20 Casualty Clearing Station, Boisleux Au Mont 1917

[Model Railway Noob]

2 hours ago, wamwig said:

Its all coming together and looking good, very interested in this one as my great uncle died at the CCS at Dernancourt in October 1916. If you can get them the recent Roden 1/72 B Type goes together well and the WD Figures fit well in it.  The attached is a picture of minee that is part of a small diorama that won the category at the recent MBF national show.  Most figures are by WD and some by Modelu and HaT with a solitary Bachmann one.

 

That looks really good. I have used two Rhoden ambulances and a truck. I'll have a look for the bus. Good job on the win too. I am thinking of going to the large model show at Telford this weekend. The large number of traders will be very tempting.

 

[phil_sutters]

On 05/11/2019 at 23:36, Model Railway Noob said:

 

 

 

 

If you want some lads to help you put these up, here you are - my grandfather is the guy lounging back in his shirt-sleeves.

Edited November 7, 2019 by phil_sutters

[Model Railway Noob]

1 hour ago, phil_sutters said:

 

If you want some lads to help you put these up, here you are - my grandfather is the guy lounging back in his shirt-sleeves.

 

That's fantastic Phil How fortunate to have a photo in service.

 

I have just been reading that the RE had a special camouflage team and some of these were sent to the CCS's to do some work on the tents towards the end of the war. Indeed the Director of Medical Services said that if he visited a CCS that wasn't done, he'd make them take down the tents. The French were the first to set the teams up, hence the French word but the Brits followed soon after in 1916 I understand. They stopped doing it for tanks because the mud covered it up so they used khaki brown tank paint and sometimes grey. I had seen a photo of soldiers brushing on what looked like mud to darken the canvas but purely by chance two nights ago, I was watching countless French films and found some footage of a British CCS. In the background was the only camouflage tent I've ever seen so I took a grab of the screen. This must have been the end of 1917 or 1918. Either way it's my time period  so I am going to replicate it on my tents. I have never seen a photo of it done.

 

 

[Model Railway Noob]

So for today's update I have been reworking these little carts that were pulled/pushed by troops or a horse/pony. As you can see, prisoners were often use din these duties so I will include some in the layout, I am having four altogether. I have had to modify the design slightly to accommodate the various size stretchers from different model manufacturers. It was easy with the army versions as they were all the same design and size (still were when I was mean in green). Typically they carried four or five wounded soldiers.  The carts have to be weathered yet. Lots of different designs were seen as they were generally made in-theatre.

 

I have added some gravestones that have been moved to the side of the church. In Boisleux, the Germans added their own military extension to the church yard which was usually the case in occupied villages. I have photos of it but there was't room to include those graves and as they had blown everything up, I am unclear what they did with their own dead. 

 

I have added a female and male MK IV tank and improved the MK IV male I already had. Some of the paint work needs improving on these yet.

 

 

[Model Railway Noob]

Hi all,

 

Here are a few more of the more recent photos. Some touch up is needed with the paintwork but it is nevertheless progressing. I glued in several tiny silent pickets yesterday after adding some rust effect. It is going to be extremely fiddly to add scale wire to these. I used to own a few pickets repatriated from France; one British and several German. For those who have not visited the battlefields, the French farmers still use them to hold up their fences 100 years after the British army left them. They also use narrow gauge track sections for fence posts and I have found the bolts in fields. Further towards Verdun, it is not uncommon to trip over the pickets sticking up from the ground in the woods, so they mark them with red paint. The German pickets are sharp at both ends, so caution is required.

 

I noted that one of the photos above showed some tools on the back of the buses so I have added some. They need weathering now.

 

[Model Railway Noob]

Hello everyone.

 

I've been trying out some water effects for the first time ever. I may add more here and there.

I have added some barbed wire but it's a bit messy with glue because sticking metal to metal was a real pain. 

I have done more the to the casualty carts. I still have to add the soldiers to the ones that will be pushed by hand as well as German prisoners. They are all ready for painting.

The crashed aircraft is in place and I may alter this at some point as the red band is awful.

