Villers-Plouich 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 Nord

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, situated 14 km south-west of the town of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

Geography

The commune of has evolved over time to consist of the main village centre and two separate hamlets: * Beaucamp lies 1.5 km to the west of the village centre, and consists of about twenty dwellings * La Vacquerie lies 2.5 km to the east of the village centre, and contains about 35 dwellings, a church and a cemetery

History

Church records for the commune date back to the 12th Century, though the regular discovery of tools from the prehistoric period, and of several Gallo-Roman sites in the vicinity suggest much earlier human occupation. By the 19th Century, the village boasted a grinding mill, a brewery and a railway station. The commune was the scene of intense and prolonged trench warfare during the First World War, notably during the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, and in the approach to the

Battle of the Canal du Nord The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War by the Allies against German positions on the Western Front. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of ...

in 1918. The hamlet of La Vacquerie lay on the

Hindenberg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to La ...

. By the end of hostilities in 1918, the entire commune was almost completely destroyed. The village was rebuilt in the subsequent years, and is known today for its two impressive twentieth century churches, and as a producer of

Belgian endive Common chicory ('' Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to the Old World, it has been introduced to North America and Aus ...

. A team of de-miners still visits the area two times per year, to safely dispose of munitions found by local farmers.

Heritage

Both churches, built during the years of reconstruction following the Great War, were designed by (winner of the 'Grand Prix de Rome'), and feature external sculpturing by

Marcel Gaumont Marcel Gaumont was a French sculptor born on 27 January 1880 in Tours. He died in Paris on 20 November 1962. Biography Gaumont was a pupil at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and studied under Louis-Ernest Barrias ...

. The church of Saint-Quentin, is located in the village centre and the church of Saint Joseph is at La Vacquerie. Outside the 'Mairie' (municipal hall), on 'Place de Wandsworth', stands a British

red telephone box The red telephone box, a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar. Despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, ...

, which was installed to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice. The commune has a school, a community hall, two football pitches, and two areas for

pétanque Pétanque (, ; oc, petanca, , also or ) is a sport that falls into the category of boules sports, along with raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, lawn bowls, and crown green bowling. In all of these sports, players or teams play their boules/balls ...

. The village has an active community Facebook page with regular coverage of local events. Multiple improvement projects are envisaged - the creation of a communal garden and orchard, the restoration of two distinctive pigeon towers and the construction of improved flood defences. The production of Belgian endive was established in the 1940s. Traditionally grown in the surrounding fields as a winter vegetable, the more recent establishment of an indoor 'salle de forçage' facility enables production all year round, and provides employment for about 25 workers from the surrounding area. The cultivation of field-grown endives is now regarded as a delicacy. Witlof en wortel

A prominent war memorial is located in the village centre. There are three cemeteries with British military graves within the commune - th
Fifteen Ravine Cemetery
th
Communal Cemetery
and th
Sunken Road Cemetery

Flooding in 2008

On the evening of 11 September 2008 a major storm caused severe flooding in Villers-Plouich and the surrounding communes, making it impossible to enter or leave the village, and tragically a fatality was reported in the commune. The valley terrain of the village serves to increase its exposure to such events.

Links to the Borough of Wandsworth, London

Villers-Plouich is informally twinned with the Borough of Wandsworth in London. This association dates back to World War I, following the involvement of the Wandsworth Battalion in the liberation of Villers-Plouich in 1917, and again, following recapture, in 1918. Writing in the 'Wandsworth Borough News' in 1920, Robert H Harker, a Lieutenant in the Battalion, described the cemetery in the village as ''"an inseparable link between our great Borough and that village of Villers-Plouich, near the Somme"''. For his courage and determination during the hostilities, Corporal Edward Foster, of Tooting, was awarded both the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

and the

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

. A green heritage plaque was unveiled at his former home at Tooting in 2017, and in 2018 a memorial in his name was established at Villers-Plouich. Following the end of the War the village was adopted by the then

Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth The Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth was a Metropolitan borough under the London County Council, from 1900 to 1965. History The borough was formed from five civil parishes: Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting Graveney and Wandsworth. In 1904 t ...

under the British 'League of Help' scheme (one of about 80 British towns to take part in the programme), and funds were donated towards its reconstruction. A deputation from Wandsworth regularly visits to commemorate this connection, most recently in 2018.

Transport

The commune boasted a halt on the railway line from Saint-Just-en-Chaussée to Douai, but this section of the line was closed in the 1970s. The nearest train station is now at Cambrai, about 15 km to the North-East. The village is served by the Line 14 TUC ('Transports urbains du Cambrésis') public bus that runs between Cambrai and Villers-Guislain.