Le Quesnoy is an old walled town with a population of 5000 in the north of France, near the Belgian border. It has close links with Aotearoa New Zealand going back 99 years. Following years of German occupation during WWI, the town was finally liberated in November 1918, by Kiwi soldiers. It was a historic event, not least because of the unconventional method used. To prevent loss of civilian life, the soldiers climbed ladders to liberate the town. It took a full day. 3 of 4 ladders were destroyed before they finally succeeded, climbing one by one over the wall. Many died in the process, on both sides, I imagine.
Every year, the city commemorates the event the weekend before ANZAC Day. Finn and I went this year. For us, ANZAC Day isn't about glory. Instead, it represents peaceful remembrance of events we wish wouldn't continue. It's an opportunity to talk about the past, the present, and the future. The end goal should be working together internationally to end all war, and prevent future conflict.
Here you'll catch a glimpse of the commemorative events we attended. The weekend was organised collaboratively by the city of Le Quesnoy and the Le Quesnoy Nouvelle-Zélande Association, with some input from the New Zealand Defence Force.
Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it
George Santayana 1863_1952), Leveau Fortress
The town celebrates the relationship between France and NZ:
The first thing I saw when I stepped off the train.
Le Quesnoy - Taone o Oki - Cité des chênes (Town of Oaks)
The mural outside the school
The main street was lined with French and NZ flags
Not so relevant, but this book exchange is cool
Place des All Blacks (All Blacks Square)
New Zealanders Ave
New Zealand Rd
Aotearoa Rd
Helen Clark Rd
On Saturday morning we listened to talks and readings about WWI, including letters home and opinions of New Zealanders from other contingents. These took place in the town hall of Beaudignies, and the local cemeteries where NZers are buried.
Romeries Communal Cemetery Extension contains 832
Commonwealth graves, of which 112 are NZers. It is typical
of Commonwealth cemeteries, and the symbolism you'll see
below is common to most of them.
More info about Commonwealth involvement in WWI
We placed pieces of pounamu (greenstone) on the graves
Many of the graves have the soldier's age on them
- most between 18 and 28
Many graves are unidentified.
A New Zealand Soldier of the Great War
Known unto God
This cross is non-denominational, to recognise that
Commonwealth soldiers were of many religions.
The Crusader sword on it, however, has awful
connotations. I don't think we should be so quick
to use symbolism of bloody religious invasions.
Their names liveth forevermore
The graveyard around the Vertigneul Church
contains the graves of 18 New Zealanders and
1 German.
Again, we heard about individual soldiers before putting
pounamu on their graves.
Two soldiers were buried together. I wondered if they were
lovers, friends, or if they simply died together.
The German soldier was buried between New Zealand soldiers
This tapestry was a gift from New Zealand,
hanging inside the church
Parents of New Zealand soldiers gift this banner
to Vertigneul Church in grateful recognition of
the Christian care given to the graves of their
loved ones by the families of the neighbourhood.
Easter AD 1924
I believe this altar was made in Christchurch as a gift.
For lunch, we went back to the Beaudignies town hall, where Finn and I were interviewed by a local journalist.
After lunch we visited the memorial in Le Quesnoy.
It's part of Ngā Tapuwae, so there is lots of
information available for casual visitors
A panorama of the memorial site
It's a reasonably high wall!
The image depicts the soldiers climbing the wall with the sole
remaining ladder. On the left, a cross represents the dead. The
angel represents freedom
In the afternoon, we took a bus to Leveau Fortress, where we found out more about local fortifications.
A local created this model, representing what the fortress
would have looked like in 1884. Buttons cause different
features to light up. A great teaching tool
The entrance to the fort
Reconstructed trenches (the panorama creates a slightly skewed perspective)
An entrance to the trench
Here you can see how they were constructed and reinforced
A lookout
The view from the lookout, complete with barbed wire
Inside the fortress is a museum. This map shows the local
fortifications around the region, designed to slow down invaders
The destroyed section you can see here was originally used as
barracks. Many sections of the fortress were destroyed by bombs
Life-size figures show French soldiers in uniform. Military
technology visible here includes a folding bike
The barracks in use
Each room slept 48 men. The two double bunk beds here show
how that was done - with 4 to a bed
The infirmary. Doctors had to make quick decisions about
whether to operate, or just to give morphine and wait for the
patient to die
We discussed how war increases investment in
medical technology
Cases of well-preserved objects, German in this case
A French soldiers' kit
Other objects, including the vital gas mask
The objects in worse condition have been dug up over the years.
These objects belonged to soldiers who were buried alive when
the room they were in collapsed. The watches confirmed that
this happened just before 2:30pm
In the evening, we all had dinner together. There were many speeches, and some songs.
Major General Kelly, NZ Army Chief, presented a mere to
Marie-José Burlion, President of Le Quesnoy Nouvelle-Zélande
Association, to be displayed in the new museum, due to open in
Le Quesnoy in time for the centenary next year
On Sunday there was less travelling, as all the events took place in and around Le Quesnoy.
Dawn Service, organised by the NZ Defence Force
The sun rising over the orchard where breakfast followed
There was a mid-morning carillon concert. The
carillon is an instrument comprising many bells,
48 brass bells in this case. It has been destroyed
and rebuilt many times, including during WWI
and WWII. The belfry is part of the town hall.
Climbing the stairs, you see the big bells first.
As you climb, they get smaller...
and smaller...
and smaller.
Learning to play the carillon with musician Charles Dairay!
Ding, dong, ding, dong
We had the chance to take a brief walk around the ramparts, which are different around every corner
Trees grow on top of the walls
And in some places, the moat follows curious paths
A view from one wall to another, everything is so green
The wide part of the moat, complete with duck house. If you
look closely, you might spot the heron on the other side
The memorial for children who died for France
There was another service mid-morning, which it felt like the whole town came out for.
Laying of wreaths: NZ ambassador Dr James Kember,
Le Quesnoy's mayor, Marie-Sophie Lesne,
and representatives of the NZ Army
Lunch was organised by the city. After lunch, the NZ Defence Force Māori Cultural Group performed.
Group photo including the New Zealand Le Quesnoy Association,
the NZ Ambassador, the NZ Defence Force, and local politicians
We had a really interesting weekend, and learnt so much. I've been inspired to research my great grandfather's participation in WWI. We had many discussions about how to remember our history without celebrating it, and how to do it truthfully, without glossing over the hard parts.
Le Quesnoy celebrates the liberation of their town, while acknowledging the sacrifice it took. I highly recommend visiting if you have the chance, whether in passing, or to commemorate ANZAC Day.
