Foncquevillers

Foncquevillers
Commune
The church of Foncquevillers

Coat of arms
Foncquevillers
Location within Hauts-de-France region
Foncquevillers
Coordinates: 50°08′55″N 2°37′54″E / 50.1486°N 2.6317°E / 50.1486; 2.6317Coordinates: 50°08′55″N 2°37′54″E / 50.1486°N 2.6317°E / 50.1486; 2.6317
Country France
Region Hauts-de-France
Department Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement Arras
Canton Avesnes-le-Comte
Intercommunality CC Sud-Artois
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Victor Andrieu
Area1 9.3 km2 (3.6 sq mi)
Population (1999)2 466
 • Density 50/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 62341 /62111
Elevation 138–162 m (453–531 ft)
(avg. 150 m or 490 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.

Foncquevillers is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Geography

A farming village situated 12 miles (19.3 km) south of Arras, at the junction of the D3, D6 and the D28 roads.

Population

Historical population of Foncquevillers
Year196219681975198219901999
Population365404388389383466
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

World War I

Foncquevillers Military Cemetery

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 Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery, which contains 648 Commonwealth burials of the First World War.[1] 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.[2]
  • 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

  1. ↑ Foncquevillers Military Cemetery (CWGC)
  2. ↑ 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
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