Villers-Bretonneux

Villers-Bretonneux

Villers-Bretonneux Town Hall
Villers-Bretonneux

Coordinates: 49°52′N 2°31′E / 49.87°N 2.52°ECoordinates: 49°52′N 2°31′E / 49.87°N 2.52°E
Country France
Region Picardy
Department Somme
Arrondissement Amiens
Canton Corbie
Intercommunality Val de Somme
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Patrick Simon
Area1 14.51 km2 (5.60 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 4,135
 • Density 280/km2 (740/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 80799 / 80800
Elevation 45–107 m (148–351 ft)
(avg. 91 m or 299 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.

Geography

Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.

First World War

Cross planted in France by soldiers to honour the fallen. Now part of the war memorial in Adelaide, Australia.

In the First World War, on 24 April 1918, Villers-Bretonneux was the site of the world's first battle between two tank forces: three British Mark IVs against three German A7Vs. The Germans took the town, but that night and the next day it was recaptured by two brigades of the First Australian Imperial Force at a cost of some 1200 Australian lives.[1] The town's mayor spoke of the Australian troops on 14 July 1919 when unveiling a memorial in their honour:

"The first inhabitants of Villers-Bretonneux to re-establish themselves in the ruins of what was once a flourishing little town have, by means of donations, shown a desire to thank the valorous Australian Armies, who with the spontaneous enthusiasm and characteristic dash of their race, in a few hours drove out an enemy ten times their number...They offer a memorial tablet, a gift which is but the least expression of their gratitude, compared with the brilliant feat which was accomplished by the sons of Australia...Soldiers of Australia, whose brothers lie here in French soil, be assured that your memory will always be kept alive, and that the burial places of your dead will always be respected and cared for..."

The Australian War Memorial in France is located just outside Villers-Bretonneux and in front of it lie the graves of over 770 Australian soldiers, as well as those of other British Empire soldiers involved in the campaign. The school in Villers-Bretonneux was rebuilt using donations from school children of Victoria, Australia (many of whom had relatives perish in the town's liberation) and above every blackboard is the inscription "N'oublions jamais l'Australie" (Let us never forget Australia).[2][3] The annual ANZAC Day ceremony is held at this village on ANZAC Day, 25 April, each year. Traditionally, Australian commemorations have focused on Gallipoli. However, ANZAC Day commemorations since 2008 have also focused on the Western Front, and dawn services marking the anniversary of the battle of 24/25 April 1918 are held on ANZAC Day itself at Villers-Bretonneux.[4][5]

Villers-Bretonneux is the sister city of Robinvale, Victoria, Australia.[6]

Population

Historical population of Villers-Bretonneux
Year1968196919751982199019992006
Population3474334234733347368639524135
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places of interest

Delacour’s château, or, as the Australian force called it, the "Red château", served as headquarters and billets for Allied generals during the Battle of the Somme. Marshal Foch stayed there. At the end of fighting in November 1918 it became the local headquarters of the Imperial (later Commonwealth) Graves Commission. Later abandoned, it was extensively cannibalised for building materials. Its skeleton, which remained as a tourist attraction until 2004, was razed in that year and all traces of it were removed to make way for a supermarket.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Anzac Day: Australians flock to Villers-Bretonneux to remember diggers who died on Western Front. ABC News Perth, 25 April 2015
  2. ↑ N'oublions jamais l'Australie, ("Let us never forget Australia"). Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
  3. ↑ The Western Front, Overview of WWI history, anzacday.org.au
  4. ↑ ANZAC Day focus turns to Western Front, The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 April 2008.
  5. ↑ Looking back on the battle of Villers-Bretonneux. ABC News Perth, 6 June 2014]
  6. ↑ Official Villers-Bretonneux web site

Image gallery

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Villers-Bretonneux.