Fromelles () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. it had a population of 1,041; its inhabitants are called Fromellois. It is located about to the west of Lille. First World War The village of Fromelles was captured by advancing German forces on 9 October 1914 during the "Race to the Sea". Throughout almost the whole of the war, the front line was stable, running through the territory of the commune and leaving the inhabited area in German hands. The Battle of Aubers Ridge was fought in the area to the northwest of the village on 9 May 1915 as part of the Second Battle of Artois. Battle of Fromelles The Battle of Fromelles on 19–20 July 1916 was the first occasion on which the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) saw action on the Western Front. The battle is widely regarded as a disaster for the Allies, and has been described as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history." It resulted from a plan to divert German attention from the Battle of the Somme, but historians estimate that 5,500 Australians and 2,000 British troops were killed or wounded. The Australian losses were equivalent to the combined total Australian losses in the Boer War, Korean War and Vietnam War: although later World War I actions would be more deadly for the AIF, Fromelles was the only one to achieve no success. Adolf Hitler is believed to have served as a messenger on the German side with the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division. Cemeteries Many difficulties faced frontline Allied units in the sector following the battle, and the Australian 5th Division found it necessary to bury 400 of its own dead, in a mass grave, about two kilometres north of Fromelles. This particular point on the frontline became known to British Empire troops as "V.C. Corner" (a name that was probably an ironic reference to the Victoria Cross). On the other side of the lines, many Allied dead were likewise buried hastily by German forces. Following the war, many of these graves were located by the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC) and the remains therein were reburied at official cemeteries. At V.C. Corner, the existing mass grave was augmented by the IWGC with unidentified remains found on the battlefield and some from other temporary or otherwise unsuitable sites. After the burial area was reconfigured, and marked with two large