entire town was destroyed by the German army during the Battle of the Lys (9 April 1918). In recognition, the town received the 1914-1918 Croix de Guerre. With the subsequent economic crisis in the textile sector, the town never really recovered. From a peak of over 7,000 residents in the 1870s, the population plunged to under 4,000 in 1920. By 2015 it had recovered to 6,378. Population Heraldry Principal buildings There are virtually no buildings dating from before 1918; the town was completely destroyed by German bombing on the 9 and 10 April in 1918, then by the allies until October 1918. The neo-Renaissance Flemish-style town hall was built between 1928 and 1930 by the architect Georges Dumas. It replaced a town hall that was built between 1600 and 1612 destroyed in the First World War. The belfry and the facade were renovated in 2007 and 2008. The church of St Vaast was also built between 1927 and 1930 by Dumas on the location of a previous church dating from 1858 by Charles Leroy, a notable architect of the region. It is a Neo-Gothic Latin cross, 76m x 29m, surmounted by a 76m spire. The portal tympanums and the internal frieze were executed by the sculptor Robert Coin. It was much damaged again by bombing on May 25 and 26, 1940 and had to be renovated after the war. The spire was restored in 1988. See also Communes of the Nord department References Communes of Nord (French department) Nord communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia French Flanders