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84-524: 2 Militia and Special Reserve Battalions 1–4 Territorial and Volunteer Battalions The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army , formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot . The regiment fought in many conflicts, including both

168-659: A German invasion . In June 1941, the battalion was sent to Iceland , serving alongside the Territorial 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division . In September, the battalion transferred back to the United Kingdom and set for Milton Barracks , Gravesend , Kent . The Barracks was where the old 3rd Battalion had been disbanded in the 1920s. Soon after arrival, the battalion received the news from General Sir Bernard Paget , Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces that they were told they were going to be converted into gunners of

252-629: A French civilian guided the Canadians to a "secret passage" leading into the walled old town and by-passing the German defenders. To replace the destroyed urban infrastructure, affordable housing and public facility projects in functional, brutalist building styles were carried out in the 1950s and 60s. Boulogne-sur-Mer is in Northern France, at the edge of the Channel and in the mouth of

336-506: A castle museum) of Boulogne, in the fortified town, houses the most important exhibition of masks from Alaska in the world, the second largest collection of Greek ceramics in France (after the Louvre), collections of Roman and medieval sculptures, paintings (15th–20th century), an Egyptian collection, African Arts etc. As these collections are exhibited in a medieval castle, one can also discover

420-526: A church there dedicated to Notre-Dame de Boulogne , " Our Lady of Boulogne[-sur-Mer]". The foundation of the city known to the Romans as Gesoriacum is credited to the Celtic Boii . In the past, it was sometimes conflated with Caesar 's Portus Itius , but that is now thought to have been a site near Calais which has since silted up. A tall lighthouse was built at Gesoriacum circa 39 AD by order of

504-638: Is a coastal city in Northern France . It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais . Boulogne lies on the Côte d'Opale , a touristic stretch of French coast on the English Channel between Calais and Normandy, and the most visited location in the region after the Lille conurbation. Boulogne is its department's second-largest city after Calais , and the 183rd-largest in France. It

588-575: Is also higher than in said southern English locations. Between 1981 and 2010 the precipitation days averaged 125.3 annually, although overall precipitation increased somewhat in the next averages of 1991 to 2020. Boulogne is close to the A16 motorway (Paris-Amiens-Calais-Dunkerque). Metropolitan bus services are operated by "Marinéo". The company Flixbus proposed establishing a bus line connecting Paris to Boulogne. There are coach services to Calais and Dunkerque. The city has several railway stations, of which

672-724: Is also the country's largest fishing port, specialising in herring . Boulogne is an ancient town and was the main Roman port for trade and communication with its Province of Britain . After a period of Germanic presence following the collapse of the Empire, Boulogne was integrated into the County of Boulogne of the Kingdom of France during the Middle Ages . It was occupied by the Kingdom of England numerous times due to conflict between

756-509: Is one of 56 listed Belfries of Belgium and France , all in northeastern France and Belgium, with shared World Heritage Site status because of their architecture and testimony to the rise of municipal power in the region. It is the oldest building in the upper city of Boulogne, and currently serves as the home to a museum of Celtic remains from the Roman occupation. Founded as the Count's dungeon,

840-547: Is situated in the town centre, about 5 minutes from the Boulogne Tintelleries railway station. Two health centres are located in Boulogne, the public Hospital Duchenne and the private Clinique de la côte d'opale. Boulogne's football club, US Boulogne Côte d'Opale (US refers to Union Sportive), is one of the oldest in France due to the city's proximity to England, founded in 1898. The club currently play in

924-673: The 214th Infantry Brigade , 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division , alongside the 5th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and 7th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry . The battalion continued training in preparation for operations in North-Western Europe. Together with the rest of the 214th Brigade, the battalion landed in Normandy , as part of Operation Overlord , on 24 June 1944, and soon fought in Operation Epsom . On 18 November 1944, during Operation Clipper ,

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1008-845: The 29th Division in March 1915; the battalion was evacuated from Gallipoli to Egypt in January 1916 and then landed at Marseille for service in on the Western Front in March 1916. The 4th Battalion then took part in the Battle of Le Transloy in October 1916. The 1/7th and 1/8th Battalions landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the Gloucester and Worcester Brigade in the South Midland Division in March 1915 for service on

