Roclincourt () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

.INSEE commune file
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Geography

Roclincourt is north of the town of Arras, south of

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...

, and approximately from Calais.

List of successive mayors

History

World War I

Roclincourt found itself uncomfortably close to most of the fighting during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, with tragic consequences for the village. During the opening years of the war, the nearby

trenches A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from erosi ...

were manned by French troops of the 10th Army. In February 1916, the 10th army was sent to reinforce

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

, which had been under heavy attack by the Germans. In its place in the Roclincourt sector,

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

troops of 5th Division, 95th Brigade were sent in, namely the 1st Battalion of the

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

, who rotated every three days with the 1st Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment. The British troops were surprised and not pleased to find the trenches along this sector to be in a very poor condition. The parapets were in a very poor state and there were insufficient firing platforms. It took these two battalions some time to get the trenches back up to a good standard. On the plus side, the area had become relatively quiet, although there was a campaign of mining and counter-mining. To this day, craters can still be found along the line of the front in this area. The line suffered from occasional bombardments from the German lines. Both the Devonshires and the East Surreys suffered casualties due to these bombardments and members of both regiments can be found in the cemeteries around Roclincourt and Arras. During World War I the village was very close to the front and by the end of the conflict it had been completely destroyed. The village was then rebuilt.

Transportation

* Roads: east of N17, from Autoroute A26 * Rail:

LGV Nord The Ligne à Grande Vitesse Nord (North High-Speed Line), typically shortened to LGV Nord, is a French -long high-speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille. With a maximum speed ...

from Arras * Bus: Local service * Air: provincial Airport of Roclincourt Close to the village is a provincial airport which is called Roclincourt and has the Airport ICAO code LFQD, were there is one runway that is 1,025m in length and 60m wide. The village has excellent road links, being close to a junction on the A26 autoroute which gives it good access to the whole of the European motorway network. File:Roclincourt 080015.JPG Image:W J P Hobbs.JPG, Headstone of W J P Hobbs killed in trenches at Roclincourt Image:Headstone of F Short.JPG, Headstone of F Short killed in trenches at Roclincourt Image:A.R. Stephens Headstone.JPG, Headstone of A R Stephens killed in trenches at Roclincourt

Twin towns

*Roclincourt has been twinned with Montesquiou, Gers, France, since 1999.

References

External links

Roclicourt Battlefields
The story of one of the soldiers who lies in Roclincourt Military Cemetery {{authority control Communes of Pas-de-Calais