WWI Resource Centre

There is no provenance, although from the annotation on the German airfield and prisoner of war photographs in Bertry, France, those were taken in January 1918. Bertry was liberated on 9 October 1918.

["On October 9 the battery went forward in support of 51st Brigade of 17th Division as the Germans had ‘disappeared’ once again towards the River Selle. During the night of 8/9 October they had retreated to the Hermann Position on the River Selle, which really only existed on paper and Cambrai was evacuated....

The infantry had also captured Walincourt, Bertry, Clary and Caullery and had got into Montigny. A battalion commander informed him that the infantry were not going further that afternoon as ‘his men were done’. Impey reflected that “they had advanced about six miles with some pretty heavy fighting and heavy casualties”. Before returning to the battery Impey’s advance party received hospitality from a family of eight in a cellar. They were told that the previous four years of occupation had been ‘hell’. (from: The Diary of Capt. Arthur Impey, 79th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, online at http://www.fylde.demon.co.uk/tucker/tuckercontext.htm )

Prior to the spring offensive, Bertry would have been about 10 miles behind the front line.

The only thing I've been able to find about the airfield is that Flieger-Abteilung (Artillerie) 217 was stationed at Bertry from Jan 18 - Mar 18 1918; and 84 Squadron RAF in November 1918 after the Armistice. FA(A) 217 were escorted by Schutzstaffel 10 and I can also position that squadron at Bertry in March 1918. Notation from Pete Matcham.]

Allied PoWs, 1918, Bertry	Allied PoWs	Pris anglassis, Bertry
Pris Anglais, Bertry	Campement	Vue Aerienne
Eglise	Rue Guy del Fosse

Submitted by Laurent Gury, November 2009.