1092-663: The 57th Brigade in the 19th (Western) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front. The 11th (Service) Battalion landed in France as part of the 78th Brigade in the 26th Division in September 1915 for service on the Western Front and then moved to Salonika in November 1915. In December 1918, the regiment was used to suppress the Taranto Revolt , executing one of the rebels by firing squad. The 2nd Battalion

1176-661: The 7th Division . After the Napoleonic Wars, the Militia fell into disuse, although regimental colonels and adjutants continued to appear in the Army List . Whilst muster rolls were still prepared during the 1820s, the element of compulsion was abandoned. For example, the City Of York Militia & Muster Rolls run to 1829. They used a pre-printed form with a printer's date of Sept 1828. The Militia

1260-656: The Allies were training throughout England and preparing for the invasion of Normandy , the 10th Worcesters and 4th Northants both played an important part in the deception plan to fool the German Army . The 11th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment was raised in July 1940 at Norton Barracks from a small cadre of 150 officers and other ranks , most of them from the pre-war Regular Army . The battalion consisted mainly of men conscripted (or called up) straight from civilian for military service, with most of them coming from

1344-586: The Battle of Gazala in June 1942, to be reformed around the 11th Battalion. The proposal was accepted and so, on 31 December 1942, the 11th Battalion was disbanded. On 1 January 1943, it was renumbered the 1st Battalion, during a parade which included the Colonel of the Regiment George Grogan VC and Field Marshal Claud Jacob . The reformed 1st Battalion transferred, in September 1943, to

1428-471: The Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 but lost their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel E. C. F. Wodehouse, who was killed in action. The 2nd Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 5th Brigade in the 2nd Division August 1914 also for service on the Western Front. The 2nd Battalion captured the Chateau of Gheluvelt and held the line against overwhelming odds in October 1914 during

1512-743: The British Army , in the Army Reserve . These are the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (formed in 1539) and the Jersey Field Squadron (The Royal Militia Island of Jersey) (formed in 1337). Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer ( French: [bulɔɲ syʁ mɛʁ] ; Picard : Boulonne-su-Mér ; Dutch : Bonen ; Latin : Gesoriacum or Bononia ), often called just Boulogne ( UK : / b ʊ ˈ l ɔɪ n / , US : / b uː ˈ l oʊ n , b uː ˈ l ɔɪ n / ),

1596-553: The British Expeditionary Force in France. Almost as soon as they arrived, however, the 7th Battalion were exchanged for the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment and became part of the 5th Infantry Brigade , 2nd Infantry Division . The battalion fought in the battles of Belgium and France and were forced to be evacuated to England after the German Army attempted to surround the BEF and cut it off from

1680-543: The Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot . The 1st Battalion was initially deployed to India , while the 2nd Battalion was initially deployed to Ireland , the Channel Islands , Malta , Bermuda and then Canada . Both battalions were posted to South Africa during the Second Boer War . The 1st Battalion left

1764-810: The First and Second World Wars , until 1970, when it was amalgamated with the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) to form the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/44th Foot) . In September 2007, the regiment amalgamated with the Cheshire Regiment and the Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) to form the Mercian Regiment . The regiment was formed in 1881 under

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1848-634: The First Battle of Ypres and then took part in the allied victory at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal in September 1918. The 3rd Battalion landed at Rouen as part of the 7th Brigade in the 3rd Division in August 1914 also for service on the Western Front. The 3rd Battalion saw action at the Battle of Messines in June 1917. The 4th Battalion landed in Gallipoli as part of the 88th Brigade in

1932-594: The First World War , members of the Regiment were awarded nine Victoria Crosses , 70 Distinguished Service Orders (and 12 bars), 288 Military Crosses (and 36 bars), 227 Distinguished Conduct Medals (and 8 bars). The 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 24th Brigade in the 8th Division in November 1914 for service on the Western Front . The 1st Battalion played an important role at

2016-655: The French armies . After preparing for the German invasion of England that never came, the 2nd Division was sent to British India in April 1942, arriving in June. The 7th Battalion fought in the Burma Campaign and took part in the Battle of Kohima and the Battle of Imphal . The 8th Battalion formed part of the 144th Infantry Brigade for most of the war. The battalion arrived in France during early 1940, and took part in

2100-580: The Japanese Empire had entered the war, and there the battalion became part of the 64th Indian Infantry Brigade , serving alongside the 5th Battalion, 10th Baluch Regiment and 1st Battalion, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles , both battalions of the British Indian Army . The brigade was part of the 19th Indian Infantry Division , the " Dagger Division ". The battalion operated in the Burma Campaign from 1944 to 1945, fighting

