Laventie

Laventie is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Laventie
Commune
The church and town hall of Laventie
Coat of arms
Location of Laventie
Laventie
Laventie
Coordinates: 50°37′42″N 2°46′19″E
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentPas-de-Calais
ArrondissementBéthune
CantonBeuvry
IntercommunalityFlandre Lys
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Roger Douez
Area
1
18.13 km2 (7.00 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
4,994
 • Density280/km2 (710/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
62491 /62840
Elevation15–20 m (49–66 ft)
(avg. 18 m or 59 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

A small farming and light industrial town, situated some 10 miles (16.1 km) northeast of Béthune and 12 miles (19.3 km) west of Lille, at the junction of the D166, D173 and D174 roads. Famous for its cherries.

History
The Kensingstons at Laventie.

In World War I, like other settlements in Pas-de-Calais, Laventie was heavily fought over between German and Allied forces. From 1915, there was constant underground fighting in the area, in which units like the 173rd, 3rd Australian and 255th Tunnelling Companies RE were involved.[2] Laventie is the title of a poem by the war poet and composer Ivor Gurney.

The artist Eric Kennington was stationed at Laventie with his unit, the 1/13th Battalion, London Regiment (Kensington), in the winter of 1914–15. After being wounded and evacuated he painted members of his platoon in the snowy village street. The painting, The Kensingtons at Laventie, considered by many to be his most important work, is in the collection of the Imperial War Museum, London.[3]

The engineer and inventor of the Hortag agricultural spade, A S Bullock, also recalls action at Laventie in a posthumously published memoir (written in the 1970s). In particular he recalls how the area near the old fortifications was defended not by trenches (because the water table was too high) but by barbed wire entanglements, and he recounts the experience of being ordered to march across this barbed wire and take up position in a former distillery, as well as subsequently volunteering for the near-impossible task of returning to the battalion alone and taking a message back to the platoon during the night.[4]

Population
Historical population of Laventie
Year1962196819751982199019992006
Population2871290928773415441043834794
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places of interest

Twin towns
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See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. The Tunnelling Companies RE Archived May 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, access date 25 April 2015
  3. Richard Stevenson, 'Soldier Artists', Military Illustrated, No 264, May 2101, p. 32.
  4. Bullock, A. S., Gloucestershire Between the Wars: A Memoir, History Press, 2009, pages 74-75
  5. "Casualty Details: Carter, Nelson Victor". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
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