Fresnoy-en-Gohelle

Fresnoy-en-Gohelle
Commune
The church of Fresnoy-en-Gohelle
Coat of arms
Location of Fresnoy-en-Gohelle
Fresnoy-en-Gohelle Show map of France Fresnoy-en-Gohelle Show map of Hauts-de-France
Coordinates: 50°21′59″N2°53′27″E / 50.3664°N 2.8908°E / 50.3664; 2.8908
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Arras
Canton	Brebières
Intercommunality	CC Osartis Marquion
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Michel Volanti [1]
Area 1	2.98 km2 (1.15 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [2]	234
• Density	79/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62358 /62580
Elevation	42–70 m (138–230 ft) (avg. 60 m or 200 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Fresnoy-en-Gohelle is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. ^[3]

Geography

A small farming village situated 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Arras, at the junction of the D919 and the D33 roads.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	127	—
1975	120	−0.81%
1982	140	+2.23%
1990	206	+4.95%
1999	199	−0.38%
2007	249	+2.84%
2012	246	−0.24%
2017	214	−2.75%
Source: INSEE [4]

Places of interest

• The church of St. Armand, rebuilt as was the rest of the village, after World War I.

World War I

Fresnoy was virtually destroyed in 1917 during the First World War.

After their successes in the spring campaigns (including the taking of Vimy Ridge), the Canadians and British pushed eastwards across open country until they reached German defence lines that, in this sector, ran north to south from Arleux, on to Oppy and then down to Gavrelle.

Following a successful push by the Canadians through Arelux in late April, German positions in and around Fresnoy became the scene of fierce fighting on April 28, 1917. Ernst Jünger, who wrote Storm of Steel , recalled the barrage on the village:

‘Fresnoy was one towering fountain of earth after another. Each second seemed to outdo the last. As if by some magical power, one house subsided into the earth; walls broke, gables fell, and bare sets of beams and joints were sent flying through the air, cutting down the roofs of other houses. Clouds of splinters danced over whitish wraiths of steam. Eyes and ears were utterly compelled by this devastation.’

A few weeks later, on May 5, the Canadians managed to capture the village. It was lost, however, when ferocious German counterattacks were launched on May 7 and pushed the Canadians and British back. The frontline then stabilised just outside the village.

In commemoration of this battle, Fresnoy Mountain in the Canadian Rockies was given its name in 1919.

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. INSEE commune file
4. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE

Sources

• Bilton, D, Oppy Wood, Pen and Sword Military, 2005
• Nichols, J, Cheerful Sacrifice: The Battle of Arras 1917, Pen and Sword Military, 2003
• Jünger, E, Storm of Steel , Penguin, 2003

External links

• Finding Private Adams, a soldier who fought near Fresnoy
• The Battle of Fresnoy