Panorama looking NE from Le Rossignol

Description

In addition to detailed maps of the Western Front, panoramic views provided another impression of the land which was particularly useful for the artillery.

This view shows a section of the 2nd Army front at Messines, at the south of the Ypres salient. The southern edge of Messines Ridge is to the left. It was drawn in December 1915 by Captain J.H.M. Cornwall (who would later become General and Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery) from an observation post on Hill 63. 

It identifies key features of the landscape such as buildings, with measurements given in degrees below the sketch. British and German trenches are indicated in colours. Observation posts were important vantage points which gathered targets for the artillery to train their guns on, but were vulnerable targets themselves.