Over the few weeks I have seen a couple of suggestions for "Then and Now! photographs on the forum

Here are some firstly from the Somme area, please feel free to add any of your own

Andy


Fricourt

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Aveluy

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I find this type of thread fascinating.
Can't add any photos but I hope others can and the thread blossoms.

Thank you neutrino, I hope that there are plenty of others out there

Longueval , a bus full of battlefield tourists coming into the village....and 90 years ago the villagers gather to see what all the fuss is about!

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Ancre River Cem then and now

This is a brilliant idea and your photos really bring it home that 'life goes on'.

I am particularly drawn to the cemetery one; from awful mud to beautiful manicured lawns, row upon row of orderly headstones and a memorial/statue. Very sombre

Diane

A fascinating comparison Desmond , thank you for adding the view. Diane is right in saying it shows that life goes on - to think that all that time ago those terrible things happened here...and today the same places look so beautiful and calm

Here is Longueval - Delville Wood Cemetery

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HI,

like this kind of comparison very much

Cnock

ypres 1917 and 2008,
John.

Great photos everyone - THANKS!

These are fabulous! I love the then and now comparisons. Great photos all.

Fantastic!

Well a superb response........more please

Fricourt crossroads

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We left the gate open this tme around

Bernafay Wood

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more please !

Mick

Please keep them coming. Absolutely fascinating comparisons.

Excellent stuff. Thanks!

Interesting that the row of stones to the right of the Cross of Sacrifice at Bernafay Wood Cem seem to have disappeared.

Great photos more please!

Some views almost unchanged, some changed out opf recognition.

Fascinating stuff - please keep it coming.

Ian

[quote name='IanA' date='Dec 2 2008, 03:43 PM' post='1067452']
Interesting that the row of stones to the right of the Cross of Sacrifice at Bernafay Wood Cem seem to have disappeared.
[/quote

There still appear to be some to the right of the Cross but not so many as in the original picture. Also there seem to be less on the left hand side in the current pic.

Hi Andy,
It appears you are not alone with this ‘then and now’ bug! I came across this article on the AWM website by one of their senior curators doing exactly the same thing. There are some very nice examples in here. http://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/8/articles/then_now.pdf
Cheers
Jeremy

I love seeing these photos too.
Thank you everyone
Cheers
Shirley

QUOTE Sausage Valley.......

Looking at the scene today I feel a sense of calm as if the carnage was forgiven almost

What a great scene of Sausage valley from 90 years ago to today, an army on the move - and today, just a track across a field, thank you Ypresman

Thank you all for your kind replies, I will continue to post more of my little collection and hope to see more of any other comparisons

IanA , Paddy , where are those lads now?

Andy


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IIRC, I thought there were some headstones that said 'believed to be buried in this cemetery' just as you went in the gate. Perhaps they were moved from the top of the cemetery, but I stand to be corrected if I am wrong

Steve

Hi,

If you look at the plan of the cemetery on the CWGC website, (http://www.cwgc.org/plans/12-18/M002.GIF) it shows no stones in the position on the photograph, but it does say "Bernafay Wood North Cem. Memorial" behind the Great Cross. It shows special memorials just inside to the left of the cemetery entrance.

From the Cemetery description:
Montauban village was taken by the 30th and 18th Divisions on 1 July 1916 and it remained in Commonwealth hands until the end of March 1918. It was retaken on 25 August 1918 by the 7th Buffs and the 11th Royal Fusiliers of the 18th Division. The Bois De Bernafay is a pear-shaped wood close to the east end of Montauban village. It was taken on 3 and 4 July 1916 by the 9th (Scottish) Division. On 25 March 1918, in the retreat to the Ancre, the same Division was driven from the wood but recaptured it for a time. On 27 August 1918 it was finally regained by the 18th Division. The cemetery was begun by a dressing station in August 1916 and used as a front-line cemetery until the following April. It contained at the Armistice 284 burials but was then increased when graves were brought in from Bernafay Wood North Cemetery and from the battlefields immediately east of the wood. Bernafay Wood British Cemetery now contains 945 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 417 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 11 soldiers known or believed to be buried here. Other special memorials commemorate 12 soldiers buried in Bernafay Wood North Cemetery whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

