Chris Noble Posted 19 November , 2002 Share Posted 19 November , 2002 Whilst flicking through an edition of "Twenty Years After, Then and now", i have come across a reference to the village of Courcelette having been "adopted" by the town of Brighouse, Yorkshire. Does anybody know what the link is, and does it still exist? Maybe one for you Paul Regards, Chris Noble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 20 November , 2002 Share Posted 20 November , 2002 Someone asked me this recently; and I couldn't remember where it was and in which source it was listed - so thanks for that. There are few families in this village that have any connection with Courcelette as it was in 14-18 (true for most villages here now). Any twinning that existed has long since disappeared, and there is nothing in the village archives about it, which is surprising. The connection might be because Courcelette was liberated by elements of 17th (Northern) Division finally in August 1918 - their dead are buried in Regina Trench Cemetery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob HAmilton Posted 20 November , 2002 Share Posted 20 November , 2002 Chris I live in Halifax, very near to Brighouse, and wasn't aware of the link with Courcelette, so I don't think it still exists. The next time I'm at the local library doing some research I'll see what I can turn up. Paul I've done a lot of research on the men named on the Brighouse War Memorial and there are only 4 casualties from the 17th (Northern) Division from various different periods of the war so I don't think the link comes from this. Halifax and the surrounding area, including Brighouse, was traditionally recruited from by the Duke of Wellington's Regiment but I don't know if they had an involvement with Courcelette. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 20 November , 2002 Share Posted 20 November , 2002 Weren't 9th Dukes part of this division? Perhaps that's the connection? Thanks for your comments - most interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 21 November , 2002 Author Share Posted 21 November , 2002 The caption with the photograph in the above book reads, "In the last year of the war, the enemy retook the place on March 25th, 1918, and lost it once more on August 24th, when it fell to the divisions of V corps". Rob, if you turn anything up in your local library, please feel free to drop me a line, it would be very interesting. Thanks as always Paul Regards,Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 21 November , 2002 Share Posted 21 November , 2002 Paul, you told me before there were no families there with a connection to names on the memorial, or few. That surprised me since it's a farming village. I am not surprised at people moving away but who moves in? The houses appear to be occupied. Everyone seems to comment on how few people one sees when in a Somme village. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob HAmilton Posted 21 November , 2002 Share Posted 21 November , 2002 Chris I'll certainly pass on any information I find. I'll have a bit of spare time on my hands this next week so hopefully it will be soon. Paul I missed the 9th Dukes when I looked on the other part of this excellent site. However of the 7 men from Brighouse who served in this batallion who died, none were killed in August 1918, so it's still a bit of a mystery. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 21 November , 2002 Share Posted 21 November , 2002 Paul, you told me before there were no families there with a connection to names on the memorial, or few. That surprised me since it's a farming village. I am not surprised at people moving away but who moves in? The houses appear to be occupied. Everyone seems to comment on how few people one sees when in a Somme village. Families from all over - some displaced from other locations destroyed by the war. Even so, there are now less than 140 people in Courcelette, with at least one third not living in the village full time. Only two pre-1914 families remain (to my knowledge), and neither of them lost anyone in WW1, so their family name is not on the war memorial, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 22 November , 2002 Share Posted 22 November , 2002 I believe the fact that almost no one from before 1914 lived in the villages after WW1 can be explained because the French government paid the people who lived on the destroyed front area and left everything as it was. It was only after a few years that the shell holes were filled etc. Most of the people had already received the money for the war damage and had a new home, so they didn't return to their former villages. Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 22 November , 2002 Share Posted 22 November , 2002 That may have happened to a certain extent, but I know that the majority of families returned to Courcelette in 1919; the first building was replaced at that time, but most lived in Nissen Huts until around 1923 when all the houses were completed. Since that time, and especially since WW2, rural France has rapidly depopulated; and many houses have been bought as second homes. Most young people leave when they are 18, as there is nothing here for them. Courcelette doesn't even have a bar or a shop these days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 22 November , 2002 Author Share Posted 22 November , 2002 Cheers for that Rob, i wait with baited breath. Regards, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob HAmilton Posted 25 November , 2002 Share Posted 25 November , 2002 Chris I found a history of Brighouse in the local library. It says that the mayor of Brighouse visited France in September 1921 along with mayors from other towns with a view to adopting a town or village. However in October 1921 the council decided against this but authorised the mayor to launch an appeal for a relief fund. So it's a bit of a mystery ! Where did you get the information about Brighouse and Courcelette from ? Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob HAmilton Posted 25 November , 2002 Share Posted 25 November , 2002 Chris Ignore the last part of my posting above. I've just looked at your original message where you say where you found the information. I suppose the pertinent question is where "Twenty Years After Then and Now" got their information. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 30 November , 2002 Author Share Posted 30 November , 2002 Bit of a mystery that one Rob, but cheers for the information. Regards, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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