Neuville-Saint-Vaast

Neuville-Saint-Vaast is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It is located 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) south of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial dedicated to the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Memorial was built on Hill 145, the highest point of the ridge[2] to commemorate the battle and the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the First World War. The Memorial is also the site of the Canadian Cemetery No. 2, Neuville-St.-Vaast and Givenchy Road Canadian Cemetery, Neuville-St.-Vaast.[3][4]

Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Commune
Town hall and the church
Coat of arms
Location of Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Coordinates: 50°21′22″N 2°45′32″E
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentPas-de-Calais
ArrondissementArras
CantonArras-1
IntercommunalityCU Arras
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Jean-Pierre Puchois
Area
1
12.59 km2 (4.86 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
1,526
 • Density120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
62609 /62580
Elevation81–144 m (266–472 ft)
(avg. 107 m or 351 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The Neuville-St Vaast German war cemetery (also called Maison Blanche) is the largest in France from WWI, with 44,833 buried here.[5]

Geography

Neuville-Saint-Vaast is situated 4 miles (6 km) north of Arras, at the junction of the D49 and D55 roads. The A26 autoroute passes through the commune. Vimy Ridge rises from Neuville-St.-Vaast to its high point at Hill 145 (the location of the Canadian Memorial), where there is a steep drop off.[4]

History

In World War I, Neuville-Saint-Vaast was the location of intense mining activity by the tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers. In March 1916, the New Zealand Tunnelling Company relieved the French 7/1 compagnie d'ingénieurs territoriaux in the "Labyrinth" sector of the Western Front. The German "Labyrinth" stronghold was located near Neuville-Saint-Vaast, between Roclincourt and Écurie and not far from Notre Dame de Lorette.[6] On 29 March 1916, the New Zealand Tunnelling Company exchanged position with the 185th Tunnelling Company and moved to Roclincourt-Chantecler, a kilometre south of their old sector.[6] The 176th Tunnelling Company moved to Neuville-Saint-Vaast in April 1916 and remained there for a considerable time,[7] as did the 172nd Tunnelling Company, which was relieved at Neuville-Saint-Vaast by the 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company in May 1916.[7]

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968927—    
1975973+0.69%
19821,129+2.15%
19901,295+1.73%
19991,400+0.87%
20071,477+0.67%
20121,510+0.44%
20171,526+0.21%
Source: INSEE[8]

Places of interest
the war memorial

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/overseas/first-world-war/france/vimy/fast-facts
  3. "Canadian National Vimy Memorial, France". The Great War UK. The Great War UK. 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2017. The ridge runs in a direction from Givenchy-en-Gohelle in the north-west to Farbus in the south-east.
  4. http://www.greatwar.co.uk/french-flanders-artois/memorial-canadian-national-vimy-memorial.htm
  5. http://www.greatwar.co.uk/french-flanders-artois/cemetery-neuville-st-vaast-german.htm
  6. Byledbal, Anthony. "New Zealand Tunnelling Company: Chronology". Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  7. "The Tunnelling Companies RE". The Long, Long Trail. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  8. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.