Defence of Festubert

Festubert (French pronunciation: [fɛstybɛʁ]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Lille. The village was on the Western Front during the First World War and was largely destroyed in the May 1915 Battle of Festubert.

The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915) was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. The offensive formed part of a series of attacks by the French Tenth Army and the British First Army in the Second Battle of Artois (3 May – 18 June 1915). After the failure of the breakthrough attempt by the First Army in the attack at Aubers Ridge (9 May 1915) tactics of a short hurricane bombardment and an infantry advance with unlimited objectives, were replaced by the French practice of slow and deliberate artillery-fire intended to prepare the way for an infantry attack. A continuous three-day bombardment by the British heavy artillery was planned, to cut wire and demolish German machine-gun posts and infantry strong points. The German defences were to be captured by a continuous attack, by one division from Rue du Bois to Chocolat Menier Corner and by a second division 600 yd (550 m) north, which was to capture the German trenches to the left of Festubert. The objectives were 1,000 yd (910 m) forward, rather than the 3,000 yd (1.7 mi; 2.7 km) depth of advance attempted at Aubers Ridge. The battle was the first British attempt at attrition.

Windy Corner was a road junction near the village of Cuinchy in the First World War. It was in the section of the line held by the British army and there was a battalion headquarters there. Burials took place there and there is now a cemetery maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. 3,443 dead were buried there of which 1,246 have been identified. Major John Mackenzie (1871–1915) recipient of the Victoria Cross in the 19th century Anglo-Ashanti wars is buried here.

The Le Touret Memorial is a World War I memorial, located near the former commune of Richebourg-l'Avoué, in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. The memorial lists 13,389 names of British and Commonwealth soldiers with no known grave who were killed in the area prior to the start of the Battle of Loos on 25 September 1915. The exceptions are Canadian soldiers, whose names are commemorated at the Vimy Memorial, and Indian Army soldiers, whose names appear on the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial. Those commemorated on this memorial include the Victoria Cross recipients Abraham Acton, William Anderson, Jacob Rivers, and Edward Barber. Also commemorated here are Clive and Arnold Baxter, brothers who were killed on the same day, 25 January 1915, in the Brickstacks area of Cuinchy. Designed by J. R. Truelove, the memorial is a loggia surrounding an open rectangular court. The inscription is over the entrance, and given in both French and English. The memorial was unveiled on 22 March 1930 by Lord Tyrrell, a diplomat who was present in his role as British Ambassador to France.

Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée (French pronunciation: [ʒivɑ̃ʃi lɛ la base], literally Givenchy near La Bassée; Picard: Givinchy-lès-l’Bassée) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Cuinchy (French pronunciation: [kɥɛ̃ʃi] or [kwɛ̃ʃi]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Béthune and 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Lille, by the banks of the Canal-d’Aire.

The Canton of Cambrin was one of the 14 cantons of the arrondissement of Béthune, in the Pas-de-Calais department, in northern France. It had 20,403 inhabitants in 2012. It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015.

The Battle of the Boar's Head was an attack on 30 June 1916 at Richebourg-l'Avoué in France, during the First World War. Troops of the 39th Division, XI Corps in the First Army of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), advanced to capture the Boar's Head, a salient held by the German 6th Army. Two battalions of the 116th Brigade, with one battalion forming carrying parties, attacked the German front position before dawn on 30 June. The British took and held the German front line trench and the second trench for several hours, before retiring to their lines having lost 850–1,366 casualties. The operation was conducted when the British Armies on the Western Front north of the Somme, supported the Fourth Army during the Battle of the Somme (1 July to 18 November). The British Third, First and Second armies conducted 310 raids against the Germans up to November 1916, harassing the Germans opposite to give novice divisions experience of fighting on the Western Front, to inflict casualties and to prevent German troops from being transferred to the Somme. From 19 to 20 July, XI Corps conducted the much bigger Battle of Fromelles, where British and Australian troops suffered an even greater number of casualties.

Cambrin (French pronunciation: [kɑ̃bʁɛ̃]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Béthune and 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Lille by the banks of the small river Surgeon. The marshes of Cambrin are an area of ponds and swamps bordering the communes of Cuinchy and Annequin. They cover 22 hectares and are open to the public. This natural space is managed by the Nature Conservatory Sites of Nord and Pas-de-Calais.

Richebourg (French pronunciation: [ʁiʃbuʁ] ; Picard: Ricquebourq) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It was formed on 21 February 1971 by merging Richebourg-Saint-Vaast and Richebourg-l'Avoué. In 1916 it was the site of the Battle of the Boar's Head.

Annequin (French pronunciation: [ankɛ̃]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

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.