The big job of painting lots of soldiers is next then I have three other projects I am working on:

• Modelling one of the only two all British armoured trains that were on home service - it means scratch building pretty much all of it, so I may not have the skills to pull it off. I have been reading extensively about them though, as well as the Belgian/British continental armoured train that supported the 1st battle of Ypres. I found first hand accounts describing the colour of the camouflaged used in Belgium and details of the guns and navy crews who manned it with the Belgians. The last image here is the locomotive I have bought to cover in armour. N1s were used. I have all the parts. I just need nerves and skill now, with a big dose of luck.
• The second is mobile artillery that was also used for coastal defence but the later versions were also used in France. I have the models (rolling stock, troops, paints and guns and just need time to put them together. I will make two. I have read widely on these too.
• Finally, I want to make a correctly painted 16 coach ambulance train using War Department colours and the design specified by the medical teams serving in France. AT34 was a Midland made ambulance train, so that is the aim as my CCG was also a Midlands unit.  I have the coaches, books and paint. It's just time.

 

[SDJR7F88]

Really coming along mate! Can't wait to see the progress on the Armored Train! 

2 more questions, where did you get the tents and that barb wire (over the water effect, plus the posts) from? Plus how did you achieve that ground texture? Soil, mud etc 

[Alister_G]

Hi mate, really love the modelling on show here, you've got it looking spot on.

 

But, if you'll accept a criticism, the crashed aircraft is not at all believable. If it had attempted to land where you have put it, it would have been reduced to a nondescript pile of fabric, wood and wires after hitting all the tree stumps, railway line and structures in its path. You must remember that aircraft of the period were mostly made of doped fabric over a light wooden frame, with very little structural integrity if they hit anything solid.

 

The prototype photo you have is of an aircraft that suffered a groundloop at slow speed and tipped on its nose without hitting anything.

 

It's a shame, because you've made a great job of the model.

 

 

All the best,

 

Al.

 

[phil_sutters]

Good progress! When I stopped railway modelling in the early 70s I took up painting wargames figures and did some outwork for one of the best painters of the era, Bill Brewer of the South London Warlords. So I know what a slog painting 20mm figures can be when a quantity is needed.

I have always been somewhat dubious of this casevac method, which was shown in Kitchener's Army. I am not sure how securely the rifles could be fixed across the bicycles and how good it would be going cross country.

 

Edited November 18, 2019 by phil_sutters
reduced size of image

[Model Railway Noob]

3 hours ago, SDJR7F88 said:

Really coming along mate! Can't wait to see the progress on the Armored Train! 

2 more questions, where did you get the tents and that barb wire (over the water effect, plus the posts) from? Plus how did you achieve that ground texture? Soil, mud etc 

 

Hi Callum,

 

The tents are from two kits. They were East European I think and hard to cut straight windows in (for me at least). I will have a look as I think I still have the boxes. The tents aren't idea as most of the great War medical tents had rounded off ends and were taller. I gave up after trying twice to scratch build them. Occasionally you see photos of more contemporary tent designs. I have to add one red cross on the site too. I was going to put in a floor space as that was typical but when space was a problem, they would put one cross on one building or tent. (WWII on every tent).

 

The silent pickets and wire are from Barry at WD (WDE02 under etched parts) - Barbed Wire and Pickets. I have some slightly thicker wire and four packs of rolled up wire but this seemed the best scale. I had planned on making my own silent pickets until I saw these recently. I had only seen 1/35 scale before this. Unfortunately the wire gets trapped going through the picket holes which is why I had to glue from the side which was less than ideal.

 

For some of the mud texture, I originally used brown filler, paint and chinchilla sand/dust (Kathy Millatt recipe). I changed the colour a couple of times and still wasn't happy, so I got some mud from the garden, baked it dry, bashed it into powder and used a tea strainer. I was actually going back to Boisleux so I thought I might bring back the actual mud from the site! The colour and texture would then be perfect. 

 

Edited November 18, 2019 by Model Railway Noob
forgot about the mud

[Model Railway Noob]

1 hour ago, Alister_G said:

Hi mate, really love the modelling on show here, you've got it looking spot on.

 

But, if you'll accept a criticism, the crashed aircraft is not at all believable. If it had attempted to land where you have put it, it would have been reduced to a nondescript pile of fabric, wood and wires after hitting all the tree stumps, railway line and structures in its path. You must remember that aircraft of the period were mostly made of doped fabric over a light wooden frame, with very little structural integrity if they hit anything solid.

