Ovillers-la-Boisselle is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

The commune of Ovillers-la-Boisselle is situated northeast of

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

and extends to the north and south of the D 929 Albert–Bapaume road. The constituent village of Ovillers-la-Boisselle (commonly shortened to "Ovillers") lies on the north of the D 929 road, north-east of Aveluy and south-west of

Pozières Pozières (; ) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated on the D929 road, northeast of Amiens between Albert and Bapaume, on the Pozières ridge. Southwest of the village on ...

. The constituent village of La Boisselle, which had in 1914, lies across the D 929, to the south-west of Ovillers at the junction of the D 104 to Contalmaison.

Population

History

The village of La Boisselle is a settlement dating back to pre-Roman times,''The La Boisselle Project'': project details
access date: 4 November 2016 and the D 929 Albert–Bapaume road follows the course of a Roman road. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), the area suffered serious damage after the Battle of Bapaume. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the area was the site of intense and sustained fighting between

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and Allied forces. Between 1914 and 1916, the Western Front ran through the commune, and its villages were completely destroyed. In 1916, the commune was the site of particularly heavy fighting during the Battle of the Somme (see

Ovillers-la-Boisselle in World War I In World War I, the small commune of Ovillers-la-Boisselle, located some north-east of Amiens in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France, was the site of intense and sustained fighting between German and Allied forces. Be ...

). After the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

, the former inhabitants returned and gradually rebuilt most of the infrastructure as it had been before the war. In 2011, British researchers around Peter Barton started the ''La Boisselle Project'', a long-term archaeological, historical, technological and genealogical study with special focus on

L'îlot de La Boisselle L'îlot de La Boisselle (french: ilôt meaning "small island") is a small, historic site in the commune of Ovillers-la-Boisselle in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France. was heavily fought over during the First World War, whe ...

, a

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

on the south-western tip of La Boisselle which was known during World War I as ''L'îlot'' to the French, ''Granathof'' to the Germans and ''Glory Hole'' to the British. The site still holds mine craters as well as traces of trenches, shelters and tunnels related to underground warfare,''La Boisselle Project''
access date 31 October 2016 but is private property and not open to the public.

Places of interest

* Ovillers British Military Cemetery * Th
Gordon Dump Cemetery
*

Lochnagar Crater The Lochnagar mine south of the village of La Boisselle in the Somme was an underground explosive charge, secretly planted by the British during the First World War, to be ready for 1 July 1916, the first day on the Somme. The mine was dug by ...

, one of the sites of the mines exploded on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Image:Mines and the Bapaume Road, La Boisselle Art.IWMART2962.jpg,

William Orpen Major Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen, (27 November 1878 – 29 September 1931) was an Irish artist who worked mainly in London. Orpen was a fine draughtsman and a popular, commercially successful painter of portraits for the well-to-do in ...

: ''Mines and the Bapaume Road, La Boisselle'' Image:Lochnagar Crater Ovillers.JPG, Image:Lochnagar mine 01.JPG,

References

External links