Fromelles

Village of Fromelles

Coat of arms

Fromelles

Location within Hauts-de-France region

Fromelles

Coordinates: 50°36′25″N 2°51′21″E / 50.6069°N 2.8558°ECoordinates: 50°36′25″N 2°51′21″E / 50.6069°N 2.8558°E

Country

Weppes

Government

• Mayor (2008–2014)

Hubert Huchette

Area¹

8.54 km² (3.30 sq mi)

Population (1999)²

961

• Density

110/km² (290/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

59257 /59249

Elevation

18–32 m (59–105 ft)
(avg. 85 m or 279 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Fromelles (pronounced: [fʁɔmɛl]) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. In 2004 it had a population of 907; its inhabitants are called Fromellois. It is located about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to the west of Lille.

The village of Fromelles was captured by advancing German forces on 9 October 1914 during the "Race to the Sea". Throughout almost the whole of the war, the front line was stable, running through the territory of the commune and leaving the inhabited area in German hands. The Battle of Aubers Ridge was fought in the area to the northwest of the village on 9 May 1915 as part of the Second Battle of Artois.

The Battle of Fromelles on 19–20 July 1916 was the first occasion on which the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) saw action on the Western Front. The battle is widely regarded as a disaster for the Allies, and has been described as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history." It resulted from a plan to divert German attention from the Battle of the Somme, but historians estimate that 5,500 Australians and 2,000 British troops were killed or wounded. The Australian losses were equivalent to the combined total Australian losses in the Boer War, Korean War and Vietnam War: although later World War I actions would be more deadly for the AIF, Fromelles was the only one to achieve no success.

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Wikipedia