I am doing some research for a friend regarding some Aussie soldiers from a small farming community in Gippsland, Victoria and have come across some placenames in a diary which I cant find and was wondering if anyone has either heard of them or more importantly, knows where they are

Rifle Villa House - possibly near Armentiers
Sercus possibly near Polygon Wood
Inxent
and the following 2 I have no problems with, having been there
Delville Wood
Switch Trench

Many thanks in advance


Peter

Peter

There is a French town called Sercus:

http://nona.net/features/map/placedetail.706535/

Terry Reeves

Terry,
many thanks. My brain is in neutral this morning .
I have just found Inxent, its just NNE of Etaples.
Well that great, now just Rifle Villa farm


Peter

Good day

I do think Rifle Villa was in the Rue de Bois, at Sailly Sur La Lys...and it was a First aid post
Best wishes
Yves

Yves,
thats great! Can you point me in the right direction or even possibly give a trench map reference please


Peter

Just done a quick search and the river Lys is on the following maps:
Sheet 28 SW; 28 SE; 29 NW and 29 SW so I will get my trusty CD out


Peter

Good day Peter

I have a map showing the emplacement ..I think also that you can get it in the volumes of AIF medical Official history...on line AWM website
By the way what was the unit of the Australian soldier ?
Regards
Yves

Yves,
he was in the 5th Brigade, 60th Battalion.

Peter

Dear peter

Sorry mate but the 60th Bn belongs to the 15th Brigade 5th Aus Inf DIV ..they were slaughtered at Fromelles 19 July 1916. Lest We Forget
Regards
Yves

Peter,

Shame on you ! You didn't think of me ?! Who else could inform you better than I ?
I go to Sercus once a year (sometimes by bike). Sort of pilgrimage. My surname tells you why...

And Terry called it a "town" ?Well, that's too much honour I guess. Far too flattering. For all the times that I was there there was not even a cat in sight ! (Should your friend want a pic or two of the village church ...)

By the way, Sercus is 6 km (3 3/4 miles) south west of Hazebrouck (a town in France ; a real town that is). And Hazebrouck is 28 km (17 1/2 miles) south west of Ypres. And Ypres is ... Well, you have to find that out yourself !

Also this : I'm pretty sure that this is the Sercus you mean. I've never heard of a place with the same name near Polygon Wood.

Aurel

Peter,

I agree with Aurel: Sercus is in the place where he says it is and I think it will be there for a long time to come. I was there with Aurel in October and we visited the Estaminet de Sercu for some gin (Aurel , careful driver that he is, drank a lemonade). This estaminet is an absolute must visit: the bar is something out of a distant past and one can well imagine that it was the same in 1918, apart from the drinks, that is.There is only bottled beer, I am afraid.

The landscape is enchanting, too. Brueghelian I would call it: gently rolling, a few steeples in the distance and an occasional farmstead. In winter one could imagine being inside Brueghel's HUNTERS IN WINTER.

All the best,
Fred

One of his less strange ones, Fred.

Clickety click

I'm afraid that once again I have to disagree with Fred, whose eysesight and mind may have been misty by the excess of gin so early in the morning . The landlady did look old indeed. But then : not that old!

(Fred, take my advice : drink champaign. The only beverage it is said that makes women look younger.

Aurel

John ,

Yes, what a marvellous picture it is, isn't it?

Aurel,

No , I was not referring to the lady, whom, you might like to know I addressed with my usual courtesy as 'jeune fille'. But alas, the Northern Frenchwomen are immune to such gallantries.

All the best,
Fred

Yves,
sorry about that but thats the info I was given .
Looks like I will have to get more info from my source.

Peter

Aurel, I thought about you when I saw the name

Peter.

Rue du Bois - 36SW S9 & S10

Sailly sur la Lys - 36NW C16 & C22

(They're about 11 miles apart!)

D.

I just noticed that you have the Trenchmap CD which, I believe, doesnt't have the 1:20,000 maps (the references I gave). On the 1:10,000 maps the references are as follows...

Rue du Bois is on the "Richebourg" maps - 36SW3 S9 and S10

Sailly sur la Lys is on the "Fleurbaix" map - 36NW3 C16 and C22.

D.