Trench maps
During the course of the Great War the British Army created
an extremely comprehensive mapping system for the main theatres of operations.
Various scales of map were used for different purposes, but the most common
were the 1:20,000 series which were mainly used by the Artillery and the
1:10,000 scale for the infantry. With respect to investigations of the
movements and actions of individuals and units these two series (together
with occasional 1:5,000 scale maps and sketches which were produced for
"local operations") are a prime research tool, and whenever relevant examples
are found amongst the diaries, and are relevant to the enquiry, they will
be copied and incorporated with the report.
How Many Trench Maps were there?
These maps were updated regularly and their issue was prolific,
- by the end of 1918 more than 34 million had been produced for the Western
Front alone; distributions for other theatres of war were less extensive,
however most areas where the British and Dominion Armies saw action are
covered to some extent or another.
Where are they found?
The "main" series of trench maps at The National Archives are held
separately from the unit war diaries, however "marked-up" maps referring
to specific actions are often to be found in the war diary files, though
rarely at Battalion level, - the best "finds" are normally in the Brigade,
Divisional, and Corps files. Where appropriate map copies will be taken
from either / and / or the diaries or the main map series and incorporated
into your report.
Please be aware that due
to increasingly stringent copying regulations at TNA it may be that the
best map copies appropriate to your enquiry will have to be supplied in
digital format on CD (though in some respects that format is superior
to photocopying - particularly when trenches etc are shown in colour or
a zoom-in / out facility is desirable). |