An aerial view of Corner Fort, a prominent feature in the German frontline trenches, south of the ...

An aerial view of Corner Fort, a prominent feature in the German frontline trenches, south of the village of Bois Grenier, British Military Map reference, 36.N.6. The relative absence of shell craters suggests this photograph was taken around April 1916 before a series of attacks by the German Army. In this photograph the German held territory comes from the top of the photograph down to the frontline trenches with the Corner Fort position, circled by trenches, clearly visible to the left of centre. The British trenches are seen on the very bottom of the photograph. On the night of 30 June-1 July 1916 a raiding party of an officer and 10 men from the 4th Battalion were to advance on the German positions to assess the effect of gas to be released by one of the Special Units of the Royal Engineers. However, the wind was unsuitable and the raid cancelled. This part of the British frontline in front of Armentieres was held at this time by I Anzac Corps and is where Australians first saw action in France. See G01534AV for another aerial photograph of Corner Fort illustrating the developing artillery bombardment on this position at this time and also G01534BF, that judging from the absence of shell craters might have been taken before G01534AV. This part of the British frontline in front of Armentieres was held at this time by I Anzac Corps and is where Australians first saw action in France. One of a series of 62 photographs acquired by C.E.W. Bean from a number of sources in the 1920s. None were taken by Bean, but acquired to augment his own photographs. All were registered in his personal (C.B.) series and carry a C.B. number. All were subsequently registered in the AWM G Series under one accession number, G01534, and use a series of alphabetic extensions, commencing with G01534A, to accommodate the 62 items.