Redoubt C

Redoubt C

C Redoubt

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As you exit the last bend of the Zig Zag the path straightens up and you will quickly come upon two impressive man-made barriers. This is the area of Redoubt C, which was the gully front line on the morning of 28th June 1915, the first day of the Battle of Gully Ravine.

At the first ‘U’ shaped barrier, photo above, water outflow from the spurs above has smoothed and shaped the gully walls on either side, and over the years, visitors and erosion have broken down the centre of the obstacle, but the redoubt is still a breath-taking sight.  It was constantly manned of course, and the Turkish lines were just a few metres beyond.

To the right, immediately before the structure above, is a distinctive trench opening. This is Frith Walk. See next location.

The second barrier, a short distance further on, is built from stone blocks, and gives a sense of a more permanent construction, photo below. It acts as a functional dam for the water flowing down the gully.

 

The front line was pushed further forward at the Battle of Gully Ravine on 28th June 1915, and a new fortified point was established about 100 metres ahead of C Redoubt at what became known as Border Barricade. There is nothing left to see of this sandbag and earth wall now.  

It is worth pausing at C Redoubt and reflecting for a moment on the kind of life led by the troops who guarded this point, constantly on the watch for enemy movement, at risk from snipers and hand bombs, and carrying responsibility as the first line of defence for the swarming gully behind them.

As a footnote I should add that conventional wisdom and most of the extant guidebooks which mention it at all refer to the first structure photographed above as C Redoubt. However, certain contemporary maps and recent GPS research raise a few questions which have yet to resolved about precise positions.  

 

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