#armentieres

[herprivateswe]

An elderly lady serves coffee to British troops at a French estaminet behind the lines at Croix-du-Bac, near Armentières. The estaminets of the Western Front, which provided the same sort of service as an English pub, were one of the first ports of call for troops just out of the trenches.

[memoire-ouvriere]

La grève du tissage à Armentières, cortège des grévistes à travers la ville, Nord, 1933.

[leblog2roubaix]

#1106 Andrea LAMBLIN, engagée dans la lutte contre la violence faite aux femmes

Andrea Lamblin, Miss International Haut-de-France Armentières Andrea Lamblin est une jeune femme de 27 ans qui a été élue Miss International Haut-de-France Armentières. Elle travaille depuis 4 ans en tant que préparatrice en pharmacie à la pharmacie Du Grand Palais de Lille. Elle est également professeur de danse et adore partager sa passion de la danse avec ses petites élèves âgés de 5 à 15…

[theworldofwars]

Men of the London Rifle Brigade behind breastworks. Ploegsteert Wood, Armentieres. December 1914.

(Photo source - © IWM Q 11728) Colourised by Doug

[captain-price-unofficially]

February 1918. A British Vickers machine gun in position behind the wingwall of the bridge over the River Lys at Pont de Nieppe, on the Nieppe-Armentieres Road in Northern France. This position was connected by tunnel to the gun crew's dugout.

[peterfields]

Le Sac Nomade. Charvet Editions bags are woven from the finest linen fabrics in Armentieres, Northern France. These bags are designed to be natural, modern, and easy to care for, featuring wide handles for comfortable over-the-shoulder carrying.

[scotianostra]

On November 17th 1292 John Balliol acceded to Scottish throne.

The Balliol dynasty has received, for the most part, a brief mention in Scottish history, but it has remained merely peripheral in the shadows of the Bruce dynasty and the equally powerful Comyn family.

So who were the Balliols?

At the turn of the last millennium, the 10 hundreds, the medieval Balliol family that played such an important part in the history of Scotland, lived in Bailleul-en-Vimeu in Picardie near Armentieres (Somme), from whence the name Balliol derives, and where they owned estates and castles. Their main castle (no longer in existence), was in the Bois de Bailleul south of Bailleul-en-Vimeu, and now part of the Chateau Coquerel estate.

Their ties to England began when they were granted land in England after the landing of William the Conqueror, whom they had supported in his quest for the English throne. Please don't hold that against Balliol, the Bruces also owned large estates in England.

The original land grants to the Balliols were in Northumberland and they subsequently made their principal base in England at Barnard Castle, built by Barnard de Balliol, where its imposing ruins survive at the Teesdale town of Barnard Castle near Durham, as seen in the first picture. Bernard de Balliol, who was born in Picardie in 1105, was the first of his family to receive lands in the lowlands of Scotland. This was at the time King David Ist distributed large estates in Scotland to his Anglo-Norman Friends, such as the de Brus (the Bruce family), Fitz-Alan (which became the Stewart Clan) de Bailleul (the Balliol family) de Comines (the Comyn family) and many others who thus became landowners on both sides of the border.

The Balliol's were an influentual family, and the marriage of John de Balliol to Devorguilla in 1233, brought together two substantial families. She was a direct descendant of David I, King of Scotland, and daughter of Lord Allan de Galloway, it was through Devorguilla that John Balliol's claim to the Scottish throne arose.

In 1290, Queen Margaret , Maid of Norway died leaving a disputed succession in Scotland which led to the first interregnum (a situation with no King). There were thirteen different claimants to the Scottish throne, among whom was John Balliol who designated himself as "Heir to the Kingdom of Scotland". As well as David I the Balliol claim had connections to Kings Malcolm IV and William I the Lion.

His main rivals for the throne were Robert de Bruce (father of king Robert the Bruce I), and John Comyn. Edward claimed the right to intercede as feudal lord of the Scottish Kings through their Anglo-Norman roots and arbitrated between the claimants. Edward, after a years discussions with his court accepted Balliol's claim, and on November 17th 1292, John Balliol became King of Scotland and acceded to the Scottish throne at Scone Abbey, Perthshire.

