Tag Archives: Map

Diary entries which illustrate the locations of the events recorded using maps. See also Maps.

3 July 1918; Wednesday

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Woke about 7 o’clock. Had breakfast at a station by the way. Finished journey at Hesdin1 at about noon. Got motor-lorries and went to Ouve2, about 30 kilos. Took us about 5 hours owing to breaking down and losing the way. Walked round village at night. Received two letters from Ernie and one from Gertie in which she tells me about her progress at the piano. Decent news from the line. Weather fine. Sergeant Powell unwell. Turned in about 9.30.

  1. Hesdin (B); about 210km N. of Paris (A). ↩

  2. Ouve: probably Ouve-Wirquin (C), 30km N. of Hesdin; 14km SW. of St Omer; Michelin square E4. ↩

2 July 1918; Tuesday

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Marched off from Semoine at about 12.45am and arrived at Mailly1 at about 4am. Had breakfast and then entrained. Biscuits, cold meat and cold bacon for the day. Started off about 5 o’clock. Watched the sun rise and set from the railway waggon door. Enjoyed ride. Passed the outskirts of Paris. Saw Eiffel Tower2 and the Church of the Sacred Heart. Some very nice people, and splendid country and clean villages. Thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Turned in about 9.30 and slept well. Had tea at a wayside station about 6 o’clock.

  1. Mailly: Mailly-le-Camp (B), 8km due E from Semoine (A), on the A26/E17 from Troyes to Châlons, Michelin map 515 square F10. ↩

  2. (C) on the map marks the location of the Eiffel Tower, which ALL saw as his train passed through (though evidently did not stop at) Paris. ↩

30 June 1918; Sunday

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Up at 5.30. Paraded at 7.15 and marched off at 7.30. Splendid day. Very fine morning but rather warm. Marched about 15 kilos1 and arrived at Semoine2 at about midday. Received letters from home and Franchie. Had wash in stream near to the billet. Walked into village last thing and wrote two letters.

  1. 15 kilos: 15 kilometres. ↩

  2. Semoine (B): 15km indeed due E from Pleurs (A), 37km SW from Châlons, Michelin map 515 square E10. ↩

25 June 1918; Tuesday

Abridged, June 1918, , ,

Up about 7 o’clock. Told after morning parade to go on the advance party. Went off in car about 10.30 to Fleurs1 – a pretty village. Got a good billet. The men who made the disturbance up for trial and got pretty well off. Better news in the paper. The Italians have done well and the River Piave flooded and helped them2. The rough men in the billet had a lot to say through drinking too much watered wine.

  1. Fleurs: very clearly written, but actually Pleurs (B), 14km S from Broussy-le-Petit (A) across the N4; Michelin map 515, square D10. ↩

  2. The Second Battle of the Piave River, fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory for the Italian Army against the Austro-Hungarian Empire ↩

21 June 1918; Friday

Abridged, June 1918, , , ,

Up at about 7 o’clock. Paraded at 2 o’clock, full marching order, and marched to the buses a short distance away. Started off about 3 in the buses and arrived at Boussey le Petit1 at about 6 o’clock. Had tea and a walk round the village. Determined to write to Charlie.

  1. Boussey le Petit: this would be Broussy-le-Petit (B), Michelin map 515, square C10; 25km SW of Oger (A) and about 30km S of Épernay, E of D951. ↩

20 June 1918; Thursday

Abridged, June 1918, , , , , ,

Up at 5.30. Pulled down bivouac, had breakfast, cleaned up and paraded at 8.30 and marched off at 9 o’clock. Passed through Avize and arrived at Oger1 at about 11 o’clock. Spent afternoon in billet and had pleasant walk at night. Fine night though showery morning. Received letter from Ernie and from Hilda Linfoot2.