2184-671: The Latin Bononia , which was also the Roman name for Bologna in Italy. Both places – and Vindobona ( Vienna ) – are thought to have derived from native Celtic placenames , with bona possibly meaning "foundation", "citadel", or "granary". The French epithet sur - Mer ("on sea") distinguishes the city from Boulogne-Billancourt on the edge of Paris. In turn, the Boulogne in Boulogne-Billancourt originates from

2268-666: The Malayan Emergency . Gheluvelt Park in Worcester was opened on 17 June 1922 to commemorate the Worcestershire Regiment's 2nd Battalion after their part in Battle of Gheluvelt , a First World War battle that took place on 31 October 1914 in Gheluvelt (near Ypres ), Belgium . The park was opened by Field Marshal John French, 1st Earl of Ypres , who stated, "on that day the 2nd Worcesters saved

2352-644: The Middle East on the outbreak of the Second World War , having been stationed there since 1938 due to the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine . On 7 September 1939, just four days after the outbreak of the war, Private Darby of the 1st Battalion died in Jerusalem of wounds he had sustained earlier in the year, the first British soldier to die in the war. The battalion was destined to see service in

2436-658: The Pas-de-Calais department in 1800 due to the territorial re-organisation in Revolutionary France. France became the French Empire in 1804; in 1803 Boulogne became an Imperial City (Ville Impériale) . The 19th century was a prosperous one for Boulogne, which became a bathing resort for wealthy Parisians after the 1848 completion of the Longueau–Boulogne railway connecting the town with

2520-543: The Royal Air Force bombed Boulogne harbour to suppress German naval activity following D-Day . Some of the Lancasters carried Tallboy bombs and the harbour and the surrounding area were completely destroyed. In August 1944 the town was declared a "fortress" by Adolf Hitler but it succumbed to Operation Wellhit , the assault and liberation by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division in September. In one incident,

2604-511: The Royal Artillery . On 28 February 1942, the battalion was transferred to the Royal Artillery and converted into the 179th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery and served alongside the reformed 1st Battalion, previously the 11th Battalion, in the 43rd (Wessex) Division . The regiment was amalgamated with the Sherwood Foresters to form The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot) in 1970. The regiment fought in

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2688-406: The Royal Artillery . The battalion remained with the 144th Brigade, until it was transferred to the 211th Infantry Brigade in July 1944. As part of this brigade, the battalion served with the 80th Infantry (Reserve) Division and later the 38th Infantry (Reserve) Division . Both the 9th and 10th battalions were formed in late August 1939, the 9th as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 7th Battalion, and

2772-612: The Western Desert . In July 1940, the battalion was assigned to the 21st Infantry Brigade , serving alongside the 2nd Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment . On 11 October 1940, however, the brigade was redesignated 29th Indian Infantry Brigade , and the other two battalions of the brigade were replaced by two battalions from the Indian Army , the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment and 6th Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles . The brigade

2856-531: The 10th a duplicate of the 8th. The 9th Battalion, formed from many former members of the 7th Battalion, was assigned to the 182nd Infantry Brigade , alongside the 2/7th and 9th battalions of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment , part of the 61st Infantry Division and remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war, as training battalions to supply drafts of replacements for battalions of other regiments overseas. The 10th Battalion was, like

2940-537: The 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, moved across the Dutch-German border and commenced an attack on German soil to take the village of Tripsrath. Together with their parent unit, 214th Infantry Brigade, they were the first British troops to fight on German soil. Their job was to take the north-west side of Geilenkirchen to cover the left flank and support the American forces. The 50th (Holding) Battalion

3024-408: The 9th, also made up of former members of the 8th Battalion and was assigned to the 183rd Infantry Brigade , alongside the 7th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment and 4th Battalion , Northamptonshire Regiment , also of the 61st Infantry Division. The service history of the 10th was much the same as with the 9th, both remaining in the United Kingdom throughout the war. However, in January 1944, while

3108-461: The British Empire." A plaque inside the park commemorates Captain Gerald Ernest Lea, who died on 15 September 1914 while commanding D. Company of the 2nd Battalion. The Worcester Soldier galleries (for the Worcestershire Regiment and the Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars ) is part of the Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum The regiment's battle honours were as follows: Militia (United Kingdom) A separate voluntary Local Militia

