Training for canal crossing
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by
josiepegg
Troops training for a raid over the Yser Canal by crossing a pond in camp on mats made by the Royal Engineers. Later crossing of the canal achieved using 5 foot mats made of canvas and wire netting nailed to wooden slats.
https://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/subjects/AWD000474o
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Photos of the Royal Engineers bridging the Yser Canal north of Ypres, 3 August 1917. The foundation consists of two barges at right angles. Link:
https://ww1.blogberth.com/2017/11/09/royal-engineers-bridging-the-yser-canal-north-of-ypres-3/
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by
josiepegg
interesting photo, presumably making a more permanent crossing. The crossing on mats was 3 July 1917 and done to enable a raid - apparently 2 mats were made and then unrolled across the canal
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by
cyngast
moderator
These mats seem to be a Guards Division thing. They have been mentioned in the 2nd Coldstream Guards diary I have been tagging for crossing trenches.
The Germans attacked on 10 July 1917 and two battalions, the 2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps and the 1st Northamptons, were basically wiped out as they could not get back across the canal. Only around 70 officers and men made it back. I tagged the 1st Northamptons diary through this period; a long list of missing officers was included. I looked them all up on the Red Cross website https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Search and found about half were taken prisoner.
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Talking about the Guards Divisions, here is an out of the ordinary entry, concerning 1st Btn Irish Guards, re Btattalion HQ's accommodation.
“Battalion HQ moved to house in Combles called 'Tete de Boeuf', so called because of a Bull's skull which hung on a tree outside”.
Link: https://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/subjects/AWD00046l3
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