Lestrem

The Lawe (French pronunciation: [lav] ) is a river of northern France, and a right tributary of the Lys. It is 41 km (25 mi) long. Its source is near Magnicourt-en-Comte. It flows generally northeast through Houdain, Bruay-la-Buissière, Béthune and Lestrem. It flows into the Lys in La Gorgue.

The Canton of Merville is a former cantons in the Dunkirk arrondissement of the Nord department of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, in northern France. It had 25,467 inhabitants (2012). It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015.

La Gorgue (French pronunciation: [la ɡɔʁɡ]) is a town in northern France. It is a commune in the Nord department. The population of La Gorgue in 2019 was 5,639. It was the location of the Beaupré-sur-la-Lys Abbey, founded in 1221, whose grounds were used as a Royal Flying Corps base during World War I.

Vieille-Chapelle (French pronunciation: [vjɛj ʃapɛl]; West Flemish: Oedekapelle) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Béthune and 15 miles (24 km) west of Lille. The river Lawe flows through the commune.

Neuf-Berquin (French pronunciation: [nœf bɛʁkɛ̃]; from Dutch: Nieuw-Berkijn) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. French composer and clarinetist Ferdinand Capelle was born in Neuf-Berquin.

The Clarence is a river in northern France whose 33-kilometre (21 mi) course crosses the department of Pas-de-Calais. Its source is near the village of Sains-lès-Pernes. It flows through the communes of Sachin, Pernes, Calonne-Ricouart, Calonne-sur-la-Lys and Gonnehem, finally joining the Lys near Merville. It has two tributaries, the Nave and the Grand Nocq.

Estaires (French pronunciation: [etɛʁ]; West Flemish: Stegers) is a commune in the Nord department of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. The town gives its name to a type of chicken bred in the area: the Estaires chicken.

Merville – Calonne Airport (IATA: HZB, ICAO: LFQT) is a regional airport in France. It is located 3 km (2 miles) south of Merville, in northern France. The airport supports general aviation with no commercial airline service scheduled.

The Le Paradis massacre was a World War II war crime committed by members of the 14th Company, SS Division Totenkopf, under the command of Hauptsturmführer Fritz Knöchlein. It took place on 27 May 1940, during the Battle of France, at a time when troops of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) were attempting to retreat through the Pas-de-Calais region during the Battle of Dunkirk. Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Norfolk Regiment, had become isolated from their unit. They occupied and defended a farmhouse against an attack by Waffen-SS forces in the village of Le Paradis. After running out of ammunition, the defenders surrendered to the German troops. The Germans led them across the road to a wall where they were murdered by machine guns. Ninety-seven British troops were killed. Two survived with injuries and hid until they were captured by German forces several days later. After the war, Knöchlein was convicted of his role in the massacre by a British military court, with the two survivors acting as witnesses against him. For ordering the massacre, Knöchlein was sentenced to death. He was executed in 1949.

La Couture (French pronunciation: [la kutyʁ]; West Flemish: De Kouter) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Béthune and 18 miles (29 km) west of Lille.

Merville (French pronunciation: [mɛʁvil] ; West Flemish: Mergem) is a commune in the Nord department and Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The town lies 13 kilometres north of Béthune, and 30 kilometres west of Lille.