Gonnelieu

Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

Coat of arms

Location of Gonnelieu

(2020–2026) Karine Morelle^[1]Area

4.97 km² (1.92 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

289 • Density58/km² (150/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

59267 /59231

Elevation89–137 m (292–449 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Gonnelieu (French pronunciation: [ɡɔnəljø]) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.^[3]

History

During World War I, the town was captured by the German Empire during the Battle of Cambrai in 1917.^[4] The action is also very important to the subsequent history of modern Welsh-language literature, as the iconic poet Saunders Lewis was severely wounded in action at Gonnelieu while serving as a Lieutenant in the South Wales Borderers. Lt. Lewis needed more than a year to recover from his injuries, and never returned to active service, but dated his own drift towards Welsh nationalism and his decision to write primarily in Welsh rather than in English from his combat experiences in the war.^[5]

Heraldry

The arms of Gonnelieu are blazoned :

Or, a bend sable. (Flesquières, Gonnelieu, Mons-en-Barœul and Viesly use the same arms.)

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ INSEE commune file
^ Murland, Jerry (2022). The Battle of Cambrai 1917: Mœuvres and Bourlon, Cantaing and Graincourt to Flesquières, Masnières, Gouzeaucourt and Gonnelieu. Pen and Sword Military. ISBN 9781399017466.
^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 89.