 

The prototype photo you have is of an aircraft that suffered a groundloop at slow speed and tipped on its nose without hitting anything.

 

It's a shame, because you've made a great job of the model.

 

 

All the best,

 

Al.

 

 

Hi Alister.

 

I understand what you mean but I had always planned the crashed aircraft and didn't have anywhere else to put it. I bought it before I started then felt it was too early for a flying aircraft so it needed to have crashed some time earlier. Of course to the left of the layout was a large flat field and it ended up in a hedge row which is why it went nose in where it is 

 

In reality, there is a field to the left of where I have modelled but a sunken road first.

[Model Railway Noob]

1 hour ago, phil_sutters said:

Good progress! When I stopped railway modelling in the early 70s I took up painting wargames figures and did some outwork for one of the best painters of the era, Bill Brewer of the South London Warlords. So I know what a slog painting 20mm figures can be when a quantity is needed.

I have always been somewhat dubious of this casevac method, which was shown in Kitchener's Army. I am not sure how securely the rifles could be fixed across the bicycles and how good it would be going cross country.

 

 

I don't think I would have felt very safe either bringing him in or being the patient. Interestingly I was reading a nurses account from an ambulance train today. She described how the team had treated this soldier's head wounded. He had been in bed on the train for several hours before they got to him. When it was all over and he became more alert, he complained of pain in his leg, rather than in his head. When the nurse looked, there was a rifle splint supporting a fractured femur.

 

[Alister_G]

8 hours ago, Model Railway Noob said:

 

Hi Alister.

 

I understand what you mean but I had always planned the crashed aircraft and didn't have anywhere else to put it. I bought it before I started then felt it was too early for a flying aircraft so it needed to have crashed some time earlier. Of course to the left of the layout was a large flat field and it ended up in a hedge row which is why it went nose in where it is 

 

In reality, there is a field to the left of where I have modelled but a sunken road first.

 

Sounds good to me mate, crack on!

 

Al.

[Model Railway Noob]

Hi Callum,

 

Here are the images for the two tent boxes. As you can see, they are HO. Having said that, soldiers had to duck to gain entry to the British tents too. You can see this in IWM films.

 

 

[wamwig]

15 hours ago, SDJR7F88 said:

Really coming along mate! Can't wait to see the progress on the Armored Train! 

2 more questions, where did you get the tents and that barb wire (over the water effect, plus the posts) from? Plus how did you achieve that ground texture? Soil, mud etc 

 

Callum

 

Vallejo acrylic mud is pretty good for simulating mud I used it on my small WW1 dio and I can recommend WD Models for the pickets and barbed wire (best to 'rust' it before taking it off the etch though!).

 

Anthony

[Model Railway Noob]

1 hour ago, wamwig said:

 

Callum

 

Vallejo acrylic mud is pretty good for simulating mud I used it on my small WW1 dio and I can recommend WD Models for the pickets and barbed wire (best to 'rust' it before taking it off the etch though!).

 

Anthony

 

What glue did you use Anthony? I found it a real pain.

[wamwig]

2 hours ago, Model Railway Noob said:

 

What glue did you use Anthony? I found it a real pain.

 

Superglue gel and normal from memory and yes it is but the end result is worth it with patience!

[phil_sutters]

Although it is somewhat overscale, I recently used strands of plasterers mesh tape, the sort they use to place over joints in plaster board, before applying the plaster, to create a barbed wire effect for a diorama for a Remembrance Sunday display. I cut two single strands from the mesh tape, leaving the cross pieces to represent the barbs. I twisted them together with the barbs staggered. The mesh is 4mm/1ft square, so the barbs are every 6 inches. I then sprayed the twisted strands with grey and red oxide primer paint. It looked quite effective, although as I say it would be a bit overscale for 4mm. The mesh has other uses. I makes quite good industrial window framing, despite not being completely flat, as one set of threads crosses on top of the other at 90 degrees. A big roll is only about £3. It could also be used when making scenery hills etc.

