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Le Quesnoy was liberated by New Zealand soldiers on November 4, 1918 after four years of occupation by Germany. No civilians were killed, and the town wasn't destroyed.
This sparked a deep gratitude from locals, which has remained to this day.
More than 100 Kiwi soldiers were killed in the wider Le Quesnoy area.
There are street signs with references to New Zealand, ferns grow next to the city’s namesake oaks, New Zealand flags hang next to French flags over the Anzac period and every year locals remember what was done to help free them.
“When a New Zealander walks in the street of Le Quesnoy – people usually say, ‘if he meets anybody and they will notice he’s a New Zealander, he will immediately have a new friend’,” Jean-Philippe Froment, president of the association Le Quesnoy – Nouvelle-Zélande told 1News. [...]
The New Zealand Division’s efforts on November 4, 1918, including advancing 10km and capturing 2000 German soldiers, was their most successful day on the Western Front, according to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage [...]
The Kiwi soldiers were engaged in intense gunfire with the German soldiers guarding Le Quesnoy since 5.30am.
Several attempts to enter the medieval walled town had failed with Germans fighting back – all but one of the ladders the Kiwi soldiers had been using were destroyed.
But around 4pm, there was a chance to gain entry.
With fellow soldiers steadying the ladder, Second Lieutenant Leslie Averill was the first to climb, unsure what would greet him when he reached the top. The 21-year-old shot at two German soldiers who were fleeing the scene.
The liberation of the town was underway.
INews
