Fromelles
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Fromelles () 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 ...
. it had a population of 1,041; its inhabitants are called ''Fromellois''. It is located about to the west of
Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
.


First World War

The village of Fromelles was captured by advancing German forces on 9 October 1914 during the "
Race to the Sea The Race to the Sea (; , ) took place from about 1914 during the First World War, after the Battle of the Frontiers () and the German advance into France. The invasion had been stopped at the First Battle of the Marne and was followed by the ...
". Throughout almost the whole of the war, the front line was stable, running through the territory of the ''commune'' and leaving the inhabited area in German hands. The
Battle of Aubers Ridge The Battle of Aubers (Battle of Aubers Ridge) was a British offensive on the Western Front on 9 May 1915 during the First World War. The battle was part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive in ...
was fought in the area to the northwest of the village on 9 May 1915 as part of the
Second Battle of Artois The Second Battle of Artois (french: Deuxième bataille de l'Artois, german: Lorettoschlacht) from 9 May to 18 June 1915, took place on the Western Front during the First World War. A German-held salient from Reims to Amiens had been formed in ...
.


Battle of Fromelles

The Battle of Fromelles on 19–20 July 1916 was the first occasion on which the
First Australian Imperial Force The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 15 Aug ...
(AIF) saw action on the Western Front. The battle is widely regarded as a disaster for the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
, and has been described as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history.". It resulted from a plan to divert German attention from the
Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...
, but historians estimate that 5,500 Australians and 2,000 British troops were killed or wounded. The Australian losses were equivalent to the combined total Australian losses in the
Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
,
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
and
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
: although later World War I actions would be more deadly for the AIF, Fromelles was the only one to achieve no success..
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
is believed to have served as a messenger on the German side with the
6th Bavarian Reserve Division The 6th Bavarian Reserve Division (''6. Bayerische Reserve-Division'') was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army, part of the German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on 10 September 1914 and organized over the next month. The division ...
.


Cemeteries

Many difficulties faced frontline Allied units in the sector following the battle, and the
Australian 5th Division The 5th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army which served during the First and Second World Wars. The division was formed in February 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades. In add ...
found it necessary to bury 400 of its own dead, in a mass grave, about two kilometres north of Fromelles. This particular point on the frontline became known to British Empire troops as "V.C. Corner" (a name that was probably an ironic reference to 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 ...
). On the other side of the lines, many Allied dead were likewise buried hastily by German forces. Following the war, many of these graves were located by the
Imperial War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
(IWGC) and the remains therein were reburied at official cemeteries. At V.C. Corner, the existing mass grave was augmented by the IWGC with unidentified remains found on the battlefield and some from other temporary or otherwise unsuitable sites. After the burial area was reconfigured, and marked with two large concrete crosses, it was officially dedicated, becoming the
V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial The V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission World War I cemetery and memorial. The site is located in the ''commune'' of Fromelles, in the Nord ''departement'' of France, about northwest of the vill ...
.. The cemetery has remained one of only a few Commonwealth military cemeteries to have no individual headstones. For at least 80 years, the remains of at least 399 Australian and British dead were to remain unaccounted for – even though soldiers' personal belongings had been returned to their families, and deaths had been independently investigated and confirmed by the
Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
,. Following research in the
Bavarian Army The Bavarian Army was the army of the Electorate (1682–1806) and then Kingdom (1806–1919) of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereignty (''Wehrhoheit'') of Bavaria into that of t ...
archives, between 2002 and 2007, by independent military historian Lambis Englezos, a large mass grave, on the outskirts of Fromelles, was identified. The ''Bois de Phaisan'' (Pheasant Wood) site, which was confirmed by archaeologists from
Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...
in July 2007, was reportedly the largest mass grave of Western Allied soldiers to have been discovered since the end of World War I. A full disinterment was carried out in May–September 2009, and the bodies of 250 British and Australian soldiers were recovered. After DNA samples were taken, the bodies were reburied in individual graves, about 120 metres from their previous site, at the new
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery is a First World War cemetery built by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the outskirts of Fromelles in northern France, near the Belgian border. Constructed between 2009 and 2010, it was the firs ...
. During the four years of the Great War, British division after division fought in that area of the Western Front which we now know as Fromelles and which forms part of what is now referred to as “The Forgotten Front”. Prior to the discovery of the mass graves at Pheasant Wood, Fromelles was known only for being the place where the Australian Imperial Force had experienced its first, and disastrous, taste of action on the Western Front. Whilst Fromelles hosts both the CWGC memorial to the AIF at VC Corner and the
Australian Memorial Park The Australian Memorial Park is a World War I memorial, located near Fromelles, France, commemorating Australians killed during the Battle of Fromelles. Location The memorial park is located approximately from the V.C. Corner Australian Cemete ...
, with the exception of a small private memorial to an officer of the Rifle Brigade, no memorial to the British casualties exists in this area. British losses were numbered in their many thousands in and along this line, but the majority of the men killed in action in this area between 1914 and 1918 are commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing in Belgium. A charitable association, known as the British Memorial Association, Fromelles, has been set up to establish a memorial in Fromelles, dedicated to the thousands of British men who gave their lives in this small corner of France, by educating people about the magnificent efforts of the British Army in this area of the ‘Forgotten Front’, the Association will endeavour to redress this balance and should be the first port of call for anyone, regardless of nationality, who is interested in Aubers Ridge and Fromelles throughout the Great War..


See also

*
Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):Video of VC Corner and Australian Memorial Park, Fromelles. Jason FieldingFromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery nears completion
video report from the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

The Fromelles WebsiteAustralia's role at Fromelles and Pozieres - Website (ABC and Dept of Veteran's Affairs)
{{authority control Communes of Nord (French department) French Flanders