Foncquevillers (French pronunciation: [fɔ̃kvile]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.[3]
Geography
A farming village situated 12 miles (19 km) south of Arras, at the junction of the D3, D6 and the D28 roads.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 404 | — |
| 1975 | 388 | −0.58% |
| 1982 | 389 | +0.04% |
| 1990 | 383 | −0.19% |
| 1999 | 466 | +2.20% |
| 2007 | 473 | +0.19% |
| 2012 | 465 | −0.34% |
| 2017 | 435 | −1.32% |
| Source: INSEE[4] | ||
World War I
Foncquevillers was on the Allied front line during almost all of the period of hostilities between 1914 and 1918 and was almost destroyed as a result. The neighbouring village of Gommecourt to the east, in German hands, was the subject of an assault starting from Foncquevillers on 1 July 1916 which formed the northernmost part of what is known in Britain as the Battle of the Somme.
British troops taking part in that attack came from the 46th (North Midland) Division, and many are buried in the Foncquevillers Military Cemetery. After the war Foncquevillers established a friendship with the English East Midlands cities of Derby and Nottingham which continues today. The Hotel de Ville in Foncquevillers has a plaque dedicated to "Derby, notre marraine" - "to Derby, our Godmother".
Places of interest
- The church of Notre-Dame, rebuilt after the First World War.
- The Foncquevillers Military Cemetery, which contains 648 Commonwealth burials of the First World War.[5] There are two graves of Chinese Labour Corps, one of a French civilian, four belong to German prisoners. The remainder are Allied servicemen's graves.[6]
- At the side of the church is a memorial to five Canadian airmen who died when a Halifax bomber crashed near here in June 1944. Parts of the aircraft have been preserved nearby.
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ Foncquevillers Military Cemetery (CWGC)
- ^ Waters, D., "The Chinese Labour Corps in the First World War: Labourers Buried in France", in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, Vol. 35, 1995, pp. 199-203
External links
- A Foncquevillers website (in French)
- "Gommecourt 1st July 1916" website Archived 23 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Gommecourt Wood CWGC cemetery
| Authority control databases: National |
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