Billy-Montigny

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

The canton of Harnes is a canton situated in the department of the Pas-de-Calais and in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.

Fouquières-lès-Lens (French pronunciation: [fukjɛʁ lɛ lɑ̃s], literally Fouquières near Lens) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

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

Indra Lal Roy (Bengali: ইন্দ্রলাল রায়; 2 December 1898 – 22 July 1918) was the sole Indian World War I flying ace. While serving in the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force, he claimed ten aerial victories; five aircraft destroyed (one shared), and five 'down out of control' (one shared) in just over 170 hours flying time, making him the first Indian flying ace.

The canton of Noyelles-sous-Lens is a former canton situated in the department of the Pas-de-Calais and in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. It consisted of 3 communes, which joined the canton of Harnes in 2015. It had a total of 21,608 inhabitants (2012).

Montigny-en-Gohelle is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Annay (French pronunciation: [anɛ]; also referred to as Annay-sous-Lens, literally Annay under Lens) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Pont-à-Vendin (French pronunciation: [pɔ̃.t‿a vɑ̃dɛ̃]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

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

The canton of Montigny-en-Gohelle is a former canton situated in the department of the Pas-de-Calais and in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. It consisted of 2 communes, which joined the canton of Hénin-Beaumont-1 in 2015. It had a total of 19,738 inhabitants (2012).

The Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst mining accident, caused the death of 1,099 miners in Northern France on 10 March 1906. This disaster was surpassed only by the Benxihu Colliery accident in China on 26 April 1942, which killed 1,549 miners. A coaldust explosion, the cause of which is not known with certainty, devastated a coal mine operated by the Compagnie des mines de houille de Courrières. Victims lived nearby in the villages of Méricourt (404 people killed), Sallaumines (304 killed), Billy-Montigny (114 people killed), and Noyelles-sous-Lens (102 people killed). The mine was 2 km (1 mi) to the east of Lens, in the Pas-de-Calais département (about 220 km, or 140 miles, north of Paris). A large explosion was heard shortly after 06:30 on the morning of Saturday 10 March 1906. An elevator cage at Shaft 3 was thrown to the surface, damaging the pit-head; windows and roofs were blown out on the surface at Shaft 4; an elevator cage raised at Shaft 2 contained only dead or unconscious miners.