Montreuil-sur-Mer (; or ; ), Montreuil-on-the-Sea, is a

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...

in the

Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the ...

Department in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Though commonly called by this name since at least the twelfth century, it was legally known as Montreuil until 31 December 2022. It is located on the Canche river, not far from Étaples. The sea, however, is now some distance away. Montreuil-sur-Mer station has rail connections to Arras and Étaples.

History

Montreuil-sur-Mer is surrounded by notable brickwork ramparts, constructed after the destruction of the town by troops of

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

emperor Charles V in June 1537. These fortifications pre-date the extensive fortification of towns in northern France by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban in the 17th century. Sir Douglas Haig portrait

Montreuil-sur-Mer was the headquarters of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

in France during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

from March 1916 until it closed in April 1919. The military academy there provided excellent facilities for GHQ. Montreuil-sur-Mer was chosen as GHQ for a wide variety of reasons. It was on a main road from London to Paris—the two chief centres of the campaign—though not on a main railway line, which would have been an inconvenience. It was not an industrial town and so avoided the complications alike of noise and of a possibly troublesome civil population. It was from a telephone and motor transit point of view in a very central situation to serve the needs of a Force which was based on Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, and Le Havre, and had its front stretching from the River Somme to beyond the Belgian frontier. Haigstatue

Haig staff member Sir Frank Fox OBE wrote a critically acclaimed contemporary account of the headquarters in 1916, originally published under the pseudonym "GSO", called G.H.Q. (Montreuil-sur-Mer) His work in the QMG's Directorate in the final offensive against the German Army resulted in his being awarded the OBE (Military) He was also Mentioned in Despatches. General Haig was quartered in the nearby Château de Beaurepaire, southeast of the town on the D138. There is a plaque on the château wall to commemorate this. King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

, accompanied by Haig, made a triumphant passage through Montreuil-sur-Mer on his way to Paris on 27 November 1918. A statue of Haig on horseback, commemorating his stay, can be seen outside the theatre on the Place Charles de Gaulle. During the German occupation of the town during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the statue was taken down. It was never found and is thought to have been melted down. It was rebuilt in the 1950s, using the sculptor's original mould.

Demographics

Literature

Laurence Sterne visited the town in 1765. He recounted his visit through the eyes of the narrator of his novel ''

A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy ''A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy'' (1768) is a novel by Laurence Sterne. It follows the Reverend Mr. Yorick on a Picaresque novel, picaresque journey through France, narrated from a Sentimental novel, sentimental point of view. ...

'' (1768). In

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

's novel ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' (1862), Montreuil-sur-Mer is the setting for much of volume I, "Fantine," being the hometown of the eponymous heroine. In early English-language editions, the town is identified only as M____-sur-M__,Edward Behr, ''The Complete Book of Les Misérables'' (Arcade, 1993), 29 and the name is changed entirely in some film adaptations. E.g., the 1998 film directed by

Bille August Bille August (; born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. August's 1987 film ''Pelle the Conqueror'' won the , Academy Awards, Academy Award and Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Awar ...

calls it "Vigaud," a pun on Victor Hugo. However, the English-language version of the popular Schönberg-Boublil musical, and all screen adaptations thereof, restore the full name in the on-screen title cards, although it is never spoken in the libretto.

International relations

Montreuil-sur-Mer is twinned with

Slough Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021, the ...

, England, UK.

Gallery

File:Montreuil Saint-saulve portail.jpg, Church, Montreuil-sur-Mer File:Walls of Montreuil-sur-Mer, France.JPG, Walls of Montreuil-sur-Mer File:Rempart_de_la_ville_de_Montreuil-sur-Mer.JPG, Ramparts File:Chapelle Sainte-Austreberthe Montreuil-sur-Mer2.jpg, Chapelle Sainte-Austreberthe File:Street in Montreuil-sur-Mer, France.JPG, A street in Montreuil-sur-Mer File:Église abbatiale Saint-Saulve Montreuil-sur-Mer.jpg, Église abbatiale Saint-Saulve

References

External links

The equestrian statue of Field Marshal Haig on the website "Remembrance Trails of the Great War in Northern France"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montreuil-sur-Mer Pas-De-Calais Communes of Pas-de-Calais Subprefectures in France