3192-429: The Emperor Caligula , possibly in preparation for an invasion of Britain. Known as the Tour d'Ordre, coastal erosion caused it to topple into the sea in 1644. From the time of Claudius 's invasion in AD 43, Gesoriacum formed the major port connecting the rest of the empire to Britain . It was the chief base of the Roman navy 's Britannic fleet until the rebellion of its admiral Carausius in 286. As part of

3276-417: The French capital. In the 19th century, the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Boulogne was reconstructed by the priest Benoît Haffreingue , who claimed to have received a call from God in 1820 to reconstruct the town's ruined basilica . During the Napoleonic Wars , Napoleon amassed La Grande Armée in Boulogne to invade the United Kingdom in 1805. However, his plans were halted by other European matters and by

3360-443: The Home Office administered the Militia and Yeomanry, until such time as they were Embodied. The resultant ‘confusion and inconvenience’ it caused, from 1854 to 1855, resulted in being administered exclusively by the War Office from that time onwards. Under the reforms introduced by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, the remaining militia infantry regiments were redesignated as numbered battalions of regiments of

3444-414: The Midlands . In October, the battalion joined the 213th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) , alongside the 13th Royal Warwickshire Regiment , 14th South Staffordshire Regiment and 9th Royal Berkshire Regiment . In December, the battalion left the brigade and transferred to become the motorised infantry element of the 9th Support Group , part of the newly created 9th Armoured Division . In June 1942,

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3528-400: The Militia which engaged a recruit for a term of service, a volunteer could quit his corps with fourteen days notice, except while embodied for war or training with the regular forces. Volunteer Corps required recruits to fund their own equipment, however, effectively barring those with low incomes. The militia was transformed into the Special Reserve by the military reforms of Haldane in

3612-467: The Roman walls (in the underground) as well as rooms built in the 13th century (La Barbière, banqueting hall, chapel, covered parapet walk...) La Casa San Martin is currently a museum where José de San Martín the leader of independence struggle in Argentina (also Chile and Peru) died in 1850, from 1930 to 1967 this house was the consulate of Argentina in France. There is a statue dedicated to his colleague Simón Bolívar , other liberator of South America in

3696-440: The SS Greek in early October 1902, following the end of the war, when the battalion was disembodied at Worcester. In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve ; the regiment now had two Reserve and two Territorial battalions. Troops from the regiment shot dead two men during the Llanelli railway strike in August 1911. During

3780-459: The Support Group was disbanded and the battalion transferred to 24th Independent Guards Brigade Group and later to the 33rd Independent Guards Brigade Group , where the standard of foot drill was very high. The Commanding Officer (CO) of the battalion, Lieutenant Colonel William Reginald Cox of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry , put forth a proposal to the War Office for the old 1st Battalion, which had been destroyed at Tobruk during

3864-400: The UK in March 1900 on board the Braemar Castle , and was primarily based at Ladybrand during the war. The 2nd Battalion saw heavy fighting near the Modder River . As the war in South Africa dragged on, a number of regiments containing large centres of population formed additional regular battalions. The Worcestershire regiment formed 3rd and 4th regular Battalions in February 1900, when

3948-561: The Western Front and then moved to Italy in November 1917. The 2/7th and 2/8th Battalions landed in France as part of the 2nd Gloucester & Worcester Brigade in the 2nd South Midland Division in May 1916 for service on the Western Front. The 9th (Service) Battalion landed in Gallipoli as part of the 39th Brigade in the 13th (Western) Division in July 1915; the battalion was evacuated from Gallipoli and moved to Egypt in January 1916 and transferred to North Persia Force in July 1918. The 10th (Service) Battalion landed in France as part of

4032-410: The capes Gris Nez and Blanc Nez (which are the closest points of France to England), and attractive seaside resorts like Wimereux , Wissant , Hardelot and Le Touquet . The hinterland is mainly rural and agricultural. The city is divided into several parts : Boulogne-sur-Mer has an oceanic climate that has chilly winters not far above freezing and cool summers tempered by its exposure to

4116-407: The dead from the hospitals at Boulogne were buried in the Cimetiere de L'Est, one of the town's cemeteries, the Commonwealth graves forming a long, narrow strip along the right hand edge of the cemetery. In the spring of 1918, it was found that space was running short in the Eastern Cemetery in spite of repeated extensions to the south and the site of the new cemetery at Terlincthun was chosen. It also

