Comments on: Pillbox fighting in the Ypres Salient http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/ Blog Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:01:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.5 By: Rosemary http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/comment-page-1/#comment-5348 Rosemary Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:21:00 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/#comment-5348 My great uncle,. Lt W R Haigh, 17 Bttn, won an MC in the vicinity of ANZAC house pillbox at Westhoek. I have a copy of the citation but would be very interested in finding out more details of the circumstances of the award. I recently visited the site which was an extraordinary and very moving experience. Although the pillbox itself is in ruins, today it is so peaceful, surrounded by lush green farming country - it is hard to imagine the carnage that surrounded it in the course of that dreadful campaign. Any reference to Lt Haigh would be much appreciated. Thank you for a fascinating explanation. My great uncle,. Lt W R Haigh, 17 Bttn, won an MC in the vicinity of ANZAC house pillbox at Westhoek. I have a copy of the citation but would be very interested in finding out more details of the circumstances of the award. I recently visited the site which was an extraordinary and very moving experience. Although the pillbox itself is in ruins, today it is so peaceful, surrounded by lush green farming country – it is hard to imagine the carnage that surrounded it in the course of that dreadful campaign.
Any reference to Lt Haigh would be much appreciated.
Thank you for a fascinating explanation.

]]> By: Randal McFarlane http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/comment-page-1/#comment-4566 Randal McFarlane Sun, 16 May 2010 00:56:16 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/#comment-4566 Greetings. My grandfather Cpl William James McFarlane {Regt number 6354} was taken on strength by 19th Btn on 24th June 1917. He was seriously wounded in action on 9th October 1917. I am keen to find more details of the actions and the places he fought and where he was wounded. I have visited the area. Regards Randal Greetings. My grandfather Cpl William James McFarlane {Regt number 6354} was taken on strength by 19th Btn on 24th June 1917. He was seriously wounded in action on 9th October 1917.

I am keen to find more details of the actions and the places he fought and where he was wounded.

I have visited the area.

Regards

Randal

]]> By: Grant Gjessing http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/comment-page-1/#comment-2369 Grant Gjessing Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:09:10 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/#comment-2369 Hi I am trying to find out more about a pill box in Flanders (Kit Kat). My Great Uncles body was lost near Pill Box Kit Kat,after he was killed from a shell on approx the 19th of September and buried by his comrades next to a smaller pillbox beside Kit Kat. I am off to Ypres in two weeks to try and semi locate an area roughly where my Uncle was buried. I was wondering if anyone reading this could help me possibly get a location on Kit Kat. Any help would be much appreciated. My uncle's enlistment number is 556 of the 19th battalion, Second Division AIF. The information I am working on is online through Red Cross deceased records. Grant <strong>Editor's response:</strong> Hi Grant, According to a wartime map I've just looked at and will email to you offline, Kit and Kat pillboxes stood NNW of Westhoek, on the road running along the ridge to Frezenburg. It would be about 800 yards NNW of the centre of Westhoek. I'll send grid references in my offline email. The reference to Kit and Kat in the <a href="http://www.awm.gov.au/redcross/person.asp?p=10900" rel="nofollow">Red Cross document</a> says he was buried outside a pillbox, two to the right of Kit and Kat. I suspect this may actaully have been quite some distance from these named pillboxes, because they actually sit in the sector occupied by the Scottish 9th Division at that time. The location you want is probably 400 odd yards back in the direction of Westhoek, within the 2nd Australian Division sector. I would suggest right down in the bottom right-hand corner of grid J.1.D. Private Walter Cecil Gjessing's Roll of Honour database entry is available online <a href="http://www.awm.gov.au/roh/person.asp?p=145-20623" rel="nofollow">here</a>. There are also several photos of Kit and Kat on the Memorial's website. Just go to our home page (www.awm.gov.au) then look down the left side for 'Collections', then go to 'Collections Search'. Throw the names <strong>Kit </strong>and <strong>Kat </strong>into the search box. Cheers, Craig Tibbitts Research Centre Australian War Memorial Hi I am trying to find out more about a pill box in Flanders (Kit Kat).
My Great Uncles body was lost near Pill Box Kit Kat,after he was killed from a shell on approx the 19th of September and buried by his comrades next to a smaller pillbox beside Kit Kat.

I am off to Ypres in two weeks to try and semi locate an area roughly where my Uncle was buried. I was wondering if anyone reading this could help me possibly get a location on Kit Kat. Any help would be much appreciated.

My uncle’s enlistment number is 556 of the 19th battalion, Second Division AIF.

The information I am working on is online through Red Cross deceased records.

Grant

Editor’s response: Hi Grant, According to a wartime map I’ve just looked at and will email to you offline, Kit and Kat pillboxes stood NNW of Westhoek, on the road running along the ridge to Frezenburg. It would be about 800 yards NNW of the centre of Westhoek. I’ll send grid references in my offline email. The reference to Kit and Kat in the Red Cross document says he was buried outside a pillbox, two to the right of Kit and Kat. I suspect this may actaully have been quite some distance from these named pillboxes, because they actually sit in the sector occupied by the Scottish 9th Division at that time. The location you want is probably 400 odd yards back in the direction of Westhoek, within the 2nd Australian Division sector. I would suggest right down in the bottom right-hand corner of grid J.1.D.

Private Walter Cecil Gjessing’s Roll of Honour database entry is available online here.

There are also several photos of Kit and Kat on the Memorial’s website. Just go to our home page (www.awm.gov.au) then look down the left side for ‘Collections’, then go to ‘Collections Search’. Throw the names Kit and Kat into the search box.

Cheers,

Craig Tibbitts
Research Centre
Australian War Memorial

]]> By: Matt http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/comment-page-1/#comment-2046 Matt Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:36:27 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/#comment-2046 What an excellent article! Informative, yet very interesting. The style of the writing made me continue to read! Well done! What an excellent article! Informative, yet very interesting. The style of the writing made me continue to read!

Well done!

]]> By: Adam Randall http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/comment-page-1/#comment-1775 Adam Randall Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:53:22 +0000 http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2007/10/22/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient/#comment-1775 Excellent page, highly informative and good use of first hand accounts. A very enjoyable (as much as the horror of war can be) read. Well done and thank you for going through the effort to make the page. I found it highly informative. Excellent page, highly informative and good use of first hand accounts. A very enjoyable (as much as the horror of war can be) read. Well done and thank you for going through the effort to make the page. I found it highly informative.

]]>