Balliol did homage to Edward as his Lord, but most other Scot's resisted Edward's demands for military service and Bailliol was unable to unite his people, and became rebellious. In June 1294 Edward demanded military aid from Scotland for his projected war in Gascony. The Scottish reaction was to conclude a treaty of mutual aid with the French. In January 1296 the Scots under Balliol raided northern England. Edward reacted quickly; he took Berwick on March 30th , Castle after Castle fell, and in the Battle of Dunbar, Balliol was defeated. John resigned his kingdom to Edward at Montrose. He was stripped of his arms and knightly dignity in a ceremony which later earned him the name of "Toom Tabbard" or Turncoat. He was forced to abdicate, leading to the second interregnum and was imprisoned in the Tower of London for treason, along with his supporters, John, Earl of Athol, John Comyn, and Sir John de Montieth. Balliol's ruin was complete and final, It involved the confiscation of his estates, excommunication and eventually exile.

Edward removed the Stone of Destiny, on which the Scottish kings were crowned, and took it to England where, until recently, it was kept under the throne in Westminster Abbey.

Meanwhile William Wallace, in the name of Balliol, continued his campaign against the English and incited a rebellion in 1297, defeated the English army at Stirling Bridge, and harassed England's northern counties. The next year Edward defeated Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk but encountered continued resistance until Wallaces' capture in 1304. He had been betrayed by de Monteith, to earn his freedom from the Tower and to become the Earl of Lennox for this betrayal. 5

After three years imprisonment Balliol was eventually released from the Tower in 1299 on the intercession of the Pope, and was banished to France in exile. He died at the Chateau Galliard in France in 1313 and is thought to be buried in the Church of St Waast, Normandy. A John de Bailleul is interred in the church of St. Waast at Bailleul-sur-Eaune. This may or may not be the Scottish King.

There is much more detail about The Balliol's here http://earthfriendarts.tripod.com/Baliol.htm

[skubri30]

ARMENTIERES - Nord

Ses employés sont passés directement à coté

[married-to-a-redhead]

A day late, but I finally got around to re-watching They Shall Not Grow Old. It’s not a traditional documentary because there is no narrator. Every spoken word is from an actual veteran of World War 1. They tell their stories as the restored WW1 footage is shown. It’s truly amazing.

[herprivateswe]

Men of the 2nd Australian Division in a front-line trench cooking a meal, Croix du Bac, near Armentieres. A variety of cooking methods were employed including primus stoves and braziers and soldiers produced a lunch of hot 'bully beef' hash from tins of corned beef.

[alanmalcherhistorian]

London Rifle Brigade during the Great War, December 1914.

Colourised image by DBCoour. Original B&W source not listed) Members of the London Rifle Brigade in Ploegstreet Wood, Armentieres Belgium. According to the London Rifles Association during the Great War 10,016 were killed during enemy action, 2,644 wounded and 303 captured. Part of the wood is now used by the Commonwealth War Greaves Commission. Alan Malcher

[pavspatch]

What does the future hold for Stalybridge Celtic?

PEOPLE have been on at me over the last week, asking me to pen some thoughts on Stalybridge Celtic’s relegation.

Here goes . . .

THE pictures show thousands of people in Armentieres Square. They've gathered to salute their heroes — players like Steve Pickford, Martin Filson, Kevin Parr and Matty McNeill — who have just stepped off an open-top bus after a triumphant tour of the town.

In their hands, being proudly shown to the vast crowds, are the the Cheshire Senior Cup and the Northern Premier League championship trophy and President's Cup. A couple of months later a fourth piece of silverware will be added, the Peter Swales Shield.

That was 2001. Move forward 22 years and it's a completely different scene. Stalybridge Celtic have gone from being Tameside's most successful club, and membership of the National League, to relegation to the NPL's first division west — the lowest level of foot ball they have experienced since their North West Counties League days 40 years ago.

Ostensibly, Celtic's decline mirrors that of Mossley in the 1980s. However, while the Lilywhites collapse was sudden — two NPL titles and three runners-up spots followed by a plunge to bottom place in 1983-84, Stalybridge's decline has been much more gradual and painful.

As recently as 2008 they were facing Barrow, now members of EFL League Two, in the National League North play-off final. Four years later they spent the first half of the 2011-12 season vying for the championship with Hyde United who ultimately won it. In 2015 they reached the first round of the FA Cup.

