between Neuve Eglise and Poperinge.

Maple Copse
The name given by the Army to a small plantation about 900 metres east of the village of Zillebeke, and just west of Sanctuary Wood. The place was used by Advanced Dressing Stations.

Zelebeck Lake
Now Zillebeke Lake, 4kms (2 1/2 miles) South-East of Ypres (Ieper).

Flamanting
Now Vlamertinge, 4km (2 1/2 miles) West of Ypres.

Brandhoek
6km (nearly 4 miles) West of Ypres.

Boeschepe
About 6km (nearly 4 miles) South-West of Poperinge.

La Bassée
12km (nearly 8 miles) East of Béthune in France.

Hill 60
So called because it was marked on French maps as 60 metres high. Originally a spoil heap from the construction of the railway cutting nearby. A deadly place of bayonet charges, mining, counter-mining.

Reningelst
Reningelst is about 6kms (nearly 4 miles) South-East of Poperinge.

Gonnehem
6km (4 1/2 miles) North-West of Béthune.

Fouquières
Now a suburb of Béthune, in the south.

Vermelles
10km (6 miles) South-East of Béthune.

Allouagne
About 10km (6 miles) West of Béthune.

Lestrem
4km (2 1/2 miles) South-West of Estaires.

Ménice Forest
Not sure of the name - nearest wood of any size is Forêt de Nieppe, about the right distance away.

Zelobes
A small hamlet, in the village of La Couture, about 3km S of Lestrem.

Hinges
About 4km (2 1/2 miles) North of Béthune.

St Venant
About 10km NE of Hinges.


1916
Isbergues.
Between Béthune and St Omer on the Canal D’Air. About 16km (10 miles) North-West of Béthune.

Berguette station.
About 2km (1 mile) South of Isbergues.

Pont-Remy.
On the river Somme, 8km (5 miles) South-East of Abbeville.

Maison-Roland.
14km (9 miles) East of Abbeville.

Saint Ouen.
12km (8 miles) South-East of Maison Roland.

Longvillers
20 km (12 miles) East of Abbeville.

Doullens
Between Abbeville and Arras; 20km (12 miles) East of Longvillers.

Canettemont
About 16 km (9 miles) South of St Pol-sur-Ternoise.

Magnicourt-sur-Canche
10km (6 miles) Sout-East of St Pol-sur-Ternoise.

Acq
About 14km (9 miles) North-West of Arras.

Ecoivres
2km (about a mile) South-East of Acq.

Neuville-Saint-Vaaste
8km (5 miles) North of Arras.

Bailleul-aux-Cornailles
24km (15 miles) North-West of Arras, just off the main road from Arras to St Pol-sur-Ternoise.

Ivergny
About 20kms (12 miles) from Bailleul-aux-Cornailles.

Gaudiempre
23km (14 miles) South-West of Arras, near to the front lines. 12 km (8 miles) from Ivergny.

Foncquevillers
8km (5 miles) South-East of Guadiempre.

Savy
Savy-Berlette. 14km (9 miles) North-West of Arras.

Bailleulval
16km (10 miles) South-West of Arras.

La Herlière
6km (4 miles) South-West of Bailleulval.

Berles
Berles-au-Bois: 2km (about a mile) South-West of Bailleulval.

Couturelle
10 km (6 miles) West of Bailleulval.

Avesnes
Avesnes-le-Comte: 12km (8 miles) North-West of Bailleulval.
Frévent
12km (8 miles) South of St Pol-sur-Ternoise.

St Pas
St Pas-en-Artois, 3km (about 2 miles) from Guadiempre.

Bavincourt
Between Doullens and Arras; 16km (10 miles) South-West of Arras.

Brévillers
About 8km (5 miles) North-East of Doullens, away from the front lines.

Outrebois
About 8km (5 miles) North-West of Doullens.

Gapennes
10km (6 miles) North-East of Abbeville.

Froyelles
12km (7 1/2 miles) North-East of Abbeville.

Yvrench
8km (5 miles) to the South-East of Froyelles.

Bachimont
About 14km (nearly 9 miles) to the North-East of Yvrench.

Bienvillers
Bienvillers-au-Bois, about 8km (5 miles) North-East of Doullens, South of the road to Arras, and very near to where he was in mid-November.


1917

St Amand
4km (2 1/2 miles) to the West of Bienvillers.

Couin
6km (about 4 miles) South-West of Bienvillers.

Souastre
Between Bienvillers and Couin, 5km (3 miles) Sout-West of Bienvillers.

Bus
Bus-lès-Artois, 10km (6 miles) South of Gaudiempre.

Contay
12km (7 1/2 miles) Sout-West of Bus-lès-Artois.

Villers-Bocage
10km (6 miles) North of Amiens.

Saveuse
6km (about 4 miles) West of Amiens.

Bacouel
Bacouel-sur-Selle; 8km (5 miles) South of Saveuse.

Ecquedecques
14km (nearly 9 miles) North-West of Béthune; on the Western outskirts of Lillers.

Ham
Ham-en-Artois;4 km (2 1/2 miles) North of Ecquedecques.

Hinges
4km (2 1/2 miles) North of Béthune.

Aix-Noulette
12km (7 1/2 miles) South of Béthune.

Liévin
4km (2 1/2 miles) to the East, on the Western outskirts of Lens.

Labeuvriére
4km (2 1/2 miles) West of Béthune.

Vermelles
8km (5 miles) South-East of Béthune.

Labourse
4km (2 1/2 miles) South-East of Béthune.

Noeux-les-Mines
4km (2 1/2 miles) South-West of Labourse.

Fouquières
Now a suburb of Béthune, in the South-West.


1918
Annezin
Now a suburb in the West of Béthune.

Nédon
20km (12 1/2 miles) West of Béthune.

Marles
Marles-les-Mines; 8km (5 miles) West of Béthune.

Auchel
4km (2 1/2 miles) West of Marles.

Prédefin
8km (5 miles) West of Nédon.

Divion
12km (7 1/2 miles) South-West of Béthune.

Bruay
Near Divion, to the North-East.

Hesdigneul
4km ( 2 1/2 miles) towards Béthune from Bruay.

Essars
4km (2 1/2 miles) North of Béthune.

Le Hamel
The hamlet about 1km (1/2 mile) North-East of Essars.

Beuvry
4km (2 1/2 miles) East of Béthune.

Gorre
A small village just outside Béthune, to the North-East.

Calanne-Ricouart Station
14km (8 1/2 miles) South-West of Béthune.
Wimereux
Seaside town just North along the Channel Coast from Boulogne.

Ambleteuse
Village on the Channel Coast North of Wimereux.

Brie
8km (5 miles) South of Péronne, on the main road from Amiens to St Quentin.

Estrées
Estrées-en-Chaussée, 6km (about 4 miles) East from Brie, towards St Quentin.

Bihécourt
A hamlet 12km (7 1/2 miles) North-West of St Quentin.

Magny-la-Fosse
About 10km (6 miles) North of St Quentin.

Méricourt
12 km (7 1/2 miles) North-East of St Quentin.

Fresnoy-le-Grand
A short distance North-East of Méricourt.

Bohain
20km (12 1/2 miles) North-East of St Quentin.

Catillon
16km (10 miles) North-East of Bohain.

Landrecies
8km (5 miles) North-East of Catillon.

Hecq
8km (5 miles) North of Landrecies, on the Western edge of the Forêt de Mormal.

Troisvillers
18km (11 miles) South-East of Cambrai.

Sunday, 12 September 2010

No comments:

Post a Comment