The Postcard
A postally unused carte postale that was published by B. F. and printed by Catala Frères of Paris. The card has a divided back.
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer is a commune 68 km (42 mi) west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area. The town's population in 2017 was recorded at 14,782.
The canalised section of the river Aa begins at Saint-Omer, reaching the North Sea at Gravelines in northern France. Below its walls, the Aa connects with the Neufossé Canal, which ends at the river Lys.
The fortifications (which had been improved by Vauban in the 17th. century) were demolished during the last decade of the 19th. century, and boulevards and new thoroughfares built in their place. Saint-Omer has wide streets and spacious squares.
A section of the ramparts remains intact on the western side of the town, converted into a park known as the Jardin Public.
There are two harbours outside the city and another within its limits.
During the Great War on the 8th. October 1914, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) arrived in Saint-Omer and a headquarters was established at the aerodrome next to the local race course.
For the following four years, Saint-Omer was a focal point for all RFC operations in the field. Although most squadrons only used Saint-Omer as a transit camp before moving on to other locations, the base grew in importance as it increased its logistic support to the RFC.
Many Royal Air Force squadrons can trace their roots to formation at Saint-Omer during this period.
During World War II, the Luftwaffe used the airfield. When the RAF's legless Battle of Britain ace, Douglas Bader, parachuted from his Spitfire during an aerial battle over France, he was initially treated at a Luftwaffe hospital at Saint-Omer.
He had lost an artificial leg when bailing out, and the RAF dropped him another one during a bombing raid.
The Cathedral at Saint-Omer
The old cathedral was constructed mainly in the 13th. and 14th. centuries. A heavy square tower finished in 1499 surmounts the west portal. The church contains Biblical paintings, a colossal statue of Christ seated between the Virgin Mary and St. John (13th. century, originally belonging to the cathedral of Thérouanne and presented by the emperor Charles V), the cenotaph of Saint Audomare (Omer) (13th. century) and numerous ex-votos.
The richly decorated chapel in the transept contains a wooden figure of the Virgin (12th. century), the object of pilgrimages.
The cathedral has a huge Cavaillé-Coll organ, which is still playable.
Saint-Bertin Church
Of Saint-Bertin church, part of the abbey (built between 1326 and 1520 on the site of previous churches) where Childeric III retired to end his days, there remain some arches and a lofty tower, which serve to adorn a public garden.
Several other churches or convent chapels are of interest, among them St.-Sepulchre (14th. century), which has a stone spire and stained-glass windows.
The Main Square and Saint-Omer Town Hall
A collection of records, a picture gallery, and a theatre are all situated in the town hall, built of the materials from the abbey of St.-Bertin. Several houses date from the 16th. and 17th. centuries.
The Hôtel Colbert, once the royal lodging, is now occupied by an archaeological museum. The military hospital occupies the former English College, founded by the English Jesuits in 1593. It is now part of the Lycée Alexandre Ribot. Besides the Lycée, there are schools of music and of art.
The old episcopal palace adjoining the cathedral is used as a court-house. Saint-Omer is the seat of a court of assizes and tribunals, of a chamber of commerce, and of a board of trade arbitration.
Jacqueline Robin
Until 1942, the chief statue in the town was that of Jacqueline Robin, who helped the town resist a siege by Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1711. However, the statue was removed during the German occupation in order to be melted down for its metal.
World War II
During the Second World War, the area was chosen as a launch site for the V-2 rocket. The nearby blockhouse at Éperlecques and the underground complex of La Coupole were built for this purpose, and are open to the public.
The Saint-Omer Public Library
The public library of Saint-Omer holds one of the three French copies of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible, originally from the library of the Abbey of Saint-Bertin. The other two copies are in Paris.
In November 2014, a previously unknown Shakespeare First Folio was found in the library. The book had lain undisturbed in the library for 200 years. The first 30 pages were missing.
A number of experts assisted in authenticating the folio, which also had a name, "Neville", written on the first surviving page, indicating that it may have once been owned by Edward Scarisbrick. Scarisbrick had fled England due to anti-Catholic repression and attended Saint-Omer College, a Jesuit institution.
Confirmation of its authenticity came from a professor at the University of Nevada and one of the world's foremost authorities on Shakespeare, Eric Rasmussen.
