Aubers Twinning

Twinning - Aubers

TWINNING ASSOCIATION

OFFICE BEARERS: 2005 - 2006
Function	Name	Contact
Chairman	John McKenzie	e-mail
Vice-Chairman	Monica Jones	e-mail
Treasurer	Neil Rose	e-mail
Secretary & Publicity	Heather Woodward	e-mail
Schools Liaison	Bryan Bell Monica Jones
Membership Secretary and Promotion
Archives and Photographer	Dot Smytherman
Le Jardin d’Aubers	Dot Smytherman
Music	Howard Spurr
Wadhurst Partnership	Representative Brian Wheeler
European Forum	Lyn Harris
Honorary Auditor
Committee Members	Len Bishop	Janet McFarlan
	Gloria Morris	John Northover
Ex Officio Member: Chairman of the Wadhurst Parish Council	John Phipson
Membership:	Individual - £7 Family - £12	Student - £3 Affiliated - £15

For further details about the Wadhurst Twinning Association and its events or about the two language groups, contact Monica Jones on 783 335.

The very successful visits to Aubers - weekend of 7/8 May 2005 here and 11/12 October 2003 - here

The Twinning Gazette is issued from time to time and copies are available from Heather Woodward

Info Jumelage Report

BRUSH UP YOUR FRENCH with the Wadhurst Twinning Association.
Would you like to join a Cercle français? A monthly evening meeting will be held, involving small groups let by fluent or native French speakers.
Numbers will have to be limited and some knowledge of French will be needed as well as a dictionary. It is proposed that only French will be spoken.
To express your interest, as participant or leader, please contact Monica Jones, Marling Cottage, Station Hill, Wadhurst, (tel. 01892 783 33)

A visit to Aubers on Friday 27 September by 40 students from Wadhurst Primary School and Uplands Community Technology College. The party rose early to meet at 5.45am on our day out. Courtesy of Warrens Coaches and Eurotunnel, we arrived in Aubers at 11.00am local time. In the morning the children visited a French Primary school where we sang songs, introduced each other in French, played football on the playground had a special lunch in the Foyer Rural in Aubers. In the afternoon, we looked at the history that underpins our twinning and visited the Museum in Fromelles, sketched the Australian memorial, reenacted the battle on site and saw the names of the men from Wadhurst on the memorial at Le Touret. It was a great day out, the children responded really well and we were all grateful to Val Dormady for organising the trip.

Wadhurst and Aubers are broadening the links between our two communities in order to encompass all age groups and as many interests as possible. Links are already established on a social level, with individuals, between students, with local artists and painters, with the football team, with the primary schools and with the poets. Further efforts are being made as regards the gardeners and we hope the Scouts, Guides and Brownies.

We now have over 100 members and have recently introduced affiliated membership (£15) for any club, group, business, company which would like to establish links with Aubers. This membership entitles two designated members from the organisation to participate in the events and activities of the Wadhurst Twinning Association. This is an association for friendship and social, cultural links, self-supporting and non-political.

If any organisation or individual would like to know more about the Wadhurst Twinning Association, we would be pleased to provide an experienced guest speaker. For further details about the association and its membership, please contact:

Gloria Morris, Membership Secretary High Oaks, Mayfield Park, Wadhurst TN6 6DH 01892 782589

For Sale: Wadhurst - Aubers Videos: July 2000 Videos of the Wadhurst - Aubers

Twinning Ceremonies: in the church, at the Commemoration Hall and during the lunch and tea dance. They cost £7.50 and are available in two versions, one suitable for British television sets, the other for French television. To purchase, please contact John McKenzie 01580.212771

Links to Aubers

Background to our town twinning

It was as a result of the First World War link with Aubers that students from Uplands Community College, under the guidance of their History master, first began visiting the battlefields of Aubers. The kindness they received resulted in this becoming a regular feature of the curriculum.

