Havrincourt () is a commune in the

Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the ...

department in

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

.INSEE commune file
/ref> The inhabitants are called ''Havrincourtois''.

Situation

The village lies about 14 kilometres south-west of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...

near the Havrincourt service area on the Autoroute A2. It is in the south-east corner of Pas-de-Calais, near to both the

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

and the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

départements. It stands on the

Upper Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

of the Artesian

anticline In structural geology, an anticline is a type of Fold (geology), fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest Bed (geology), beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex curve, c ...

, between the

at Péronne and the Escaut at Cambrai.
In this satellite photograph
Cambrai is top right. The dark patch down left of centre is the ''Bois d'Havrincourt''. The

Canal du Nord The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the North'') is a long canal in northern France. The canal connects the Canal latéral à l'Oise in Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal in Arleux. The French government, in partnership with coal-min ...

runs northwards from there and the Autoroute A2 goes diagonally. The village lies north-east of the wood and the A26 runs in curves from north to south of the picture. To the east of that, the

Canal de Saint-Quentin The Canal de Saint-Quentin () is a canal in northern France connecting the canalised river Escaut in Cambrai to the Canal latéral à l'Oise and Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne in Chauny. History The canal was built in two phases, the second much l ...

winds from Cambrai to the south of the picture. The chalk soil of the plateau shows pale in the fields. If you know where to look, it is just possible to detect the soil disturbance around the

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (, Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to ...

Communications

Havrincourt is close to the A2 - A26

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

interchange which leads to south and north-going junctions of the A1. Three motorway access points are distant about from the village. The Canal du Nord passes through the western edge of the commune. In 1877 a railroad section from

Bapaume Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region of northern France. Geography Bapaume is a farming and light indus ...

to Havrincourt opened. This was later extended to Marcoing. The Achiet–Marcoing railway primarily served the sugar industry. The railroad connections to Havrincourt closed down in 1969.

Economy and village life

The commune produces cereals, endives, and beet. Livestock raised includes poultry and beef. Timber is harvested from the wood. There is a camping and caravan site. The village holds a festival on the Sunday nearest 24 June. Sports pursued are shooting and fishing and there is a village hall.

History

In 1125 it was referred to as ''Haverencort''. The

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

y of Havrincourt was promoted to a

marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

ate in 1693. The ''Cardevacque d'Havrincourt'' family then played a prominent role during the French

Régence The ''Régence'' (, ''Regency'') was the period in History of France, French history between 1715 and 1723 when King Louis XV was considered a minor (law), minor and the country was instead governed by Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (a nephew ...

period (1715–1723). The construction of the Canal du Nord had reached the commune in 1914 when the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

broke out. In the winter of 1916-17, its incomplete earthworks were here incorporated into the defences of the

, the main or front line of which ran right through the village. As a consequence, the commune was the scene of two battles each of which was in its own way, significant in the history of the war. In November 1917, the Hindenburg Main Line (''Siegfried Stellung'') ran through the village. The taking of Havrincourt was part of the opening phase of the

Battle of Cambrai (1917) The Battle of Cambrai (Battle of Cambrai, 1917, First Battle of Cambrai and ''Schlacht von Cambrai'') was a British attack in the First World War, followed by the biggest German counter-attack against the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sinc ...

, when

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s were used in a coordinated way for the first time. On the night of 19–20 November, soldiers of

British 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division The 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that saw active service on the Western Front during the First World War. History During the First World War the division fought on the Western Front at Bulle ...

prepared for the event in Havrincourt Wood. The motorway now passes through the part which in 1917 had been felled as part of the front of the Hindenburg Line and was occupied by an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

. The

Tank Corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armou ...

mustered behind the battery, in the south-west corner of the wood. The infantry battalions present were the 2/5th, 2/6th, 2/7th (Leeds Rifles) and 2/8th (Leeds Rifles) Bns

West Yorkshire Regiment The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. In 1958 it amalgamated with the East Yorkshire Regiment (15th Foot) to form the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire which was ...

, 2/4th and 2/5th Bns KOYLI, 2/4th and 2/5th Bns York and Lancaster Regiment. The second battle was the Battle of Havrincourt, opening on 12 September 1918, which was significant because it began the German retreat back to the Belgian border with France. Arrival in that vicinity coincided with the implementation of The Armistice. At Havrincourt, on 12 September, 62nd Division was again present, this time with the New Zealand Division. The commune was awarded the French

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

on 23 September 1920.

Heritage

There are no really old buildings as everything was destroyed by the establishment of the Hindenburg Line and the two battles, particularly that of 1917. However, the

château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...

was rebuilt by 1925 in the style of the periods of Henri IV and

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

(1589–1643), the equivalent of the English Jacobean. It consists of five adjoining blocks of building each with a steeply pitched roof. The church of St Géry too, was rebuilt after 1918. It includes seven grave slabs of the ''Cardevacque d'Havrincourt'' family from the period 1648 to 1776. There is a chapel of the Virgin with a

black Madonna The term ''Black Madonna'' or ''Black Virgin'' tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. The Jungian scholar, San Begg publ ...

and a chapel of St Martin. The ''Bois d'Havrincourt'' is extensive and there is a fine panoramic view from the Bridge on the Canal du Nord.

References

External links

Havrincourt on the Quid site
{{authority control Communes of Pas-de-Calais