cockney tone Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Ladies & Gents, Pal's, I have seen mention in several books of towns/villages on the Western Front being formally 'twinned' with British towns after the War to aid their recovery etc, e.g. I believe Fricourt may has been connected with Ipswich. Does anybody know where out of interest I could find a definitive list of these, or failing that could we perhaps start a list for future reference? Regards and best wishes, Scottie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanCurragh Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Albert is twinned with Ulverston - birthplace of Stan Laurel! No idea if this was set up soon after the war, though Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 No - that is a much more modern twinning. Albert was coupled with Birmingham after the Great War. To begin to kick start the 'real' list, Biaches was twinned with Leamington Spa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Lewis Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Wolverhampton adopted Gommecourt. Doug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroline@linkagecomputing.co.uk Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 This is strange as I actually posted this fact on another topic here today! Wandsworth twinned Villers-Plouich These orginal twinnings were under The British League of Help (I don't know if a list would be available under this name haven't looked) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockney tone Posted 19 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Pal's, thanks for the replies and the interest so far, think I am correct in saying the London Borough of Islington 'twinned' with Arras! Regards Scottie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockney tone Posted 19 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Caroline, googled The British League of Help but did not find anything on it! Regards, Scottie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Worthing 'adopted' Richebourg l'Avoué Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59165 Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Michel K should be able to help as he works at the mayors pad in Fleurbaix. This would be for more recent twinnings though & ,for me at least,more interesting for perhaps future Anglo Fr. Be. meets. I think Harrow is twin to Douai.Both within a 10 minute drive from my 2 barraque's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will O'Brien Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Albert is twinned with Ulverston - birthplace of Stan Laurel! No idea if this was set up soon after the war, though Alan Alan.............Having spent my youth growing up in a village close to Ulverston & being an Ulverston Victoria High School old boy, I can clarify that the twinning with Albert wasn't Great War related (if I recall correctly it was twinned in the late 1970's)...............Also please don't mention SL or the Jefferson boy as we called him. When I first left home, I rented a flat (well a room really) which was situated in close proximity to the Laurel & Hardy museum. There's nothing like being woken up on a Sunday morning to an continuiously looped commentary of Laurel & Hardy music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dally Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 From memory and I could be wrong. Blackburn and Peronne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanCurragh Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 No mention of comedians or spurious recent pairings this time - but wasn't Serre adopted by Sheffield? Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmac Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Derby adopted Foncquevillers, not the same as 'twinning' though. Otherwise go to this thread: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...&hl=adopted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Tucker Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Albert is twinned with Ulverston - birthplace of Stan Laurel! No idea if this was set up soon after the war, though Alan Modern arrangement not Great War related. Albert-Birmingham Caroline, googled The British League of Help but did not find anything on it! Regards, Scottie. You won't. Very shadowy outfit. Times search reveals only a small amount of info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Tucker Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Serre – Sheffield (also Bapaume and Puisieux) Albert - Birmingham Colincamps - Burnley Peronne- Blackburn Foncquevillers - Derby Carnoy – Swansea Lesboeufs and Morval - Canterbury Hebuterne – Evesham Grandcourt - Stourbridge Beaumont Hamel - Winchester Morlancourt- Folkestone Thiepval – Tonbridge Combles and Flers- Portsmouth Montauban - Maidstone Gommecourt- Wolverhampton Fricourt – Ipswich Briaches – Leamington Spa Guillemont – Hornsey Courcellete – Brighouse La Boiselle and Ovillers - Gloucester Mametz - Llandudno Southampton some help for communes of Martinpuich and Gueudecourt. Cirencester – Ville and Passel adopted c1920 Bray-sur-Somme and Eastbourne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard_Lewis Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Carnoy - Swansea is spot on though I have not come across any detailed references to it. I'll have to trawl the council minutes when I get a chance. Pte (?) Norris of the Swansea Battalion wrote in 1936 of Mametz Wood and its associated actions: 'Did not the slaughter house on the side of the slope along the sunken road leave any impression on the mind? The picture on the hill along the old German line behind Carnoy is worth a place in the perpetual memory of one who fought that day'. He recalled with evident pride that on 10 July 1916 - after several unsuccessful attacks on Mametz Wood - the Swansea Battalion (amongst others) finally got into the wood: 'Tears of pride collected around my eyes when a blacked and limping soldier informed me "The boys are in" '! Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel knockaert Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 I Think Givenchy and Liverpool. Michel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 20 May , 2008 Share Posted 20 May , 2008 Alan "Jack" Tucker has been attacked by a fit of modesty. Pals should look at his excellent article on the twinning of Albert with Birmingham in the latest issue of "Stand To". Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 20 May , 2008 Share Posted 20 May , 2008 From memory and I could be wrong. Blackburn and Peronne The bridge over the Somme in Peronne is named "Pont de Blackburn". Aubers - Wadhurst.http://wadhurst.info/wadhurst/aubers/aubers.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 20 May , 2008 Share Posted 20 May , 2008 Vimy and Horley Surrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Tucker Posted 20 May , 2008 Share Posted 20 May , 2008 The general ‘adoption’ initiative appears to have originated in a shadowy organization called the League of Help. An important meeting was held in the Mansion House, London on Wednesday 30 June 1920 attended by Lord Mayors and Mayors of British towns and cities. The Times reported… ‘The meeting has been arranged by the British League of Help, which has undertaken to seek out for each war devastated town and village in France a British ‘god-parent’ community to give it practical aid and sympathy in its reconstruction’. It was stressed that large sums were not needed as reparation was the responsibility of the German Government under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 20 May , 2008 Share Posted 20 May , 2008 "When the Great War was over Monsieur Camerlynck, the hop merchant, returned. However, he was overwhelmed by the number of ex-soldiers who came knocking at the door to see the old house again, and put it up for sale. In 1929 Lord Wakefield of Hythe bought the house for £9,200 and donated it to the Talbot House Association. This is the reason for the official twinning of Poperinge with Hythe in Kent, England." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockney tone Posted 20 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2008 Pal's, great replies, thanks to you all, keep them coming! Alan, should have tried searching 'adopted' i/l of 'twinned'. Must say 'adopted' has a much nicer ring to it, thanks for the info on the Mansion House meeting. Wonder if any of the towns/villages still have any official contact? regards, Scottie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief_Chum Posted 20 May , 2008 Share Posted 20 May , 2008 In February 1921 Ipswich adopted Fricourt and the Bazentins. At our Battle of Arras Exhibition last year the Borough invited the mayors of both villages. Taff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroline@linkagecomputing.co.uk Posted 20 May , 2008 Share Posted 20 May , 2008 An interesting article about the League of Help can be downloaded from the Archaeology Data Service-"Worthing Richebourg and the League of Help" by Sally White.This goes in to the feeling at the time and the idea behind the adoptions. They say you learn something new everyday which seems to have been a feature of my time since I joined this great forum .....and to think I thought I had little interest in the Great War preferring to step back from the sorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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