Villers-Bretonneux
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Villers-Bretonneux Town Hall
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 Villers-Bretonneux
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Location within Hauts-de-France region
Villers-Bretonneux
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| Coordinates: 49°52′N 2°31′E / 49.87°N 2.52°ECoordinates: 49°52′N 2°31′E / 49.87°N 2.52°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Somme |
| Arrondissement | Amiens |
| Canton | Corbie |
| Intercommunality | Val de Somme |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Patrick Simon |
| Area1 | 14.51 km2 (5.60 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)2 | 4,135 |
| • Density | 280/km2 (740/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 80799 / 80800 |
| Elevation | 45–107 m (148–351 ft) (avg. 91 m or 299 ft) |
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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. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.
In the First World War, on 24 April 1918, Villers-Bretonneux was the site of the world's first battle between two tank forces: three British Mark IVs against three German A7Vs. The Germans took the town, but that night and the next day it was recaptured by two brigades of the First Australian Imperial Force at a cost of some 1200 Australian lives. The town's mayor spoke of the Australian troops on 14 July 1919 when unveiling a memorial in their honour:
The Australian War Memorial in France is located just outside Villers-Bretonneux and in front of it lie the graves of over 770 Australian soldiers, as well as those of other British Empire soldiers involved in the campaign. The school in Villers-Bretonneux was rebuilt using donations from school children of Victoria, Australia (many of whom had relatives perish in the town's liberation) and above every blackboard is the inscription "N'oublions jamais l'Australie" (Let us never forget Australia). The annual ANZAC Day ceremony is held at this village on ANZAC Day, 25 April. Traditionally, Australian commemorations have focused on Gallipoli. However, ANZAC Day commemorations since 2008 have also focused on the Western Front, and dawn services marking the anniversary of the battle of 24/25 April 1918 are held on ANZAC Day itself at Villers-Bretonneux.
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