Keighley has enjoyed close links with France since 1905, when a local branch of the International Brotherhood Alliance was formed, with its non-political ideal “to band together men of all nationalities in a common organisation to promote friendly feeling between nations”.
That same year, under the auspices of the Keighley Chamber of Commerce and the Trades and Labour Council, Keighley and French work people exchanged visits – resulting in the locally unpronounceable Suresnes Road!
After the First World War, Keighley adopted the small battle-scarred town of Poix-du-Nord, providing it with a red-brick community centre designed by local architects W H and A Sugden, opened in 1922 and called – probably equally unpronounceable to the French – the Keighley Hall.
At Whitsuntide in 1925, a French party came to Keighley. Most were from Poix-du-Nord, but there were also several from Suresnes. Highlights of their stay included a civic reception, a garden party at Steeton High Hall and a day-trip to Blackpool.
Here are the French visitors, with some of their local hosts, grouped before the Keighley War Memorial. In 1925 especially, this was a deeply emotive site, having been unveiled only the previous December. The French laid wreaths, with an inscription that read in translation: ‘From the delegation of Poix-du-Nord: To the glorious sons of Keighley, who died for the common cause.’ At the far right stands Wilfrid Smith who, having lived and worked in France, acted as interpreter for the group.
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