[Model Railway Noob]

1 hour ago, phil_sutters said:

Although it is somewhat overscale, I recently used strands of plasterers mesh tape, the sort they use to place over joints in plaster board, before applying the plaster, to create a barbed wire effect for a diorama for a Remembrance Sunday display. I cut two single strands from the mesh tape, leaving the cross pieces to represent the barbs. I twisted them together with the barbs staggered. The mesh is 4mm/1ft square, so the barbs are every 6 inches. I then sprayed the twisted strands with grey and red oxide primer paint. It looked quite effective, although as I say it would be a bit overscale for 4mm. The mesh has other uses. I makes quite good industrial window framing, despite not being completely flat, as one set of threads crosses on top of the other at 90 degrees. A big roll is only about £3. It could also be used when making scenery hills etc.

 

This is very similar to the French defences still seen in the Verdun area. I have photographed it many times

 

 

 

[phil_sutters]

With your interest in WW1 and the casualties it caused, you may be interested to see this impressive memorial to a WW1 VC, who although wounded in the leg managed to rescue a comrade from in front of the Turkish lines at Gallipoli, taking two days to drag him back to British trenches.

My great-uncle Percy was also there, in a different regiment, and was invalided out to Malta with frostbite. At the time another great-uncle, Harry, a RN Sick Berth Steward was serving in Malta, which seems to have been a major forces hospital zone. Whether they met, or even knew that they were related by marriage, who knows.

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/philsutters/49338938/in/album/515827

Edited November 19, 2019 by phil_sutters
Additional info

[Model Railway Noob]

4 hours ago, phil_sutters said:

With your interest in WW1 and the casualties it caused, you may be interested to see this impressive memorial to a WW1 VC, who although wounded in the leg managed to rescue a comrade from in front of the Turkish lines at Gallipoli, taking two days to drag him back to British trenches.

My great-uncle Percy was also there, in a different regiment, and was invalided out to Malta with frostbite. At the time another great-uncle, Harry, a RN Sick Berth Steward was serving in Malta, which seems to have been a major forces hospital zone. Whether they met, or even knew that they were related by marriage, who knows.

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/philsutters/49338938/in/album/515827

 

That is very impressive Phil. I've been photographing the WWI and WWII battlefields for a number of years. I really enjoy it. I have the WWI trench maps in a GPS so I can go pretty much to an exact spot. Last year I photographed the Western Front in 360 VR. They aren't online yet but I have showed them at a Remembrance day event last year for the Mayor. They also had a little theatre showing my WWI and WWII photographs. I took a long my battlefield finds collection. The photographs at the back show the live stuff I cannot bring back  I used ot own some silent pickets too and still find whole rolls of barbed  wire.

 

I wanted to combine WWI, my army service as a combat medic and railways, which is why I chose to do this layout.

 

 

 

[phil_sutters]

A very interesting display. Apart from my grandfather's service cap, for which I have bought a WW1 period RE cap badge, and his medals and tunic buttons and great uncle Harry's medals, I only have the photos. I did put on a small display tying the photos to the medals etc. for children from a local school who came to our church for the end of WW1 commemorations last year. I also included the two memorial plaques for the Davies brothers. I rescued them from being chucked out when a council depot was closed down.

Thanks for sharing your photos.

Best wishes  Phil

[Model Railway Noob]

Hi all,

 

My new Bachmann tank carrier arrived today. I ordered two but the other hasn't arrived yet. I am also experimenting with the idea of adding smoke to three areas. I am currently painting some cavalry and have added more water to the shell holes.

 

 

[Model Railway Noob]

Hi all,

 

Here is my first attempt at a smoking fire. Laurie from Calvertfilm suggested this some time ago.

 

I had to re-route the wires to avoid the fireplace bulbs below but otherwise it went quite smoothly.  I still have to weather the area when the paint is dry. As you can see I preferred to have a transformer just for the fires, as I did for the lighting and aircraft engines, rather than use my controllers. I will be adding switches next to my point switches. I have two more fire still to do!

I may change the shape of the chimney to be similar to those on the house close by. I'm not sure yet.

 

PS The photos were originally in the correct order but two failed to upload so they are at the bottom instead of in the middle grrr!

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by Model Railway Noob

[Model Railway Noob]

I finally got around to putting a rail gun on the layout although it's too big for it for every day use. I added some un-ditching beams to the MKIVs and added my own tanks to the Parrots.