4200-404: The end of the 4th century. In the Middle Ages Boulogne was the capital of an eponymous county , founded in the mid-9th century. An important Count, Eustace II , assisted William the Conqueror in his conquest of England. His wife founded the city's Notre Dame cathedral, which became a site of pilgrimage from the 12th century onwards, attended by fourteen French kings and five of England. It

4284-439: The existing militia battalions were relabeled as the 5th and 6th battalions. The 3rd and 4th ( Militia ) battalions, from 1900 renamed as 5th and 6th battalions, were reserve battalions formed from the Worcester Militia in 1881. The 6th battalion was embodied in May 1900, disembodied in October that year, and later re-embodied for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War. About 615 officers and men returned to Southampton on

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4368-429: The fanatical Imperial Japanese Army and were involved in the recapture of Mandalay . The 7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment was a 1st Line Territorial Army unit serving alongside the 8th Worcesters and 5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment as part of the 144th Infantry Brigade , attached to the 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division . With the division, the battalion was sent overseas in early 1940 to join

4452-402: The fighting in Belgium and France. During the retreat to Dunkirk, several of the battalion's men became separated and temporarily joined the 138th Infantry Brigade (of 46th Division ) during the final fighting in France. At least 6 men from 'D' Company were killed in the Wormhoudt massacre , alongside other men from the 2nd Royal Warwickshire Regiment and 4th Cheshire Regiment , and men from

4536-430: The first World Esperanto Congress was held in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where the historic Declaration of Boulogne was ratified. L. L. Zamenhof , the creator of Esperanto , was among the attendees. In 2005, there was an anniversary celebration to mark the centenary with more than 500 attendees. In 2018, 40,664 people lived in the city, while its metropolitan area had a population of 160,130. Boulogne-sur-Mer hosts one of

4620-492: The imperial response, the junior emperor Constantius Chlorus successfully besieged it by land and sea in 293. The name of the settlement was changed to Bononia at some point between the sack of Gesoriacum and 310, possibly as a consequence of its refounding or possibly by the replacement of the sacked and lower-lying city by another nearby community. The city was an important town of the Morini (the 'sea people'), and Zosimus called it Germanorum ("Germanic-speaking") at

4704-513: The line, ranking after the two regular battalions. Typically, an English, Welsh or Scottish regiment would have two militia battalions (the 3rd and 4th) and Irish regiments three (numbered 3rd – 5th). The militia must not be confused with the volunteer units created in a wave of enthusiasm in the second half of the nineteenth century. In contrast with the Volunteer Force , and the similar Yeomanry Cavalry, they were considered rather plebeian. Volunteer units appealed to better-off recruits as, unlike

4788-421: The militia were an entirely infantry force, but the 1852 Act introduced Militia Artillery units whose role was to man coastal defences and fortifications, relieving the Royal Artillery for active service. Some of these units were converted from existing infantry militia regiments, others were newly raised. In 1877 the militia of Anglesey and Monmouthshire were converted to Royal Engineers . Up to 1855,

4872-649: The most important is Boulogne-Ville station , located in the south of the city. Boulogne-Tintelleries station is used by regional trains. It is located near the university and the city centre. The former Boulogne-Maritime and Boulogne-Aéroglisseurs stations served as a boat connection (to England) for the railway. Boulogne-Ville was the terminus of the Chemin de fer de Boulogne à Bonningues (CF de BB), which extended their line from Saint-Martin-Boulogne on 12 May 1902. Within Boulogne were also halts at Rue de la Lampe, Rue de la Liane, Abbatoir and La Madelaine. The CF de BB closed to passenger traffic on 31 December 1935. It

4956-484: The oldest Universités de l'été – summer courses in French language and culture. It is known as the Université d'été de Boulogne-sur-Mer . The Saint-Louis building of the University of the Côte d'Opale's Boulogne campus opened its doors in 1991, on the site of the former St. Louis Hospital, the front entrance to which remains a predominant architectural feature. Its 6 major specialisms are Modern Languages, French Literature, Sport, Law, History and Economics. The university

5040-400: The redesignation of the 11th Battalion, a war service battalion raised in 1940. The 2nd Battalion was also a Regular Army unit. On the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, it was stationed in British India , where it had been since December 1936. However, for most of the early years of the war the battalion remained there on internal security duties until August 1942, several months after

