Friday, February 18, 2011

Herleville Wood, France, 1918

Pte Arthur Beachcroft brought home this aerial photograph of Rosieres, France with a plan of battle marked on it.  This was Arthur's last engagement of the war, as he was wounded between Wood 2 and 1 at the top of the image, and made his way to the dressing station at R26d84 marked at the bottom of the image.  For Arthur's description of the plan, go here.  Click on the photo for a larger version.

On this day, at this place, Captain William Donovan Joynt won a VC.
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2 comments:

  1. Photos like this always get me. When you see photos of the war (esp WWI Western Front) on the ground, the country is so devastated you don't see beyond the devastation. However in photos like this, you suddenly see that it was "normal" countryside where it happened - and realise what it would have been like for you if something like this happened down a similar country road just near you. And suddenly war seems a little more real.

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  2. And there is that quintessential avenue of populars, still casting a shadow, and the patchwork of fields. A squizzy at Google maps tonight reveals that the patchwork of fields is still there, but if I've got onto the right road, the poplars are gone, in some cases replaced by windmills.

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