Saw this in The Faces Of World War II by Max Hastings. Trying to work out where it was taken. Can't find N347 on modern maps. It's not on the road from Estaires to Lens as that is only 29.6 km according to GoogleMaps. Wonder if up near Armentieres ? Any thoughts. Be nice to Then & Now it sometime.
Road numbers have been changed a lot in France. It could well be the D947 now which runs from Estaires.
Owen Justed looked on Google Maps for Lens and Estaire and the roads in between and I reckon that it could now be the N47. What say you? Rob PS Forget that as the mileage does not add up.
I suppose I could get a map draw a circle from Lens 42.5 km radius & one from Estaires 17.5 km radius & see where they join up. Just been looking at an IGN 1:100 000 map, number 2 Lille Dunkerque. Wondering if N347 became the D 947 then that sign would be somewhere up near Caestre, that way both destinations would be on same signpost. Sorry Paul, missed your post, you said that. After The Battle's Blitzkrieg in the West says on page 427 that the N347 is now the D947. I think I'm on the right track.
Owen....I've been wondering about this book snuggled in my wants list. Is it any good? I noticed they do a WW1 one too.
Dunno if this helps but this French guy has lots of French and German maps of France dated to 1939-45 on here: Les cartes Michelin pendant la seconde guerre mondiale. Zoomable road map about 40% into this page should provide an answer, I would have thought
Yup, a Michelin road map of 1941 on the site mentioned above shows the road south to Lens as the N347, now re-numbered, according to Mr Google, as D947.
Using the Memory Map software I have, I would say this is taken in Caestre. Caestre Map | France Google Satellite Maps CAESTRE VILLAGE DE FLANDRE
Found this view earlier but discounted it because the sticky-outy bit has windows at the side. Having mulled it some more, the windows on the wing to the right were originally arched and the brick features are similar. It's this junction here. Andy may be up for a proper 'now' comparison if he's off to Foret de Nieppe - it's not far away.
Owen....I've been wondering about this book snuggled in my wants list. Is it any good? . It's OK, just ignore the text. That photo hasn't actually got any faces in it . Cheers chaps, glad you all think it Caestre too.
I had a leaf through the book on the Ferry this Christmas. Bored casual readers / present buyers would seem to be it's target market. To be honest, I'd think that most of the regular posters here are a stage beyond this sort of general coverage. If it really included top quality character photographs then it would be different.
I bought one that sounds similiar earlier this year called 'Kilroy was there' and that was ok too but not worth the 22 sheets I paid for it.
Found this view earlier but discounted it because the sticky-outy bit has windows at the side. Having mulled it some more, the windows on the wing to the right were originally arched and the brick features are similar. It's this junction here. Andy may be up for a proper 'now' comparison if he's off to Foret de Nieppe - it's not far away. I think you are spot on there! Tom.
Ref the 'Now and Then' shot. Well done Andrew for digging that out ! The end of the building looks right (Where the blue car is parked), you can see the desgin lines in the brick work and the now missing wall at the front looks right with the garden border wall still in the same place, minus the tree. However the whole front of the house wall obscured by the new direction signs looks like a new wall hence the different windows. Infact looking at the area around the brown door you can see the change in brick work. I think it is the same place but not enough to get a great 'Then and Now' shot though. Andy
So do you think that is the original telegraph pole? The decorative brick-line on the gable end matches perfectly. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=23663&d=1262459078
There are many telegraph poles like that all over France. Quite a few have got me excited on 1940 'Then and Nows' only to not be the right one. I do think it is the correct location though. I wonder if the building was later damaged in 1940 or 44? Looking at the upper windows you can see the arch more clearly now they are side by side
However the whole front of the house wall obscured by the new direction signs looks like a new wall hence the different windows. Infact looking at the area around the brown door you can see the change in brick work. I think the right hand end is original but with new windows. If you look at the ground floor windows, you can see where they have been bricked-up at the bottom. I'm also convinced new lintels have been cut into the arches as I'm sure I can see the curve (eye of faith 'n' all that). It looks like they've had some repointing done as well. Pity the Google car didn't take it's shot a from few yards to the right, after it had knocked down those signs.
Sadly I suspect it's not the original pole as they are regularly replaced; the ones in my village were replaced twice in the 15+ years we've had a house there.
