I am researching the 5th RHA who were based in Bures(Suffolk for a brief period, protecting a bridge over the River Stour Their orders give what appears to be map references (358525,332565) ie Operation Instruction Number 55, dated 11 January 1941, stated: 6 Pounder at 358525 BURES will come under command 42 Division for employment on beach defences as directed by Commander 42 Division. Operation Instruction Number 56, dated 13 January 1941: 22-24 February 15 Division to relieve 42 Division in SUFFOLK Sector. Operation Instruction Number 58, dated 14 January 1941: Military bridging to be prepared to provide additional crossing over River STOUR South of SUDBURY approximately 332565 ... for training. I read during this period the Army used the Cassini Grid as a reference - whatever this is? Any idea how I can find these precice locations ?
Hi Alan, welcome to the forums. This is the Cassini system- Cassini Grid - Wikipedia The bane of any ww2 British researcher's life! Over twenty years ago i contacted the RE for help, and they very kindly sent me a set of acetate overlays to convert Cassini refs into NGRs. Never did make head nor tail of it though. I believe there are more modern methods, one is outlined in that link. If you have Facebook, try joining the Pillbox Appreciation Society, the World War Two Military Buildings, or the British Army 1939-45 groups. Someone there might already have done the sites you're interested in.
This is the right place. Just the Grid system is different! View: One-inch New Popular Edition, England and Wales: Sheet 149 - Colchester - Ordnance Survey One-inch to the mile maps of England and Wales, New Popular Edition, 1945-1947 This was the "purple grid" FieldenMaps.info / OS Map Series Illustrated Guide / 1-inch War Revisions I can.t find a set online. However, the National archives do have a hard copy which can be inspected if you visit Kew. Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury | The National Archives There is a guide to converting Cassini Grids to UTM here https://www2.uwe.ac.uk/faculties/CAHE/Documents/Research/Regional-history/RH5Penny.pdf enjoy
Use this online tool to translate the coordinate to a map location. The default is the British Cassini Grid. Most of Suffolk is in the grid square "wM". Enter the coordinate as: wM332565 which will show a map location along the River Stour just south of Sudbury.
Brilliant, cracked it One co-ordinate is in Bures which I knew about which is where the 5thRHA were based The co-ordinate 332565 confirms that 5th RHA based in Colchester, protected the ECL and the GHQ lines at srategic points A Unit of 10/12 men who was armed with a Naval 6 pounder were stationed here circa 41 to protect the River Bridge on the Colchester to Sudbury main Rd This nodal point was also on the Easter Command Line The bridge was also wired for demolition Orders were to protect the crossing at all costs, if not blow it Then there is a tale about a temp bridge being laid across the river which runs thro the village, which I thought may have been" Instruction 58 Military bridging to be prepared to provide additional crossing over River STOUR South of SUDBURY approximately 332565 ... for training. We are 5 miles south of Sudbury However the co-ordinate puts it 1 mile south of Sudbury and not in our village So the tale about the bridge may have been fiction. Thanks all, that conversion and maps has proved very usefull
Thats more like it, that looks more active Here is a much better pic of the bridge The other 3 looked highy compressed
