Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée

French commune
name= Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée
region=
departement=
arrondissement=Béthune
canton= Béthune
canton= Douvrin
insee=62373
cp=62149
maire=Jacques Herbaut
mandat=2008-2014
intercomm=Communauté d'agglomération de l'Artois
longitude=2.75861111111
latitude=50.5294444444
alt moy=27 m
alt mini=19 m
alt maxi=31 m
hectares=389
km²=3,89
sans=813
date-sans=1999
dens=208|

Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais "département" in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

A farming village situated some convert|5|mi|km|1 east of Bethune and convert|19|mi|km|1 southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D166 and the D167 roads. The Canal d’Aire flows passed the commune, forming its southern border.

History

The village was first chronicled in the year 870 as "Juventiacum".
During the First World War, it was completely destroyed, as this was the only part of the entire front that withheld the force of the German offensive in the spring of 1918. The courageous stand of the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division is commemorated by a memorial in the cemetery.
During the Second World War, at the time of the withdrawal of British troops towards Dunquerque, the school, mayor’s office and the memorial village hall were again destroyed.

Population

Places of interest

* The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.
* The church of St.Martin, built in 1960.
* The war memorial.

See also

*Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

External links

* [http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=2027291&mode=1 The CWGC graveyard in the communal cemetery]
* [http://www.quid.fr/communes.html?mode=detail&id=26865&req=Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée on the Quid website] fr

Notes

*"This article is based on the equivalent article from the French Wikipedia, consulted on July 15th 2008."