Twinning

Many Dorset towns and villages are twinned with places which can be found in the La Manche Department of Normandy. Such links include:

Bridport is twinned with St-Vaast-la-Houge (population 1828 – 2015). In 2019, the latter gained an award as the prettiest village in France. A must place to visit in St-Vaast-la-Houge is the fine quality grocery store, La Maison Gosselin famous across France which has successfully traded there for more than 130 years.

Lyme Regis is twinned with Barfleur (population 564 – 2018). Both now are popular seaside resorts but in 1066 it was the port where William the Conqueror embarked before the Norman invasion of England. In 1944, its German commander evacuated Barfleur, prior to any battle with the Allies, to avoid it being damaged because he liked the small port so much.

Sturminster Marshall is twinned with Sainte-Mere-Eglise (population 3074 – 2018). In June 1944, American parachutist, John Steele was caught on the tower of the town church. He pretended to be dead before the German army took him prisoner but he later escaped. A dummy paratrooper hangs from the church tower to commemorate what happened.

Poole is twinned with Cherbourg (population 35,545 – 2018). In the first half of the 20^th century, Cherbourg was a stopping point for the great ocean liners such as the Queen Elizabeth, Le France & the SS United States. It is also an important naval base and has a shipyard that builds submarines.

Brownsea Island is twinned with Ile de Tatihou. The latter is a tidal island and is reached by an amphibious craft. The Dorset Twinning Association reckons this link is not active. This is perhaps understandable as both islands have few if any residents. Back in 1692, it was the scene of a naval battle between the French and English fleets.

Blandford Forum is twinned with Mortain (population 1,531 – 2017). Located 90 miles south of Cherbourg, Mortain, yet is still in the Department of La Manche, it was the site of an important battle between the German and American armies in 1944.

Sherborne is twinned with Granville (population 13,021 – 2012). It is a seaside resort close to the popular tourist attraction of Mont-Saint-Michel. In October 1895, the Granville-Paris Express over ran its buffers at the Gare Montparnasse terminus in Paris with disastrous consequences.

Wimborne is twinned with Valognes (population 6,827 – 2018). Before the French Revolution, Valognes was known as the ‘Versailles of the North’ because of its popularity with the French aristocracy. During World War II at nearby Sottevast, there was a German weapons bunker designed to launch V2 rockets against southern England.

Sturminster Newton is twinned with Montebourg (population 2,100 – 2018). The latter is a small town some 18 miles south east of Cherbourg. During June 1944, it suffered from heavy bombardment during the Battle of Normandy which caused heavy damage.

(Illustrations: 1 - Sturminster Marshall/Sainte-Mere-Eglise American parachutist John Steele: 2 & 3 - Sherborne/Granville seaside resort & Granville-Paris Express: 4 - Bridport/St-Vaast-la-Houge Monsieur Gosselin's grocery van: 5 - Brownsea Island/Ile de Tatihou amphibious vehicle to cross from the mainland.}