KBGS Old Boys' Forum

A place to discuss Keighley Boys' Grammar School. 


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KBGS Old Boys' Forum
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Re: Yorkshire-Lille Exchange - Suresnes

What else to do during lockdown but dig around a bit.
It seems that Suresnes was the site of a fortress built for the defence of Paris and held out for some time during the Franco-Prussian War. It was called Forteresse du Mont-Valérien and was near the Bois de Boulogne. Surrendered in January 1881. In 1894 Dreyfus was imprisoned there. From 1940 to 1944 the Nazi occupiers housed prisoners there who would then be taken to the woods and shot.
The name, Suresnes Road, could either have been in recognition of the part Suresnes played in the defence of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War, or it may have had an earlier name and been renamed as an act of remembrance for those who had awaited their fate there in WW2. My guess is that it would have probably been the latter, given that many resistance fighters were sent there.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1958-65

Current location (optional) Leeds