Maresches

History

During World War I the Germans occupied Maresches. Private A S Bullock, in a posthumously published memoir, recalls going over the top to drive them back, describing 'the tremendous artillery bombardment'. He recalls, 'The noise was terrific and the only thing that could be heard above the shells, which were bursting everywhere, was the crackling of the Vickers machine guns.' Bullock notes that this was the fourth time he went over the top. He remembers, perhaps significantly, 'I had the Lewis gun, and the team stayed with me'. He records struggling to carry the 40 lb gun over a barbed wire entanglement at night during a poison gas attack, and having to remove his gas mask to avoid getting left behind. He also reports an incident of bravery and ferocity by one Corporal Wilcox who later received the Victoria Cross.

Most-observed species

• Common Pipistrelle

  Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774) · Mammalia
  9,532
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,318
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,224
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,079
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,049
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  942
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  847
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  709

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2008-12-20
  1 km WSW of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
• M 3.3 — 2008-09-13
  3 km SSE of Florennes, Belgium
• M 2.8 — 2008-09-12
  1 km NNW of Court-Saint-Étienne, Belgium
• M 2.7 — 2008-08-09
  1 km SW of Ottignies, Belgium
• M 2.6 — 2008-08-09
  0 km NW of Ottignies, Belgium
• M 2.5 — 2008-08-08
  1 km SSW of Ottignies, Belgium