The friendship which developed led to the idea that a broader based relationship involving a wider spectrum of the two communities in the form of links between individuals, clubs and associations might be desirable. This gave rise to the formation of a Twinning Association with the backing of the Parish Council.

The Twinning Association membership is open to all and currently consists of people from all walks of life, many of whom have worked and lived on the Continent, who whilst sharing a common interest in France, its people, customs and language, may well be of differing political persuasions.

The Association is entirely 'self funding' from membership subscriptions and fund raising events. Its activities receive no financial support or grants from the Parish Council, County Council or the European Union.

The working of its proposed Charter reflects the aims and wishes of both communities to continue to develop the friendship already established.

In short, the origins of the Twinning are historical and educational. The Association is apolitical and financially independent, its sole objective being to further the existing friendly relationship between two communities linked by a common tragic period in history.

The Wadhurst Twinning Association extends a warm welcome to anyone who would like to become a member. The group is extending its contacts with Aubers and is also planning various social and fund-raising events through the year, including trips to France for members.
Single membership £7, family membership £12.

Aubers: France Tourist Office link Email : aubers@tourisme.norsys.fr

Weppes: Tourist Office website - more comprehensive

For a local map - and weather forecast for Aubers: click here

The Battles of Aubers Ridge and Festubert

Festubert Ridge website: an excellent and detailed history of the campaign from the 'Long Long Trail' website, which covers the whole war in considerable detail

Vera Brittain 'Chronicle of Youth' Gollancz 1951 p197:

Friday May 14th

News this morning reports a French victory in the taking of a village. It also says that on Sunday [May 9] an unsuccessful attack was made by the British troops 20 miles south of Ypres on the Aubers Ridges near Lille, resulting in great loss of life. That is where I think Roland is. Comment is useless. I am now waiting for news in great anxiety. The Times leading article was very pessimistic to‑day, & says we may have to give up everything in the world before our object can be achieved.

Lieutenant Roland Aubrey Leighton 7^th Worcesters was Vera Brittain's fiancé; he died of wounds near Hébuterne on Dec 23 1915

May 9 - 17, 1915

Despite failures throughout the year to break the German lines, the allied forces, by the summer of 1915, were confident that they would succeed in achieving the decisive blow to end the war. Following the failure of the Neuve Chapelle campaign, the French began an offensive to the to the south of La Bassée, which would come to be known as the second battle of Artois. The British stayed relatively stagnant for a time, replenishing their forces which had been crippled during the battle of Neuve Chapelle and the second battle of Ypres.

By May, Gen. Haig felt that his forces were strong enough to undertake another offensive. The target chosen by the British was Aubers ridge, just north of Neuve Chapelle. Once again, the Germans held the high ground, facing the British with a very difficult advance. To make matters worse, the area was saturated from the heavy spring rains making trench digging near impossible. Artillery support was very limited because of shortages of guns and ordnance. Despite all these terrible conditions, the attack was scheduled for May 9.

In the early morning hours on the 9th, the artillery began a short but heavy bombardment. Within a half an hour, the British infantry was advancing into a hail of machine gun and small arms fire. They were soundly beaten back to their starting positions. Gen. Haig ordered a follow up attack later in the day, which ended in the same result. By this point, the British had lost some 11,000 men. Haig was persuaded by his field commanders to abandon any further attack against the ridge.

To the south, the French army continued its suicidal attacks on the German stronghold of Souchez. Haig decided to shift the focus of the British offensive south of Aubers Ridge, to the German positions near the town of Festubert. This time, the British would change their tactics in an attempt to match the might of the German defenses. A larger artillery barrage was to be used as well as a night attack.

Near dusk on May 15, the artillery opened up on the German positions around Festubert. The shells did little damage to the German positions as would be found out by the advancing infantry. Under the cover of darkness, two territorial divisions, mostly made up of Indians, attacked. Confusion set in almost immediately and the British were cut to pieces by the German gunners. The end result of the battle showed the British casualties to be over 16,000 with no territory gained. The tactics were changed for the worse following the failure to involve more guns and more men in operation such as this, which would have disastrous results for the British in the years to come.

