| Havrincourt |
| The outpost line of the great Hindenburg Line system snaked around the west of Havrincourt, a small village surrounded by an impressive chateau and gardens. | |
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The outpost line of the great Hindenburg Line system snaked around the west of Havrincourt, a small village surrounded by an impressive chateau and gardens. On the southern edge of the village, dropping down towards the woods and valley of the Grand Ravin stream, stands the impressive obelisk memorial to the 62nd (West Riding) Division. This formation captured Havrincourt in 1917 and again in 1918. |
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Grand Ravine British Cemetery This shallow valley hardly justifies the anglicised name of Grand Ravine. It lies 400m south of Havrincourt, running west-east. The camera is facing the British advance, looking west, with the trees in the grounds of Havrincourt Chateau on the far right. This ground was captured by the 62nd Division on 20th November 1917, after which this became something of a highway for the forward movement of men and materials, being sheltered from view. 139 British soldiers lie in the battlefield cemetery. |
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The photographer is here looking north-north-east across the Grand Ravine, from a viewpoint near Trescault. Havrincourt lies to the left, off the picture. On the skyline are the trees that surround the village of Flesquieres. The geographic prominence of the latter village is obvious; it gave excellent observation over the ground either side (such as towards Bourlon Wood on the north side, and Havrincourt on the south), and towards Cambrai to the east. |
 Forward
to the key point of observation at Flesquieres |
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