3rd Ypres. 26/10/17.

[Guest Galatea]

Has anyone a link to a map or document showing the Order of Battle or trench positions of Howe Bn 63rd Royal Naval Division on the above date. I believe they may have been right or left of a Canadian Bn between Poelkapelle and Paschendaele.

Many thanks.

[Malcolm]

63rd RN Division were between 4th Canadian Division and 58th Division. They had 188 Brigade up and were just south of Poelcappelle between Berks House and (funnily enough) Varlet Farm. The Canadians were north of them and 58th south.

Aye

Malcolm

[Guest Galatea]

Thanks matey, you diamond. I'll start digging again now.

[Malcolm]

Sorry, reverse that!!

3rd Canadian were on the southern flank. Junction was Wallemolen. 58th Were on the Northern nearer Poelcappelle.

Sorry, missread Day by Day account.

Aye

Malcolm

aka ' old f*** '

[jhill]

This may be curious. October 26, 1917 was the date of the first of the four Canadian operations against Passchendaele. The Canadian attack was on a two division front, with the 3rd Canadian Division of the left (north). On their left was the 63rd (R.N.) Division. The leftmost Canadian unit was the 4th C.M.R. (Canadian Mounted Rifles), of the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade. Part of the Brigade Narrative of Events for the 4CMR on this date reads like this:

" At 8.40 a.m. Lieut. CLARKE, returning from the line,

discovered about one company of the ANSON Battalion,

R.N.D., who had apparently side-slipped behind us at approx-

imately D.4.a.9.4. They stated that their Officers had all

become casualties and a Sergeant Major was in command. "

The map segment below is from the 4CMR War Diary. The advance was from west to east. You can make out the north of Passchendale town ahead of it to the right. The 4CMR sector is highlighted, and the bit to the left labeled "British" is presumably 63rd Division.

I got this from the Canadian War diaries collection at the usual place here:

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/02/02015202_e.html

There are Narratives of events tucked at the back of the October 1917 folders of the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade and of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. There is probably other stuff with the diaries of the 3rd Canadian Division and of the Candian Corps General Staff, but I have not checked them. You may find them useful.

It was not unusual at this time for units, including whole divisions to be one place one day and somewhere else the next.

I think this was the case, but if I have misread something I am sorry for the confusion.

[Mark]

I have a map from 58th Division War Diary which shows 63rd Division south of 58th Division. The 63rd's line does run from Berks Houses and close to Varlet Farm. There is no date on the map but I belive it to be late October 1917. On 26 October 2/2 and 2/3 Londons were in the line and suffered heavy casualties during an assualt, getting bogged down in the mud and incessant rain. 2/4 Londons were in support and 2/1 Londons in reserve. The CO of 2/3 Londons, Lt Col Percy Beresford was wounded and died later in the day and is buried at Gwalia Cemetery. The attached map is not clear on detail but gives an idea of positions.

[PhilB]

63 Div on 26/10/17. Howe Bn were in reserve. Phil B

[Guest Galatea]

Many thanks to all for their help and maps. Looking trhough the Canadian collections it states in the diary that by 1600hrs 26/10/17 Anson and Howe Btns were intermixed east of Varlet Farm with posts along the line to north of Wallemolen.

The reserves must have been brought forward to replace the heavy casualties from earlier in the day.

Cheers lads.