Richebourg-l'Avoué

Richebourg-l'Avoué is a village and former commune in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. It was merged with Richebourg-Saint-Vaast to form the commune of Richebourg on 21 February 1971. [ [http://www.insee.fr/fr/nom_def_met/nomenclatures/cog/affichecommune.asp?numdep=62&valcode=706 "Code officiel géographique"] , INSEE. fr icon]

World War One

On 30 June 1916 it was the site of the Battle of the Boar's Head, a diversion for the Battle of the Somme (which began the following day). This was fought by the the 11th, 12th and 13th (Southdowns) Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment, (as part of the 116th Southdowns Brigade of the 39th Division in Kitchener's New Army). After a bombardment of the German trenches the 12th and 13th Battalions went over the top (most for the first time) and, under heavy fire, attacked the enemy trenches, bombing and bayoneting their way in. The 11th Battalion supplied carrying parties. They succeeded in taking the German front line trench, holding it for some four hours, and even briefly took the second line trench for about half an hour, beating off repeated counter attacks, and only withdrew from the shortage of ammunition and mounting casualties. Over a period of less than five hours the three Southdowns Battalions of The Royal Sussex lost 17 officers (including CSM Nelson Victor Carter, who posthumously won the Victoria Cross for his actions in the battle) and 349 men killed, including 12 sets of brothers, including three from one family. A further 1000 men were wounded or taken prisoner. In the regimental history this is known as The Day Sussex Died. The following day the Battle of the Somme began and 20,000 died on the first day.

CWGC cemeteries

The Le Touret Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery and memorial is sited here. It was begun in November 1914 by the Indian Corps (in particular by the 2nd Leicesters), remaining in continual use until the end of the war (barring a time in German hands in April-August 1918). The memorial lists 13,377 names of British and Commonwealth soldiers with no known grave who were killed in the area prior to 25 September 1915 (except Canadian soldiers, whose names are commemorated at the Vimy Memorial, and Indian Army soldiers, whose names appear on the Neuve-Chappelle Memorial). Those commemorated on it include the Victoria Cross winners Abraham Acton, William Anderson, Jacob Rivers, and Edward Barber.

The Rue-des-Berceaux CWGC Cemetery is also sited here, and includes the burial site of Tony Wilding.

References

External links

* [http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=26000&mode=1 CWGC website]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?page=city&FScityid=405952 Find-a-Grave]