Fromelles
Fromelles | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 50°36′25″N 2°51′21″E / 50.6069°N 2.8558°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Hauts-de-France |
Department | Nord |
Arrondissement | Lille |
Canton | Annœullin |
Intercommunality | Métropole Européenne de Lille |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Jean-Gabriel Masson[1] |
Area 1 | 8.54 km2 (3.30 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 1,076 |
• Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 59257 /59249 |
Elevation | 18–32 m (59–105 ft) (avg. 85 m or 279 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Fromelles (pronounced [fʁɔmɛl]) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.[3] As of 2019[update] it had a population of 1,041; its inhabitants are called Fromellois. It is located about 16 kilometres (10 mi) to the west of Lille.
First World War
The village of Fromelles was captured by advancing German forces on 9 October 1914 during the "
Battle of Fromelles
The
Adolf Hitler is believed to have served as a messenger on the German side with the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division.[6]
Cemeteries
Many difficulties faced frontline Allied units in the sector following the battle, and the
On the other side of the lines, many Allied dead were likewise buried hastily by German forces. Following the war, many of these graves were located by the
At V.C. Corner, the existing mass grave was augmented by the IWGC with unidentified remains found on the battlefield and some from other temporary or otherwise unsuitable sites. After the burial area was reconfigured, and marked with two large concrete crosses, it was officially dedicated, becoming the V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial.[5][7] The cemetery has remained one of only a few Commonwealth military cemeteries to have no individual headstones.
For at least 80 years, the remains of at least 399 Australian and British dead were to remain unaccounted for – even though soldiers' personal belongings had been returned to their families, and deaths had been independently investigated and confirmed by the
Following research in the
During the four years of the Great War, British division after division fought in that area of the Western Front which we now know as Fromelles and which forms part of what is now referred to as “The Forgotten Front”. Prior to the discovery of the mass graves at Pheasant Wood, Fromelles was known only for being the place where the Australian Imperial Force had experienced its first, and disastrous, taste of action on the Western Front. Whilst Fromelles hosts both the CWGC memorial to the AIF at VC Corner and the Australian Memorial Park, with the exception of a small private memorial to an officer of the Rifle Brigade, no memorial to the British casualties exists in this area. British losses were numbered in their many thousands in and along this line, but the majority of the men killed in action in this area between 1914 and 1918 are commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing in Belgium. A charitable association, known as the British Memorial Association, Fromelles, has been set up to establish a memorial in Fromelles, dedicated to the thousands of British men who gave their lives in this small corner of France, by educating people about the magnificent efforts of the British Army in this area of the ‘Forgotten Front’, the Association will endeavour to redress this balance and should be the first port of call for anyone, regardless of nationality, who is interested in Aubers Ridge and Fromelles throughout the Great War.[11]
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ a b McMullin, Ross (2006), "Disaster at Fromelles", Wartime (36), archived from the original on 9 June 2007, retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ a b V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ "Putting names to the lost soldiers of Fromelles", BBC News, 29 January 2010.
- ^ "Something of the horrors of war – VC Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial", Australians on the Western Front 1914–1918, Australian Department of Veteran's Affairs, archived from the original on 5 February 2010, retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ a b Copping, Jasper (22 July 2007), "Mystery of Great War's lost army uncovered", Sunday Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 9 August 2007, retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ "Fromelles grave excavation ends", BBC News, 10 September 2009.
- ^ "WWI war dead reburied in special service", BBC News, 30 January 2010.
- ^ The British Memorial Association, Fromelles, Jeremy Banning, 12 October 2010.
External links
- Video of VC Corner and Australian Memorial Park, Fromelles. Jason Fielding
- Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery nears completion video report from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The Fromelles Website
- Australia's role at Fromelles and Pozieres - Website (ABC and Dept of Veteran's Affairs)