10 replies to this topic

[bluedog]

Forum Pals

Help Required

İn the area of Pink Farm Cemetery İ picked up a shell base clip.

İt has stamped on it      N.o 37  M.K. 1  and below that    ESS

On the opposite side it has stamped    R.W.  77

İdentification please.  


Also , South of the Cemetery , between it and the now standing farmhouse at the edge of the ploughed field are 11 large , deep ,
rectangular pits lying in an East-West direction and typical British type trench system behind it on the West side.

Any information on the shell cllp and the pits would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks in advance

Peter

[RobL]

Any picture of the shell base clip? I've only ever seen 18 pounder ones;

http://ator1149.home...c/transport.gif

[michaeldr]

Peter,

I'm looking at the satellite image from Google and cannot pick out these pits
Is it possible to be a little more specific?

The front line moved beyond Pink Farm fairly early on; by IInd Krithia in early May it was ½ or ¾ of a mile back. However, there may have been dug-outs there, eg. the 8^th Army Corps Mining Company had their HQ in that area

Did they look like gun pits?
Joe Murray refers to “97^th RFA battery was positioned here, only a few yards away. The gun pits of years ago are still plainly visible”
This was written about his pilgrimage to the battlefields in 1974

regards
Michael

[michaeldr]

Peter,


Reading on in Joe Murray's account of his 1974 visit, there does not seem to be much else in that vicinity which survived, apart from those gun pits. His companion was Dudley (Don) Lissenburg from the aforementioned RFA unit and he wanted to trace their wagon-lines. Joe writes:
“During the campaign the journey down that wide trench known as Longitudinal No.1 was a simple matter, or if you were a seasoned soldier, you ran the gauntlet in the open. But today there is no sign of that trench, the whole area has been ploughed up very roughly, corn and maize are growing where nothing except prickly scrub would grow.”


from 'Gallipoli Revisited' part I, p.993, 'RND' Issue No.11, December 1999, published by Len Sellers.

[bluedog]

Michael

Should be back in that area in the coming week

Will post approx. dimensions ,compass headings and GPS Lat/Longs

Peter

[michaeldr]

Looking forward to hearing from you further on this Peter
Perhaps it is not a coincidence that you found a shell base clip nearby?

regards
Michael

[bluedog]

Mıchael
Just lost the reply on this Turkish Computer so start again.

Have to use Google earth Co-Ords as my GPS refused to co-operate.

The pıts face South -East -North- West and are about 150 paces from the now Pink Farm Farmhouse.

They are 8 Paces wıde and 16 Paces long and face toward 'S' beach so İ would think that it would rule
out Artillery.

The Lat , Long Co-Ords on Google Earth are :

40' 04'17 . 92 North
26' 11'24.48 East

The 11 pits are 5 paces apart.and are approx. 6 feet deep with 97 years of debris in them.
and are at 90 deg. to Longitudal Trench No. 1 on an overlay that Eric Goossens has

As İ said before there is a Trench System behind them.

The direction that the pits are facing İ think would rule out Artillery.

That to me , leaves it to be  the 8th. Army Corps Mining Company H.Q or the mythical
parking pits of the RNAS Armoured cars?

If you scroll out on Google Earth at these Co-Ords. they are approx. half a mile inland from Gully Beach.

All the information that İ can supply  Michael and Pals.

Over to you

[michaeldr]

Peter,


You will have to check with Steve (on GWF = Krithia) re the armoured cars
His article in The Gallipolian of Spring 2001 is not too specific

Eight Rolls Royce armoured cars were brought ashore at Cape Helles in May and parked in specially prepared dugouts just off the West Krithia road between Pink Farm and the beach

Does this sound as if it might fit?


regards
Michael

[bluedog]

Michael

Your last post sounds right on the money to me in relation to size and location.

Leaving Çanakkale today and will be in transit and limbo for a few days but will PM Krithia
when İ return to Australia early next week.

Will keep you informed

Thank you for your help and interest in this posting

Peter

[Krithia]

Hi Peter,

I have not revisited the RNAS Armoured Car research for some time, and all of this is boxed up following a recent move. But for now I have attached a map, circa December 1915, of the area. From this are you able to pinpoint the approx position of the pits ... note the dugouts and trench systems already in the area, maybe one of these matches your discovery?

Rgs Krithia

 PinkFarm.JPG   85.73K   4 downloads

[Krithia]

and an example from the Sevki Pasha map circa Jan 1916, which shows the area in more detail.

 PinkFarm2.JPG   94.18K   5 downloads