Eleven O'Clock Square in Armentières

[Chris_Baker]

I have always been led to believe that Eleven O'clock Square in Armentieres got the name from the town hall clock having stopped at that time when a shell struck. Has anyone seen a photograph showing this? If so, I'd be grateful for knowing the source.

[Fattyowls]

Chris

Rose Coombs reports the story so I suspect most of us take that as gospel. My friend Jack Thorpe is the local historian just across the tracks in Erquinghem-Lys; I'll drop him an email to see if he can shed any light on it.

Pete.

[michel knockaert]

Hello Chris and Pete !

have a look on this : http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/region/c-est-quoi-c-est-ou-ia11b0n638267

kind regards

Michel

[Chris_Baker]

Thanks Michel. The link gave me an error page, but I found it under a different URL: http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/Locales/Armentieres/actualite/Secteur_Armentieres/2008/08/28/article_sur-les-chemins-du-souvenir-l-hotel-de.shtml

Now I am confused! 11.30 Square? What?

[SiegeGunner]

That's a different narrative, Chris. This is the text of the article you couldn't link to:

Réponse de l'énigme n° 5 : les aiguilles de l'horloge de l'ancien beffroi

Ces aiguilles sont celles de l'ancien beffroi anéanti lors de la Première Guerre
mondiale. Elles sont exposées à l'hôtel de ville d'Armentières, dans le
vestibule du second étage menant à la salle des mariages. Elles indiquent onze
heures et demie.

Armentières fut occupée par les Britanniques du 15 octobre 1914 au 9 avril 1918.
Les Allemands, retirés à Frelinghien, tirèrent leurs premiers obus sur la cité
le 18 octobre 1914. Puis les bombardements furent presque journaliers, les
clochers des églises et les cheminées des usines constituant des repères de
choix. Début novembre, le beffroi de l'hôtel de ville se dressait toujours
fièrement mais un obus avait bloqué l'horloge et les aiguilles du cadran
marquaient 11 h 30, là où elles s'étaient arrêtées, d'où le nom de « square onze
heures et demie » qui fut donné à la Grand-Place par les soldats anglais.

Pourtant, ces aiguilles bougèrent encore par la suite. Plusieurs attaques
lancées sur les Allemands par les Britanniques échouèrent, autant d'échecs qui
rendirent l'État-major allié soupçonneux. Peu après, un soldat, de garde dans la
ville, remarqua que les aiguilles du cadran de l'horloge faisant face aux
Allemands, avaient tourné pour indiquer l'heure d'une attaque. L'entreprise fut
annulée et les aiguilles revinrent à onze heures et demie.

Deux soldats, équipés d'une mitrailleuse, furent alors chargés de surveiller
l'horloge. Au mouvement de l'aiguille annonçant l'heure d'une l'attaque fictive,
ils tirèrent dans le cadran, tuant l'espion dans la tour.

Les aiguilles furent recueillies et rapportées à la municipalité par un ancien
combattant britannique. A. F. (CLP )

Mick

[Chris_Baker]

Thanks, Mick. Very similar, though, and also talking of 11.30. I am going to track down a contemporary photo somehow!

[BelgianExile]

There's this from one of the Michelin Guides...

[Chris_Baker]

That's a great photo. Thank you. But what is the time?

[michel knockaert]

Goood evening Mick !

merci d'avoir pris le relais !

amicalement

Michel

[BelgianExile]

That's a great photo. Thank you. But what is the time?

Unfortunately it looks like the clock (at least on the side visible in the picture) is destroyed. I've tried to tidy it up in photoshop but can't see a clock at all, let alone a time!

[Chris_Baker]

I wonder if there were clock faces on the other three sides, too?

[ploggy]

Hi Chris, last year I was with a group of visitors in Armentières and was told there was just 1 clock on the side of the square.

the guide was from the tourist office of Armentières.

Claude

[jacksdad]

it is always referred to as "half past eleven square" in NZ Unit diaries and personal diaries.

The other is "barbed wire square" at Houplines.

[Fattyowls]

it is always referred to as "half past eleven square" in NZ Unit diaries and personal diaries.

The other is "barbed wire square" at Houplines.

My friend Jack has been back to me with a slightly extended translation of the article posted above; it is indeed 11.30 Square. The article was written by M. Alain Fernagut who is one of Jack's fellow local historians.

Pete.

[Chris_Baker]

Pete - sorry, saw your email but was deep in work up to yesterday - when I finally completed my manuscript! Yay! Very interesting to see that it supports the idea of it being 'half past eleven square'.

[Fattyowls]

Chris

Absolutely no worries; congratulations on finishing the draft of the book, I think I heard the sigh of relief from here. I was hoping for more info from the Lys valley historical community but at least it corroborates Roger (not that I had any doubts), in establishing what time it was when the clock stopped. I may be going over to visit my mate Jack and hopefully I can investigate a bit more.

Pete.

[Guest]

Here's a photo taken, an hour before the shell struck

Click

Mike

[Guest]

From the BNA

Western Morning News - Saturday 13 August 1927

French Towns

Major C L Fox, M.C., of Falmouth, has in his possession the hands of the old clock of the Town Hall of Armentieres. Noticing in a newspaper that a British officer had presented the hands of the clock at Mesnil to the Mayor of that town, he, (Mr Fox) has written to the Mayor of Armentieres offering to the return the hands of the clock of Armentieres to be placed in a Museum or amongst the war relics. Up to the present he has not received a reply. Early in 1917 Maj Fox was with the 52nd Wessex Division, and the tower and clock were badly damaged by shell fire. He climbed up inside the clock tower to see some gunners, and found that the clock was battered and the hands were hanging very loose. He took the hands as mementoes. When the Germans took Armentieres in 1918 the whole building was demolished. The old clock stopped working at half-past eleven, and the hands remained in that position so long that the square which it faced became known as "Half-past Eleven Square."

Mike

[Guest]

There's a film about the reconstruction (i think, my French is poor) Click

Mike

[Fattyowls]

Mike, do the streetlamps flicker and dim in the greater Aberfeldy metro area when you set the mighty bank of servers off on another WW1 related search? If it is ok with you I'd like to share your finds with my friend Jack; he's on a bit of a roll at the moment because he and the museum have got a four page spread in the latest Holts' Guide. He might have to prepare for some coach party trade.

Pete.

[Guest]

Pete, by all means share it with your pal. This is what this great forum is for.

I have built an enormous search engine in the vast cellars of Aberfeldy, and yes, the lights have been known to flicker when I throw the big switch.

Well actually, it's just google and some random terms.

Mike

[Guest]

Hello,

In the town hall of Armentieres, at the first floor, it's possible to see the hands of the old clock.

More informations at the tourist office of armentieres and possible visit to the Belfry to see all the old battlefield