The liberation of Le Quesnoy

Le Quesnoy, a historic walled town in northern France, was freed by New Zealand soldiers alone on November 4, 1918. The battle for the town started at 5.30am and, after fierce fighting throughout the day, about midday the soldiers used their Kiwi ingenuity and placed four long ladders against the ramparts to scale the walls. The Germans responded vigorously and by 4pm only one of the ladders remained. This one remaining ladder was set up on a narrow ledge so it could reach the top. Under the cover of intense rifle fire, 2nd Lieutenant Leslie Averill, followed by 2nd Lieutenant Kerr and his platoon, climbed the ladder and were quickly over the top and into the town.

After some hand-to-hand fighting, some 2000 German soldiers surrendered and the 3000 French civilians in the town were liberated without the loss of a single life. But 142 New Zealand soldiers died in liberating the town.

The role the New Zealand soldiers played in liberating Le Quesnoy is remembered to this day by the residents, with streets and parks named after us, and even a song called Le Liberators.

❚ The dedication ceremony for the NZ War Memorial Museum in Le Quesnoy will take place at the former Gendarmerie at 3.30pm on November 4.

❚ At 5pm on November 4 in Cambridge, New Zealand (Le Quesnoy’s sister city) a pictorial exhibition telling the story of Le Quesnoy’s liberation opens in the town hall. At 9pm a light and sound show telling the story of Le Quesnoy will be projected on to the town hall.

On November 10, a large event at Lake Karapiro domain will feature a re-enactment of the liberation (going over the wall etc). A bespoke wall is being made for this purpose.