  1. Avize (B) and Oger (C) are villages some 8km and 9km SE. from Pierry (A); Michelin 515, square O9. ↩

  2. Hilda Linfoot: ALL’s cousin in New Zealand. See Hilda disambiguation page. ↩

9 June 1918; Sunday

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Up at about [7 written over 6, or vice versa?] o’clock. Paraded and marched off at 9.30. Marched through Dizy and Épernay. Arrived at Pierry1 about dinnertime and found ourselves billeted near a château. The château outhouse to be the hospital. Had a C E service behind the château at night. Only a handful there. Beautiful swans. Walked in the woods later with Harvey and had a long talk.

  1. Pierry (B): about 9km S of Hautvillers (A) and 3km S. of Épernay, on the D951 to Troyes; Michelin map 515, square D8. ↩

8 June 1918; Saturday

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[1½ lines crossed out by ALL.]     On parade in the morning and cleaned up waggons a bit. Spent afternoon reading and writing. Lovely place. In the evening walked with Holman to a village and back to Dizy1 later.

  1. Dizy (B): 3km SE of Hautvillers (A) and 3km NNE of Épernay, E of D951; Michelin map 515, square D8. ↩

7 June 1918; Friday

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Jerry commenced to shell the village in the early hours of the morning. We were awake from about 3 o’clock. A big shell dropped into the end of the dressing hut. Killed a gassed patient, badly wounded the CO (he died at C C S a few hours later)12 and wounded Smith and Surridge. We packed up and moved down to a farm near Hautvillers3. Rested after arrival at midday. Glorious evening. Billy Truman and Lieutenant Mann went down with the C O and reported that he died just before being operated upon. Anniversary of Messines4.

  1. The Commanding Officer of the 58th Field Ambulance at this date was Captain (Acting Lieutenant-Colonel) Richard Amyas Preston M.B., B.S.. Captain Preston was born on 15th April 1891. He was just over one year younger than ALL, being 27 years of age at the time of his death, had already served in the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 and had enlisted in the R.A.M.C. in August 1914, initially at the rank of Lieutenant. He had been CO of the 58th Field Ambulance since September 1917. See also Richard Amyas PRESTON M.B., B.S. at RAMC in the Great War and Lieutenant Colonel Richard Amyas Preston at Lives of the First World War. ↩

  2. From A Short History of the 19th (Western) Division 1914-1918 (John Murray, 1919), page 88: “Lieut.-Col. R A Preston, MC, RAMC, No 58 Field Ambulance, was mortally wounded on June 7th while superintending the evacuation of wounded from the Main Dressing Station at NANTEUIL.” ALL has written in the margin of his copy “Killed a few yards from me.” ↩

  3. Hautvillers (B): 5km S. from Nanteuil-la-Forêt (A), 4km N. of Épernay; Michelin map 515 square D8. ↩

  4. Anniversary of Messines: See 7 June 1917. ↩

4 June 1918; Tuesday

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Up shortly after 6 o’clock. Fairly busy. A shell fell in amongst some of our chaps, killed Arthur Lewis123, and wounded Vince, Wright, McCarter, Bicknell and Tillot. Glorious weather. Slightly better news.

Concentration of Graves Record
Concentration of Graves Record. See footnotes. Click or tap to enlarge.
Location of Graves
Locations of Sharpe’s and Lewis’ graves. See footnotes.

  1. Arthur Lewis: Probably 42096 Private G A Lewis, 58th Field Ambulance, RAMC. Pte Lewis was, like Sharpe the previous day, initially buried at a site near the dressing station. His body was moved at the same time as Sharpe’s in February 1920 and is now buried at Marfaux British Cemetery. approximately 4km N of Nanteuil-la-Forêt; see yesterday’s entry. ↩

  2. The Concentration of Graves record reproduced above identifies both Lewis and Sharpe (killed yesterday) and gives the initial location of their graves as “221.8 x 266.3”, the lower of the two circles on the contemporary map also reproduced above, near a place named as Nanteuil-la-Fosse (clearly now known as Nanteuil-la-Forêt). ↩

  3. The co-ordinates given for Marfaux British Cemetery, where Lewis and Sharpe were re-interred, are given on the Concentration of Graves record as “269.9 x 220.8” (sic; actually 220.8 x 269.9), the upper of the two circles on the map (cf modern map accompanying the entry for 3 June). ↩