5124-526: The reforming post 1906 Liberal government. In 1908 the militia infantry battalions were redesignated as "reserve" and a number were amalgamated or disbanded. Altogether, 101 infantry battalions, 33 artillery regiments and two engineer regiments of special reservists were formed. In contrast with the soldier serving in the militia, those who served under Special Reserve terms of service had an obligation to serve overseas, as stipulated in paragraph 54. The standards of medical fitness were lower than for recruits to

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5208-399: The regular infantry. The possibility of enlisting in the army under Regular terms of service were facilitated under paragraph 38, one precondition was that the recruit 'fulfils the necessary physical requirements.' A further contrast was the replacement of several weeks of preliminary training with six months of full time training upon enlisting in the Special Reserve. Upon mobilisation,

5292-426: The rest of the army. Only single men aged 20–22 were to be conscripted (given a free suit of civilian clothes as well as a uniform), and after six months full-time training would be discharged into the reserve. The first intake was called up, but the Second World War was declared soon afterwards, and the militiamen lost their identity in the rapidly expanding army. Two units still maintain their militia designation in

5376-446: The revolutions against Spanish colonial rule in the 1810s. Bolivar planned to head in exile to this very part of France before his death in 1830. Historic emigration in the 19th century from the Nord-Pas de Calais region to Argentina and Chile can explain some cultural ties with South America of the Boulognais and Latino /Ibero-American culture. Nausicaä , the French national sealife centre. As an international maritime port on

5460-514: The river Liane . In a direct line, Boulogne is approximately at 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Calais , 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Folkestone , 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Lille and Amiens , 150 kilometres (93 miles) from Rouen and London and 215 kilometres (134 miles) from Paris. Boulogne is a relatively important city of the North, exercising an influence on the Boulonnais territory (74 towns and villages which surround Boulogne). The coast consists of important tourist natural sites, like

5544-474: The sea. Considering its position, the climate is quite cold in relation to south and east coast locations in England year round. Due to warm winds originating inland, the record temperatures in summer are well above the averages and the warmest day of the year is averaging about 31 °C (88 °F). Summer diurnal temperature variation is low, with normals varying between nights of 15 °C (59 °F) with days at about 20 °C (68 °F). Precipitation

5628-465: The special reserve units would be formed at the depot and continue training while guarding vulnerable points in Britain. The special reserve units remained in Britain throughout the First World War , but their rank and file did not, since the object of the special reserve was to supply drafts of replacements for the overseas units of the regiment. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to Supplementary Reserve in 1924, though

5712-467: The supremacy of the Royal Navy . A nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte (subsequently the emperor Napoleon III ), returned to France in secret from his exile in Britain, passing through Boulogne in August 1840. He was later jailed for trying to lead a revolt in Strasbourg . During the First World War , this was the entrepôt for the first unit of the British Expeditionary Force to land in France and for many others thereafter. Boulogne

5796-419: The third tier, the Championnat National , and host home matches at the 14,500-capacity Stade de la Libération . Boulogne native and FIFA World Cup finalist Franck Ribéry began his career at the club. Basketball teams in Boulogne include Stade Olympique Maritime Boulonnais and ESSM Le Portel of Pro A (first-tier men's professional basketball league in France). The Château de Boulogne-sur-Mer (now

5880-509: The top floor was added in the 13th century. Damage by a fire in 1712 was built over by 1734. Other than the belfry there are also the following sights: Boulogne-sur-Mer is an important fishing port, with 7,000 inhabitants deriving part, or all, of their livelihoods from fishing. IFREMER (the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) and the Pasteur Institute are located in Boulogne Port. Certain brands, including Crown and Findus , have regional offices in Boulogne. In 1905,

5964-403: The two nations. In 1805 it was a staging area for Napoleon 's troops for several months during his planned invasion of the United Kingdom . The city's 12th-century belfry is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site (along with other belfries of Belgium and France ), while another popular attraction is the marine conservation centre Nausicaa . The French name Boulogne derives from

6048-532: The units were effectively placed in "suspended animation" until disbanded in 1953. The term militiaman was briefly revived in 1939. In the aftermath of the Munich Crisis Leslie Hore-Belisha , Secretary of State for War , wished to introduce a limited form of conscription , an unheard of concept in peacetime. It was thought that calling the conscripts 'militiamen' would make this more acceptable, as it would render them distinct from

