Gueudecourt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Commune of Gueudecourt |
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| Location | |
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Picardie |
| Department | Somme |
| Arrondissement | Péronne |
| Canton | Combles |
| Mayor | Suzanne Guise (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 104 m–147 m (avg. 119 m) |
| Land area¹ | 4.87 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
104 |
| - Density | 21/km² (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 80397/ 80360 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
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Gueudecourt is a commune of the Somme département in northern France.
[edit] History
During the Battle of the Somme, the town of Gueudecourt had comprised one of the most distant objectives for the British drive that opened on September 15, 1916, a drive that has come to be known as the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. Although the British had not been able to take Gueudecourt during the battle’s commencement, continual fighting had brought the town within reach by September 25, when the Battle of Morval opened. The primary trench-lines that guarded the town, and through which the 21st Division of the XV Corps had to assault, were Goat Trench, Gird Trench, and Gird Support. The 10th King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and the 1st East Yorks (64th Brigade) attacked Gird Trench, but could make no headway, while the 1st Lincolns were stopped by shellfire in the British frontline. The 8th and 9th Leicesters (110th Brigade) had greater success, taking Goat Trench, but machine-gun fire prevented them from taking Gird. On the morning of September 26, at 6:30 am, a tank came up Pilgrim’s way to assist in the capture of Gird trench—the Battle of Morval marked only the second use of tanks in war. Behind the tank, bombers of the 7th Leicesters followed, driving the Germans from Gird Trench. The tank moved towards the Southeast of Gueudecourt before retiring from the scene. A combined thrust of infantry (6th Leicesters) and cavalry (19th Lancers and South Irish Horse) occupied the town that evening. The final position in this sector, as of September 26, was a little short of the Gueudecourt—Le Transloy road.