A report from 'Info Jumelage' [copyright 'La Vie Outre-Manche' - 01622 682 122]

Un pont entre le passé et l'avenir

Plus de quatre-vingts ans apres les circonstances tragiques de la Première Guerre mondiale, les habitants de Wadhurst et d'Aubers se retrouvent et scellent leur amitié par un jumelage très prometteur de leurs communes

Pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, de nombreux jeunes gens résidant dans Ia petite ville de Wadhurst (East Sussex) se sont engagés dans le Royal Sussex Regiment. En mai 1915, le régiment s'est retrouvé posté dans le nord de la France pour renforcer les troupes de l'armée française qui s'apprêtaient a lancer une offensive importante contre les Allemands. Malheureusement, l'attaque - connue désormais sous le nom de 'Bataille de la Côte d'Aubers' - a été un echec total pour les troupes françaises et britanniques qui ont dû affronter un ennemi aux défenses beaucoup plus fortes que prévu. Pres de 10.000 soldats britanniques ont été tués. Parmi eux, 25 étaient de Wadhurst. Quant au village d'Aubers, il a été totalement détruit, de meme qu'une ferme située aux environs et qui appartenait à la famille Leclercq.

Quatre-vingts ans plus tard, le professeur d'histoire du lycée de Wadhurst a eu lidèe, un jour; demmener ses élèves à Aubers pour leur faire decouvrir les champs de bataille de la Première Guerre mondiale. Le groupe a été reçu très chaleureusement par les membres du Cercle Historique du village et ces visites sont désormais inscrites au programme du lycée de Wadhurst. Lors de leur visite, les éléves sont généralement accompagnés par un jeune membre du Cercle, "Joss" Leclercq, dont la famille habite la ferme maintenant reconstruite. Joss, particulièrement intéressé par l'aviation militaire, a mené une veritable enquête pour retrouver l'identité du pilote d'un Spitfire abattu en 1941 pres d'Aubers. Ses efforts ont été couronnés de succés, comme en témoigne une stèle posée à un carrefour à l'entrée du village à la mémoire du sergent Bramble.

Cést de ces souvenirs communs et expressions d'amitié qu'est née l'idée d'un jumelage entre Wadhurst et Aubers. Quelques supporters enthousiastes du projet se sont alors mis au travail en collaboration avec le conseil municipal et la cérémonie officielle du jumelage a eu lieu à Wadhurst en juillet dernier. Environ 200 personnes ont pris part aux festivités, dont une centaine de Français.

Le village d'Aubers est situé a mi-chemin entre Béthune et Lille, au milieu d'une vaste region où les cimetières datant de la Première Guerre mondiale sont malheureusement nombreux. Cette région est reputée pour ses excellents produits, tels que son miel, son jus de pomme, ses gaufres, sa "bière de garde" (une bière qui est gardée pendant six à huit semaines au froid pour une meilleure fermentation), ses fleurs, et les célebrès "betises" - les bonbons à la menthe qui sont la spécialité de la ville de Cambrai. Grâce à l'abondance de ses fleurs, le village d'Aubers est classé "village fleuri". Il arbore également une mairie imposante et une très jolie église.

Comme les jumeaux ne sont pas situés très loin du Tunnel sous la Manche, il est possible de faire le voyage dans la journée. En décembre, quelques habitants de Wadhurst se sont rendus à Aubers et apres avoir déjeuné avec leurs partenaires français, ils ont visité quelques cimetières britanniques et australiens. Une visite de retour a été effectuée par les Français début janvier, lors des fêtes de l'épiphanie organisées par Wadhurst... a la francaise! De nombreuses activités sont prévues pour l'année 2001, dont des échanges entre les élèves, les chorales, les sonneurs de cloches, les équipes de football, les poètes et les jardiniers! La nouvelle association a l'air d'avoir bien démarré et nous présentons à tous nos meilleurs voeux de succès!

Brian W Wheeler