6132-620: Was again occupied by the English from 1544 to 1550. In 1550, The Peace of Boulogne ended the war of England with Scotland and France. France bought back Boulogne for 400,000 crowns. A culture of smuggling was present in the city until 1659, when French gains in Flanders from the Treaty of the Pyrenees moved the border northwards. Boulogne received its current status as a subprefecture of

6216-486: Was also a significant source of recruits for the Regular Army, where men had received a taste of army life. An officer's commission in the militia was often a 'back door' route to a Regular Army commission for young men who could not obtain one through purchase or gain entry to Sandhurst . Under the act, Militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time service in three circumstances: Until 1852

6300-587: Was an important whaling center prior to 1121. The city survived on herring fishing and received its municipal charter from Count Renaud of Dammartin in 1203. The area was fought over by the French and the English, including several English occupations during the course of the Hundred Years War . In 1492 Henry VII laid siege to Boulogne before the conflict was ended by the Peace of Étaples . Boulogne

6384-587: Was assigned to the 5th Indian Infantry Division and saw service in the East African Campaign . On 22 June 1942, the battalion, still fighting in North Africa , surrendered, along with 30,000 other British Commonwealth troops, at Tobruk during the disastrous Battle of Gazala . Of the men of the original battalion, only 68 officers and men remained. The battalion was reformed in England by

6468-680: Was created in 1808 before being disbanded in 1816. By 1813 the British Army was experiencing a shortage of manpower to maintain their battalions at full strength. Some consideration was given to recruiting foreign nationals; however, on 4 November 1813 a bill was introduced to Parliament to allow Militia volunteers to serve in Europe. In the event only three battalions were raised, and these were sent to serve under Henry Bayly . On 12 April 1814 they arrived in Bordeaux , where they were attached to

6552-491: Was for 56 days on enlistment, then the recruits would return to civilian life but report for 21–28 days training per year. The full army pay during training and a financial retainer thereafter made a useful addition to the men's civilian wage. Of course, many saw the annual camp as the equivalent of a paid holiday. The militia thus appealed to agricultural labourers, colliers and the like, men in casual occupations , who could leave their civilian job and pick it up again. The militia

6636-582: Was one of the three base ports most extensively used by the Commonwealth armies on the Western Front throughout the First World War. It was closed and cleared on 27 August 1914 when the Allies were forced to fall back ahead of the German advance, but was opened again in October and from that month to the end of the war, Boulogne and Wimereux formed one of the chief hospital areas. Until June 1918,

6720-462: Was part of the 1st Rhine Brigade of the British Army of the Rhine from 1926 to 1928. During the Second World War , 994 officers and other ranks of the Worcestershire Regiment were killed in action or died of their wounds, the average age being 26. However, the regiment was awarded 36 battle honours . The 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment was a Regular Army battalion that was stationed in

6804-576: Was raised in Burton upon Trent on 1 June 1940 and, like with the 11th Battalion, originally consisted of three rifle companies of civilians conscripted for military service and a fourth formed from men returning from the Dunkirk evacuation . In October, it was redesignated as the 12th Battalion and became a standard infantry battalion. Most of its existence was spent guarding RAF airfields and alternating between home defence duties and training to repel

6888-400: Was reopened in November 1942, and closed in 1948. Boulogne has no cross channel ferry services since the closure of the route to Dover by LD Lines in 2010. The regional trains are TER Hauts-de-France run by SNCF . The principal service runs from Gare de Boulogne-Ville via Gare de Calais-Fréthun , Gare de Calais-Ville to Gare de Lille-Flandres . Boulogne's 12th-century belfry

6972-458: Was revived by the Militia Act 1852 ( 15 & 16 Vict. c. 50), enacted during a period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on a county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the militia ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). It was intended to be seen as an alternative to the army. Training

7056-590: Was the site of an Allied (French and British) armaments production conference. On 22 May 1940 during the Battle of France , two British Guards battalions and some pioneers attempted to defend Boulogne against an attack by the German 2nd Panzer Division . Despite fierce fighting, the British were overwhelmed and the survivors were evacuated by Royal Navy destroyers while under direct German gunfire. On 15 June 1944, 297 aircraft (155 Avro Lancasters , 130 Handley Page Halifaxes , and 12 De Havilland Mosquitos ) of

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