Hope this helps,

Martin

The quote under the sausage vally photo, where can i find it please.
the then and now photos are great, must see if i can fined some round Richebourg.
Roger

Martin , Steve - Looks like a mystery solved there, the stones must have been marked as memorials to other last graves at the time

Roger, here is one of my favourites....hard to get this one all in

Blighty valley

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..........One that you might have seen before........Hill 60

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Ypresman
Are you absolutly sure that this is looking up the lane ?
I have serious doubts, it could be looking down the lane.
Bob Grundy

Should be able to tell based on the direction of attack. The men in the photo are positioned against one side of the ravine, so presumably the German artillery and MG fire was coming from that direction. Likely someone can comment on whether the "now" photo is positioned in the same way. FWIW Ypresman, I believe you having taken many of these photos myself. Once you've walked the ground and set up the shot, you're sure of the result.

RE:the 1st Lancs in Sunken Lane, I think you will find that the battalion were sheltering against the EAST side of the lane, the side that faced the German front lines, which means Malins shot was taken looking DOWN the Sunken Lane.

regards
Tom

great stuff, more please, julie

All good stuff.......a nice debate, we are all here to share our views and knowledge.....but back to the comparisons

Keep the photographs coming

Staying in Belgium............Essex Farm

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I am facinated by these images, well done to all concerned. PLEASE PLEASE more photo's.

Thank you

This one taken from the wall at Dochy Farm, the white line in the old photograph marking where it is today

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Great Pics .............. Thank You


Mike

Ypresman
Your original post 33 has the photo reversed, which matched to your 'now' one shows men, as viewed at the time,
on the west side of the Sunken Lane which is incorrect. However after bringing this to your notice you
seem to get a bit miffed.....12 years on the old WF does not mean you are right, I can triple that and then some
and I can get it wrong. In this case you are right but by posting the reversed 'then' it makes it look wrong.
I think that it is just bit of confusion in the illustrating department
To confirm this I quote the Bn War Diary "B Coy had to carefully select their exits as the bank is overhung
and lined with trees".
Well there it is, make of it what you will.
Bob Grundy

[quote name='towisuk' date='Dec 6 2008, 09:32 AM' post='1070657']


i agree having investigated malins shot many times and taken shots up and down the lane, i believe malins shot his down the lane, and also if you were sheltering from fire which side would you be sheltering?
the picture is one of the saddest i have ever seen, and to stand on the spot itself is a humbling experience.

A Great thread keep it up , more pics please
tafski

Great replies .......a very moving place to be, that moment captured then and we know the outcome - remember those lads

A combined Malins picture of the Hawthorn explosion

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Mr Havrincourt,
I like that superimposed image, very good...................
Bob

Hi,just came back to this post,where are the sunken lane photo's,they appear to have disapeared,i needed a copy of picture for a friend,any ideas where i might find one, thanks julie

Here you are Julie,


regards
Chris

Cheers chris,your a star
regards julie

here we go Andy a few then pics wonder if anybody got the now ones

essex farm


poperinghe english cemetery


ypres resevoir cemetery

Great idea, I hope that we are all searching our trip photographs and can get some good comparisons

Chris nice close up picture

Here is a superb link that Paul Reed has supplied http://pages14-18.mesdiscussions.net/pages...sujet_920_1.htm

I hope it works .... erm does not seem to work......anybody help?

In the meantime here is Chester Farm

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I agree with you Chris, when I saw Yresman's original post the shot from Malins film shown, was looking DOWN the sunken lane. Whats with all this reversing of shots etc? The original posting which is the most common frame used from his film and the one that Yresman posted was looking down the lane, and why have the posts disappeared?
regards
Tom