b3rn Posted 18 September , 2020 Share Posted 18 September , 2020 According to the handwritten caption, this aerial photograph, taken by 3 Sqn AFC, is of a wrecked town on the Somme in 1918. I've done an unsuccessful trawl using Google Earth, but the layout may be familiar to someone who has studied these battles. The caption may not be completely accurate, of course. (This squadron was also in Flanders so possibly from that area.) Any help appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 That's a tantalizing shot. It looks as though it should be identifiable. All I can say at the moment is that in this shot, the shadows are all pointing downwards, which is rather unusual for the Northern hemisphere So North isn't at the top of the photo. So the photo needs to be rotated in order to compare it with a map, but it's difficult to say how much as we don't know the time of year or time of day. Rotating it 180 degrees does this: shadows from the bottom (South), but South could be anywhere + or - 90deg (or more) of that. That river/canal looks identifiable... Is there any information attached to the image to suggest a compass bearing or time of day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 The left-hand side of the picture shows a 2 sided promontory jutting in to what looks like a river- possibly with some crenellations on the "walls" as well. Possibly a Vauban-or Vauban-type fortification??? In which case Ypres would be the obvious choice. There again, I would not recognize my residence from an aerial photograph even if the address was pianted in large letters on the roof!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 (edited) I had already tried to make the OP's image into Ypres, with the large building in the centre of the shot as the Cloth Hall, leading out to the bridge over the canal to the right. But it can't be because of the shadows. In the OP, the azimuth of the sun would be about 350 deg. For Ypres, on midsummer's day, the sun's azimuth at sunrise(05:30) is 49 deg, and at sunset at 10pm is only 310 deg. Clearly, judging by the length of the shadows, this photo isn't taken anywhere near sunrise or sunset. Taken between 07:30 and 20;00, that puts the range of azimuth from 71 to 287deg. Still a huge range, but it excludes North being at the top of the OPs photo. https://www.suncalc.org/#/50.8489,2.9004,11/2020.06.21/13:50/1/3 Edited 19 September , 2020 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 Just for reference - Ypres. I agree it doesn't match the Cloth Hall. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDWARD1 Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 The town layout is very similar to Landrecies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 19 minutes ago, EDWARD1 said: The town layout is very similar to Landrecies I agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 I think Landrecies is spot on! Image is almost 180 degrees out with north towards the bottom. TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 Well here's one I did earlier: And the boy wins the coconut! Well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 The left-hand side of the picture shows a 2 sided promontory jutting in to what looks like a river- possibly with some crenellations on the "walls" as well. Possibly a Vauban-or Vauban-type fortification??? You old show-off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 1 hour ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said: You old show-off! Not at all-My ex comes from Sedan (Birthplace of Turenne and the largest fortress in Western Europe)- but I had forgotten that Vauban-type forts guarded not only the eastern frontiers but also in the north to guard against the Dutch. A very good spot by you lot- and all that stuff about azimuths was like reading the script of a particularly obtuse episode of Star Trek- I just hope the di-lithiun crystals have survived !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 azimuths Just the fancy name for the bearing of the sun at your location compared to North. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b3rn Posted 19 September , 2020 Author Share Posted 19 September , 2020 Terrific, thanks all. And especially observer EDWARDS1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 19 September , 2020 Share Posted 19 September , 2020 Time of day, date and pilot's name please just to round it off! TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b3rn Posted 19 September , 2020 Author Share Posted 19 September , 2020 Time of day, date and pilot's name please just to round it off! Unknown! The photograph is one of a small collection belonging to Frank Rawlinson that are pasted on a piece of cardboard with handwritten captions. The collection is held by the Australian War Memorial. This particular photograph is captioned "A 3 Sqd photo of a wrecked town on the Somme 1918". Frank Rawlinson was an air mechanic with 3 Squadron AFC from 1917-1919. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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