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Our Twinning background:
Albert French was 16 years of age when he was killed in action on 15th June 1916. He lays buried in a cemetery in Ploegsteert, eight miles south of Ypres, Belgium.
After a chance discovery of letters from the late Albert to his sister at home, moves were made to formally twin the two towns of Wolverton and Ploegsteert with an official Act of Twinning in May 2006. The Affirmation of the Twinning Charter was signed by representatives from the two councils and for a number of years now the two towns have taken it in turn to visit one another.
Besides aiming to maintain relationships and encourage exchanges, promote and continue mutual friendships, there is a special clause, to ‘continue to pay tribute to Albert French whose story has forged a lasting bond between our two communities’.
Ploegsteert (called 'Plugstreet' by the soldiers) is a village in Belgium in the municipality of Comines-Warneton in the Hainaut province and is the most westerly settlement of Wallonia. It is approximately 1.2 miles north of the French border. The village was created in 1850 on part of the territory of Warneton.
In late 1914 and early 1915, the nearby Ploegsteert Wood was the site of much fighting. From January to May 1916, Winston Churchill served in the area as Commanding Officer (Lieutenant Colonel) of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers.
If the above is of interest to you or should you wish to learn more about our planned trip, then please do not hesitate to contact us.
I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Kind regards
Joe Quinn
Community Engagement and Projects Officer
Serving the communities of Wolverton, Greenleys, Old Wolverton, Wolverton Mill, Stonebridge, Hodge Lea and Stacey Bushes.
Wolverton & Greenleys Town Council
Town Hall, Creed Street, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, MK12 5LY
Tel: 01908 326800 | Fax: 01908 326801 |