At the same time, Celtic's slick commercial operation was the pride of the area. Every match seemed to be preceded by a packed sponsors' lounge. The club exuded professionalism from the moment you stepped through the doors and saw the trophy cabinets and team pictures. Other clubs could only look on with envy.

In my BBC Radio Manchester days I would regularly describe Celtic as among the most successful of sides. And then I'd get a phone call from my late friend Keith Trudgeon who would point out that Bridge hadn't actually won anything since 2001.

So what went wrong? Or should that be what didn't go right?

There have been plenty of false dawns, such as the plan to move the stadium to the town centre, which collapsed almost as soon as it was announced. The squad briefly went full time, and there have been personalities who arrived at Bower Fold promising great things and then quietly departed.

Many, perhaps even most, people would lay the blame for Bridge's steady decline at the feet of one man. Indeed an ex-manager I asked about Celtic's problems actually answered: "You can sum it all up in two words — Rob Gorski."

But not every former boss is of the same opinion. Another commented: "Whenever the resources were provided to bring good players in, it was down to Rob Gorski.

"At any level, if you have a big budget, you should be able to push for the top. The board all worked tirelessly to make it a great club.

"It's a long road back. Those days can return but without the money, and leadership on and off the park, the club will struggle. Hopefully they can bounce back."

I know from personal experience that when things aren't going well people fall out at non-league football clubs. Jobs that would normally be taken care of without fuss can be ignored or become the cause of arguments and ill-feeling. People are constantly quitting or threatening to.

The departure of one or two key people can also leave huge gaps to fill. At Hyde United, Steve Johnson is constantly mocked as a silly old duffer, but when he stands down in ten or 15 years' time, who will replace him?

Will there be another person waiting in the wings who wants to spend their every waking hour at Ewen Fields working in the tea bar and doing a host of other jobs from accounts to emptying bins, and for no payment? Such people are extremely difficult to find.

With any luck relegation will prove to be a catharsis and Celtic will indeed start to bounce back. It is possible.

In 2009, Hyde United were wound up in the High Court for a week. After their two seasons in the National League they suffered three consecutive relegations. Now, they're among the serious candidates for promotion from the Northern Premier League.

Curzon Ashton, Tameside's only National League North outfit, had a terrible time in the mid-1990s, falling from the NPL first division north into the Northern Counties East League and then the NWCL second division.

As Bridge manager Chris Willcock stated in his message to supporters, Celtic are at a crossroads but one where the club has the power to choose its path forward. The massive setback it has just suffered can be a catalyst for positive change. Energy needs to be channelled towards creating a brighter future.

At some point soon, the majority of fans will get what they want. Rob Gorski will find a buyer for his shares, he'll cut his links, and Stalybridge Celtic will have a new owner with a new broom and a new plan. Whatever people may think of Rob Gorski, and his methods and motives, he wouldn't risk the club's future by selling to a swindler. He genuinely loves Celtic.

There could be a bigger role ahead for the supporters and all manner of other possibilities.

While those who fail to learn history's lessons are doomed to repeat them, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, it's equally true that you can't fixate on the past. You have to look to the future and that's what Stalybridge Celtic need to do now as they pick themselves up off the canvas.

[18thfoot]

The Royal Irish Regiment in the Great War. 14th March 1915 - France The 2nd Battalion joined 12th Brigade, 4th Division at Le Bizet, near Armentieres, on their return to operations. The battalion had been out of the line after the debacle at Le Pilly in October 1914. They would remain in this area until the end of April. Belgium - At 5 o’clock on the evening of the 14th March 1915 the Germans launched an attack on the village of St. Eloi, surrounding trenches and the nearby spoil heap which was referred to as The Mound. They detonated a mine under the Mound, a spoil heap about 30 ft high and 0.5 acres in area, located south of the village. #18thfoot #royalirishregiment #greatwar #worldwar1 #ww1 #westernfront https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpw7-BKNYTP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thisdayinwwi]

Apr 9 1918 During The Battle of the Lys, a German official photographer takes this photo, IWM Q 55261, of a German 21cm Morser 1916 heavy howitzers being drawn along a road by tractors at Armentieres.

April 9 1918-04-09

[theworldofwars]

British soldiers in position at a gun post possibly near Armentieres, 1915.