Mailly-Maillet

[Andrew Hesketh]

I shall be wandering the Somme in late July using Mailly-Maillet as a base. I know the village and the area quite well having stayed there before, but last time I was so busy hunting down cemeteries and the like that I never really got round to exploring Mailly and what was on the doorstep. Therefore it would be great to see some images (or hear about stories/events) of the place at the time of the Great War to match up with present buildings\locations. For example, where exactly where medical stations etc.

If anyone can help I'd be most grateful.

[geraint]

Have you looked at the 'Now and Then' thread Andrew? There may be something there.

[Desmond7]

May be of some interest! be thankful you're doing this sector in August!!

below from Falls (Winter/Spring1916)

The 107th Brigade had existed in a fashion less idyllic. On arrival in the 4th Division area two of its battalions, the 8th and 15th Rifles, were transferred to the 10th and 11th Brigades respectively, while in exchange it received three battalions, the 1st Rifle Brigade, 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers, and 2nd Monmouths. Three days later it took over the left sector of the 4th Division front, astride the Mailly-Maillet [to] Serre Road, the Brigade Headquarters being in the former village.

Here for upwards of two months it remained, alternating with the 10th Brigade in six-day tours in the line. In November the weather was indifferent; by December it became very bad indeed. Men sank in the mud so that they had to be dug out by their comrades with spades. The communication trenches were so deep in water that they were for the most part impassable. Movement from front to rear had to take place after dark, in the open. "Trench feet," a disease then generally known as "frost-bite," though caused by constant immersion of the feet in water far above freezing-point, became prevalent. Rubber thigh boots, most precious of boons to men in such sectors, were all too rare as yet, and had to be doled out with parsimony.

Battle casualties were light in this sector, but the life in it was very far from pleasant. On New Year's Day the Brigade, now returned to its original formation, exchanged it for the right sector of the front held by 4th Division, south of the Mailly-Maillet [to] Serre Road.

Of this sector the chief peculiarity was a tiny parallelogram of trenches jutting out from the British line on the high ground east of Beaumont Hamel, known as the Redan. It was a most unpleasant corner. In the first place, it was not more than fifty yards from the German lines, and the mine-craters which fringed its eastern edge, which were occupied at night by British posts - a doubtful policy, as it appears to-day - were in constant danger of surprise.

During the 107th Brigade's tour one post was, indeed, bombed by the enemy and a man taken out of it. In the second place, the Redan was the scene of constant mining, and the bugbear of battalions in reserve, which had to send up large working-parties to carry sandbags filled with chalk for the miners.

It was the one point in our trenches which received fairly constant attention from German gunners, and the average weekly casualties in this tiny lozenge were probably higher than on the whole of the rest of the 4th Division's front. One of the best pieces of work performed by the 107th Brigade during this period was the construction, by the 8th Rifles, in one night, of a trench a hundred yards in length and protected by a double "apron" of wire, which denied to the enemy ground which would have given him important observation. The digging and wiring were carried out without arousing the least suspicion among the German sentries.

[Kevin O'Marah]

Andrew, there used to be many photos of the village during WW1 in the bar and showed some of the houses with shell damage. I think that they also executed a number of soldiers in the chateau on the road towards Thiepval? We haven't stayed in Mailly for over ten years but as you know some of the shops have now shut, we used to walk down to the cemetery (where a soldier from here is buried) also we visited the graves of the two SAD, then walked through the fields up to the other cemetery on the edge of town.

We would often walk down to Avril's for a beer (that's where we first met Martin (Burlington) a member of the forum). After a beer we'd carry on down the old Beaumount road, over to the Newfoundland Park and back to Mailly.

Have a nice time

Kevin

[dycer]

Andrew,

From the 8th Royal Scots War Diary.They were Pioneer Battalion to the 51st(Highland) Division.Unfortunately I do not possess the relevant Map.

18th October 1916-Battalion arrived in new billets,(huts & tents) in wood south west of Mailly-Maillet(ref Sheet 57 D-1/40,000-F-18-d-20.50.-Battalion Hd.Qtrs.moved to P.18.b.10.30.

19th October 1916- "C" Coy started work on Battle Hd. Qtrs in front of White City-Remainder of Battalion engaged clearing up camp-------.

21st October 1916-"B" Coy employed widening 2nd Avenue-"D" Coy widening 4th Avenue & Middle Street-2 platoons of "B" Coy.laying cable and burying it at night in Knightsbridge & Uxbridge Road

1 to 3 November 1916-Work in hand-making RAMC Dressing Station at Uxbridge Road,Soup kitchen in Sunken Road and dumps in North Alley,clearing Broadway, Essex Street,Fethard and Brook Street,enlarging Death-Trap dugout & making second entrance and stairway,clearing Seaforth Trench.

George

[Ken Lees]

Andrew,

If you go into Mailly Wood Cemetery, see if you can work out what the significance of the boundary wall is. It looks like it is the wall of a pre-existing building. I took these photos when I was mooching around there one afternoon but never found out what the building was and what was like during the war.

Ken

.

[Andrew Hesketh]

Ken, I remember being curious about that wall when I was there a couple of years ago.

Kevin - is that the bar near the church, next to what we would call 'the square'?

Many thanks for the contributions thus far. The diaries and the details from Falls will be useful.

[whkay]

Talking of Mailly Maillet and I hope you dont mind me butting in here Andrew?!

