Cradle of the Escaut
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Saint-Quentinois < Aisne < Picardy < France Cradle of the Escaut After the Battle of Guise in late August 1914 the northern Aisne was invaded by German troops. The inhabitants of the many occupied zones experienced a very different war from those living in unoccupied France. Life was full of fear for people living in the villages of Gouy and Le Catelet, between Cambrai and Saint-Quentin, where the river Le Catelet Escaut has its source. All means of communicating with the rest of the country were prohibited. The Reich war machine decreed that occupied territories should be directly involved in providing food for their troops and were seen as a reservoir of labour. Daily life was particularly difficult. 6 • Est. time: 3hr15 7 3 2 • Length: 11.5km 8 4 5 Lowest point: • 90m D • Highest point: 127m 1 1 • Level: Fairly difficult 4 • Waymarking: Yellow & blue • Passing through: 9 2 Le Catelet, Gouy, Bony, Vendhuile 2 3 © Carte IGN 2013 ON THE ROUTE NEARBY Source of the Escaut © Esprit de Picardie Plaque to memory of British soldiers shot in 1916 American memorial at Bellicourt 1 1 Abbey of Le Mont-Saint-Martin Prospect Hill British cemetery 2 TOURIST INFO.: 2 at Gouy Graves of British soldiers shot in 1916 3 Pays du Vermandois Tourist American cemetery at Bony 3 Information office North entrance to Riqueval canal tunnel 4 Tel. 03 23 09 37 28 CREATION AND UPKEEP OF ROUTE: Communauté de Communes D Depart Le Catelet facing fort. From Rue Gal- 6 Cross D1044 road (caution ) stay on D28 and, at du Pays du Vermandois Augereau on the right, go into Rue Lanté which turns wayside cross, take two left turns, on embankment into a track then go along left-hand side of old railway then alongside the Escaut. (view of river Escaut). 7 Shortcut to D (cuts out 3.5 km). Turn right 1 Cross bridge over the Escaut, continue towards facing church then take D440 road, go alongside village of Gouy, take 3 right turns and go into Rue Quincampoix farm (dovecote) and chapel (view of d’Anvers. Go back aross river (footbridge) and bear Le Catelet fort and river Escaut). Route card taken from left. Off route: Go down to right then left (north entrance 8 www.randonner.fr 2 At the junction, turn left to D71 road (caution ) and to canal tunnel). Come back up on path to left above the Aisne walking/hiking right to go alongside two old abbey farms. the Riqueval tunnel. website. 3 Turn left, cross the canal des Torrens (drainage 9 Off route to left (1.2 km round trip): farmhouse- ditch). Off route towards source of the Escaut on the inn, American war graves. Take track on left to get left. Turn left up a steep-sided track, bear left (views back to Departure point. of abbey grounds, abbey buildings (wall and turret), Alternative route from 8 to 9 (+ 7km): see Saint river Escaut and lakes). Quentinois topo-guide (for sale on website). Take road on left then track on right. Go straight See all our good 4 deals on ahead as far as Gouy. www.facebook.com/ 5 Follow path on left, then turn right into Rue du conception : www.grandnord.fr randonnee.aisne Moussoir then left into Rue du Géant. Make a detour to left of church. Continue on left on D28 road. 1/2 Saint-Quentinois < Aisne < Picardy < France Cradle of the Escaut Episodes in History ROAD TRIP Story of an historic building ABBEY OF LE MONT-SAINT-MARTIN Victoria Cross: The Abbey of Le Mont-Saint-Martin was occupied by The heroes’ trail German forces for the full four years of the war. It was Attacking the Hindenburg line initially converted as a grain store. In autumn 1916 the 50 km - Depart Saint-Quentin buildings were used to stock equipment and as a camp for Russian prisoners of war working to build the new line of fortifications, the 160km long “Siegfried Line” (called the Hindenburg Line by the Allies) linking Lens to Reims. In March 1917, the German army made a strategic withdrawal to this line, to disrupt the “Nivelle” offensive. At the end of the war, despite being protected by a battery of four guns, the abbey was partly destroyed. © Collection privée Only the west wing and dovecote remained. The Abbey of Mont-Saint-Martin after the war MY FATHER’S NAME Story of a war child WAS ROBERT DIGBY... After German offensives some Allied soldiers lost touch with their regiments and found themselves trapped in the occupied zone. They were secretly given food and shelter, sometimes for several years, by courageous inhabitants. Such was the case of Robert Digby who managed to evade capture The heroes’ trail goes from the for 16 months in the village of Villeret, north of Saint-Quentin. The battlefields of the Nord-Pas-de- fugitive fell in love with the daughter of the family sheltering him: Claire Calais to the Chemin des Dames, Dessenne, 20 years old, who gave birth to a baby daughter called by way of the Somme. It consists Hélène. Robert Digby learned French, worked hard in the fields and of 6 different routes and a mobile was well liked by the villagers. phone app. to help you find out On several occasions the German army ordered British soldiers to more about 50 brave soldiers. For surrender. On 16th May 1916, after a supposed denunciation, German their courageous acts, these men troops searched the attic of the Dessenne family house. Four British received the Victoria Cross, the Hélène Digby and her mother soldiers, including Robert Digby, were captured and shot as spies. The highest military decoration that can mayor and village people, accused of complicity, were condemned to be awarded to a British or Com- Claire Dessenne in 1923 hard labour. monwealth soldier. Application available on The four men are buried in the communal cemetery at Le Catelet. Their white gravestones are easily recognisable. App Store et Google Play A plaque in their memory can be seen in the main street, near the wayside cross. In 1930 Robert’s brother came and legally recognized Hélène who was 15 years old by then. AMERICAN CEMETERY AT BONY See details of WW1 A place of Remembrance centenary events on Although officially called the Somme American www.aisne14-18.com Cemetery, it is located in the Aisne department, in and in brochure available the Bony district. It is so named because, in addition for free in all Aisne Tourist to the graves of American soldiers who fought, in September 1918, during the Battle for the Hindenburg Information offices line, it also harbours the graves of soldiers who fought on the Somme during the great German offensive of March 1918. It pays tribute to over 2,300 soldiers and is one of the eight American WW1 military cemeteries administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission. There are rows of marble crosses, Latin crosses for Christian soldiers and adorned with the Star Find «Aisne-14-18» on of David for soldiers of the Jewish faith. Départementales de l’Aisne © Archives Somme American Cemetery 2/2.