Serre-lès-Puisieux is a village in the
commune of
Puisieux 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
Hauts-de-France
Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...
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 ...
.
Geography
Serre-lès-Puisieux is situated on the D919 road, northeast of
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
and north of
Albert
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s
* Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street mar ...
.
Colincamps lies to the west,
Hébuterne to the northwest,
Puisieux to the northeast and
Beaumont-Hamel
Beaumont-Hamel () is a Communes of France, commune in the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
During the World War I, First World War, Beaumont-Hamel was close to the front line, ne ...
to the south.
History
During the first two and a half years of 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 ...
, Serre-lès-Puisieux was held by the
Germans
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
and marked the northern point of the allied attack on the
first day of the
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...
.
The front line near the village remained more or less unchanged up until the end of the battle in November 1916.
The Germans evacuated the village as part of their
withdrawal in February 1917, but was lost by 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 an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...
during the
German spring offensive
The German spring offensive, also known as ''Kaiserschlacht'' ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German Empire, German attacks along the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First Wor ...
on 25 March 1918.
The Allies retook the village on 14 August 1918, during the
Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...
.
Cemeteries
* Luke Copse British Cemetery
* Nécropole nationale de Serre-Hébuterne
* Queens Cemetery
* Serre Road Cemetery No. 1, 2 & 3
*
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
Memorial Park
* Ten Tree Alley Cemetery
Nearby cemeteries are:
* Munich Trench Cemetery
* Redan Ridge Cemetery No. 1, 2 & 3
See also
*
First day on the Somme – Serre
*
Sheffield City Battalion
References
{{Authority control
Geography of the Pas-de-Calais