2nd Divisional Artillery were situated in or around Mailly Maillet for the attack on Redan Ridge in November 1916. On 15 November the 8th East Lancs were attacking Munich Trench and it is suggested they were caught by their own barrage because they got lost in the mist? What I would like to know is whether anyone has details of the position (map reference/map) the 2nd Divisional Artillery were at?

If someone is able to confirm this I wondered if you could kindly get me a picture of today's scene Andrew?

Regards

Mark

[Andrew Hesketh]

More than happy for you to butt in. If the location can be determined I'll willingly take photos.

[mebu]

Andrew, if you are studying Mailly Maillet: beneath the village is a substantial catacomb system which was used by troops in 1918. The New Zealand Engineers surveyed the tunnels and made them habitable for troops. It seems they were closed off after the war. The NZ Engineer records are quite precise and give entry points although entry may be difficult today even in 1918, the record states that "oldest inhabitants of the village were closely questioned and were very reluctant to give any precise information".

I have a copy of the survey but the plans are larger than I can scan, and are pretty indistinct being poor original copies. If you are interested let me know and I can provide some info meanwhile.

Regards Peter

[whkay]

More than happy for you to butt in. If the location can be determined I'll willingly take photos.

Thanks Andrew, here's hoping..

Mark

[Chris Noble]

Hi Andrew.

Gliddon documents the 'comings and goings' of many a Division in and around the environs of Mailly.

The door to the church has inscribed Great War graffiti. Near the Chateau, the execution site of Crozier, there is a lane that branches off to a small shrine or mausoleum, of which, the last time i visited, locals were trying to raise money for its preservation. I can't remember the name of the bar, but, what a warm welcome is to be had.

Plus Andrew, if you wish to contact me, i have something as regards one mans 'story,' buried at Mailly Wood Military Cemetery that you may find of some interest.

Have a great visit.

Best wishes,

Chris.

[Kevin O'Marah]

If you mention catacombs to the locals you don't get any response. Andrew the bar Tabac was across the road to the "Village Hall" on rue General le' Clerc? Jack the local pompier was a regular at the bar and when we were there he was employed as a guide at the park that was before the Canadians ran It as today. He managed to obtain the key for the old church and we were able to visit for some time and were given a guide de l'eglise, the church was heavily sandbagged during the war but still suffered slight damage.

Kevin

[auchonvillerssomme]

When we first started looking at houses to purchase in that village, we were shown around 3, all of them old and all of them with a history, we spent hours talking to people in the area and we do now, personally I am not convinced about any large catacombs or as some posts are intimating a conspiracy to keep them quiet...there are no secrets in that area (except maybe the parenthood of certain children).

[Andrew Hesketh]

Many thanks for the additional contributions above and for the offers of material off-thread (I'll be in touch!).

The catacombs issue is interesting. There seems to be a clear distinction between those who think there are and those who are adamant that there are not catacombs. This may be a topic for a different thread.

I wasn't aware that Crozier was executed at Mailly (where is the Chateau, I don't recall seeing one last time I was there?) but I seem to recall that two soldiers (RIR?) were executed there in 1916. Sounds terribly ghoulish but does anyone know the location of that event?

I would be particularly pleased if anyone has access to, or can point me in the direction of, contemporary maps / photo's of the area.

[Kevin O'Marah]

Andrew, the Chateau has long gone but I think It was situated on the right hand side of Rue Lepage on the way out of the village (I was told that a soldier was SAD there at the same time as his battalion was heading for the front line). Rifleman J. Templeton and Rifleman J. McCracken SAD on 19/03/1916 for desertion are buried side by side (C20/21) in the Communal Cemetery Extension.

Cheers

Kevin

[Andrew Hesketh]

Thanks for the pointer to the site of the Chateau Kevin. I recall now that I did note the graves of McCracken and Templeton last time I was there.

[Martin Bennitt]

the village has its own website, with some pictures and history, including the fact that Tolkien was in reserve for a few days in Mailly wood

Rose Coombs in 'Before Endeavours Fade' notes that the magnificent church porch was preserved by the forethought of the unnamed local curé, who had it well sandbagged before the 1916 fighting

cheers Martin B

[Andrew Hesketh]

the village has its own website,

I did have a look and didn't find anything, so thanks for that. Do you have the URL?

[egbert]

Excerpt from Tom's Hellfire corner:

Because the village was not in the front line, it was not completely destroyed in the war, and some houses from before 1914 still remain. Les Bieffes is one of them, although it was struck by shells from time to time. In 1917, the Canadians used the house as a hospital, building a wall of sandbags from street level to the roof, to protect it.

When I am on the Somme I always stay there. The bunkered dressing station is still underneath the house.

[Desmond7]

MCracken and Templeton were supposedly shot in the quarry which is apparently visible from the cemetery wall.

[Andrew Hesketh]

Egbert, Des,

many thanks.

[Andrew Hesketh]

Do you have the URL?

Found it!

[dycer]

Andrew,

I've often wanted to make Mailly-Maillet,our French destination but her indoors,always finds a better Gite, far away from WW1 action,that allows her to enjoy France and me to pander to History i.e.buy her lunch and visit my Uncle,unfortunately his grave, because I would have liked to meet him,as a person.

George

[Andrew Hesketh]

... and visit my Uncle,unfortunately his grave...

If you've not been I'd be more than happy to add him to my photographic 'to-do' list.