Merville–Calonne Airport

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.

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.

Calonne-sur-la-Lys (French pronunciation: [kalɔn syʁ la lis], literally Calonne on the Lys) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. about 7 miles (11 km) north of Béthune and 22 miles (35 km) west of Lille, by the banks of the river Lys, the border with the department of Nord.

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.

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.

Lestrem (French pronunciation: [letʁɛm]; Dutch: De Stroom; Picard: Létrin) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. about 8 miles (13 km) north of Béthune and 19 miles (31 km) west of Lille by the banks of the Lawe River.

Locon (French pronunciation: [lɔkɔ̃]; West Flemish: Lockon) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Béthune and 24 miles (39 km) west of Lille. The river Lawe flows through the eastern part of 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.

Mont-Bernanchon (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃ bɛʁnɑ̃ʃɔ̃]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Béthune and 27 miles (43 km) west of Lille.

The Canton of Béthune-Est was one of the 14 cantons of the arrondissement of Béthune, in the Pas-de-Calais department, in northern France. It had 21,720 inhabitants in 2012. It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015.

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.

Saint-Floris (West Flemish: Sint-Floris) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.