Laventie

Laventie
Laventie
	Commune
	The church and town hall of Laventie
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	Laventie Location within Hauts-de-France region Laventie
	Coordinates: 50°37′42″N 2°46′19″E / 50.6283°N 2.7719°ECoordinates: 50°37′42″N 2°46′19″E / 50.6283°N 2.7719°E
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Béthune
Canton	Beuvry
Intercommunality	Flandre Lys
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Roger Douez
Area1	18.13 km2 (7.00 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	4,794
• Density	260/km2 (680/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62491 /62840
Elevation	15–20 m (49–66 ft) ; (avg. 18 m or 59 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.

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

Geography

A small farming and light industrial town, situated some 10 miles (16.1 km) northeast of Béthune and 12 miles (19.3 km) west of Lille, at the junction of the D166, D173 and D174 roads. Famous for its cherries.

History

The Kensingstons at Laventie.

In World War I, like other settlements in Pas-de-Calais, Laventie was heavily fought over between German and Allied forces. From 1915, there was constant underground fighting in the area, in which units like the 173rd, 3rd Australian and 255th Tunnelling Companies RE were involved.^[1] Laventie is the title of a poem by the war poet and composer Ivor Gurney.

The artist Eric Kennington was stationed at Laventie with his unit, the 1/13th Battalion, London Regiment (Kensington), in the winter of 1914–15. After being wounded and evacuated he painted members of his platoon in the snowy village street. The painting, The Kensingtons at Laventie, considered by many to be his most important work, is in the collection of the Imperial War Museum, London.^[2]

Population

Historical population of Laventie
Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006
Population	2871	2909	2877	3415	4410	4383	4794
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

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries. Captain George McElroy, a leading ace fighter pilot of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force (KIA in 1918) is buried in Laventie CWGC cemetery. It has also been suggested that fighter ace Mick Mannock is buried in the same cemetery, as an unidentified British airman. Nelson Victor Carter, VC, is also buried here.^[3]
The German War Graves Commission cemeteries.
The church of St. Vaast, dating from the twentieth century.

Twin towns

Iserlohn, Germany, since 1967

References

INSEE commune file

↑ The Tunnelling Companies RE Archived May 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine., access date 25 April 2015
↑ Richard Stevenson, 'Soldier Artists', Military Illustrated, No 264, May 2101, p. 32.
↑ "Casualty Details: Carter, Nelson Victor". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 1 July 2015.

External links

Official website (in French)
The CWGC Laventie Military Cemetery, La Gorgue
The CWGC Royal Irish Rifles Graveyard, Laventie
All CWGC cemeteries in the Laventie area
Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Laventie (Laventie German War Cemetery) (in German)
Laventie on the Quid website (in French)

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[tunnelcoyre-1] The Tunnelling Companies RE Archived May 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine., access date 25 April 2015

[2] Richard Stevenson, 'Soldier Artists', Military Illustrated, No 264, May 2101, p. 32.

[3] "Casualty Details: Carter, Nelson Victor". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 1 July 2015.