Lille Before and During the War

LILLE AND THE GREAT WAR LILLE AND THE GREAT WAR Importance and Military Situation of Lille in 1914 Lying between the rivers Lys, Escaut and Scarpe, in the plain before the hills of Artois, Lille forms an isolated advance-post between Maubeuge (which guards the Pass of the Oise), and Dunkirk (which commands the region of the Dunes). Vauban had fortified the place, but the treaties of 1815 and 1871 deprived France of her essential points of support, and rendered these defences valueless. In 1873, General Séré de Rivières , Director of the Engineering Section at the Ministry of War, commenced a comprehensive scheme which aimed at the reorganization of the entire northern frontier, whereof Lille was one of the pivots. Situated in the centre of France's richest coalfields and allied industries, Lille has justly been called "the Key to France's Treasure-House" (see "Le secret de la frontière," by M. Fernand Engerand, 1918). To enable it to withstand a surprise attack and hold out against a long siege, the city's intermediate defences were increased to such a degree that Lille became the point of support of the French frontier between the rivers Sambre and Lys. By thus protecting the Arsenal of Douai, it became possible to assemble a reserve army within the entrenched camp of Lille, 31 miles in length. The total cost of these works was 126,000,000 frs. But, as in Vauban's days, a reactionary movement set in against defensive works, and it was demonstrated by their opponents that besieged towns must fall, and that in future the destinies of nations would be decided in the open battlefield. In 1880, the works of Séré de Rivières were abandoned. NAPOLÉON BRIDGE DESTROYED BY THE RETREATING GERMANS (see p. 52 ) In the meantime, the great cities of the north, with Lille at their head, had become industrial centres of primary importance, thanks to their wealth of raw materials (coal, iron and steel). To protect them from the horrors of war, it was considered only necessary to make open towns of them. The fortifications of Lille were among the first to be condemned, as being of no real value, and a Bill to this effect was passed by Parliament. Collaborators of Séré de Rivières gave the alarm in March, 1899, pointing out that the neutrality of Belgium was insufficient protection, that its violation was inevitable, that the Pass of the Oise was an open road for invasion, that with Lille outflanked, the Forest of Saint-Gobain (which Laon and La Fère, whose dismantling the Bill provided for, would no longer be able to protect) would fall, and that the enemy would be at the gates of Paris within a few days. Finally, the fortifications of Lille were not dismantled, but were allowed to fall into disuse. On the other hand, the eastern frontier was considerably strengthened. It was in vain that the Belgian General Brialmont , who had just completed the forts of Antwerp and Liege, pointed out that the abandonment of the northern frontier would inevitably cause a violation of Belgium's neutrality. Like her peaceful neighbour, France relied on the sacredness of treaties, and made it a point of honour to leave that part of her frontier practically unprotected. At that time, Germany was neglecting the East, and making all her railways converge towards the Pass of the Oise. In other words, a frontal attack against the East being considered impracticable, Germany decided to turn it from the north. The fortifications of Lille were again condemned in November, 1911, and it is a curious coincidence that this was the year of the Agadir Incident and of the first tangible German threats of war. In July, 1914, 3,000 artillery-men and nearly a third of the guns had been removed from the fortifications. On August 1st, the Governor, General Lebas, received orders to consider Lille an open town, but on August 21st his successor, General Herment, increased the garrison troops from 15,000 to 25,000, and later, to 28,000 men, taking units from each of the regiments in the 1st region. At this time, the armament consisted of 446 guns and 79,788 shells, to which were added 9,000,000 cartridges, 3,000 75 mm. shells and 12 47 mm. guns sent from Paris. How Lille fell in 1914 (See Maps on pages 3 and 6 ) At the beginning of the battle of Charleroi, General d'Amade was in the vicinity of Lille, with territorial divisions extending from Dunkirk to Maubeuge . The 82nd Division alone held the entire space between the Escaut and the Scarpe, with advance posts at Tournai and Lille. It was manifest that these troops were insufficient to offer serious resistance. However, the first care was to defend the town. For two days, trenches and shelters were made, and the troops sent to their respective positions. On August 23rd, the British, defeated on the previous day at Mons, retreated, leaving Tournai unprotected. The Germans drove out the 82nd territorial Division and entered the town. Elsewhere, they advanced as far as Roubaix-Tourcoing, blowing up the station of Mouscron. The French territorials counter-attacked vigorously, and units of the 83rd and 84th regiments reoccupied Tournai during the night. In the early morning of the 24th, General de Villaret , commanding the 170th Brigade, organized the defence of the bridges over the Escaut, where sharp fighting took place. However, his troops were obliged to fall back about noon, before the numerically superior enemy forces. While these events were taking place close to Lille, the Mayor requested that the town should not be needlessly exposed to the horrors of a siege. A meeting of the principal civil authorities (town councillors and members of both Houses of Parliament) was held, at which it was decided to petition the Government to declare the town open, and withdraw the military. At 5 p.m. on the 24th, a telegram arrived from the War Minister, with orders to consider Lille undefended, and to evacuate the troops between La Bassée and Aire-sur-la-Lys. On the 25th, the right wing of the German army was reported to be advancing, protected by about three divisions of cavalry with supporting artillery. Patrols reached the outskirts of the town soon afterwards. General Herment executed the orders he had received. Moreover, he knew that the neighbouring town of Maubeuge was holding out with 45,000 men, and that the Belgian army was intact at Antwerp. On September 2nd, enemy detachments entered Lille, disappearing three days later. The town was only occupied by patrols, who had orders to secure the German right (Von Kluck's army), which was executing its famous flanking movement. Then came the Victory of the Marne . After the German retreat and the indecisive Battle of the Aisne , the enemy began their northward movement known as the "Race for the Sea," the aim of which, on either side, was to turn the adversary's wing. On October 3rd, Joffre joined the 10th army under General de Maud'huy to reinforce his left and prevent its envelopment. The 21st Army Corps arrived from Champagne, and the 13th Division detrained to the west of the town. On the morning of the 4th, battalions of Chasseurs, belonging to the 13th Division, received orders to take up positions to the north and east of the town. After spending the night at Armentières, they passed through Lille, where they had an enthusiastic reception. The 17th Battalion, which was to occupy the suburb of Fives, was met with a sharp fusillade as it left the ramparts. Organizing promptly, it drove the enemy from the railway station and fortifications, capturing a number of machine-guns and prisoners. To the north of the town, the French troops came into contact with German patrols near Wambrechies and Marquette, while the 7th cavalry Division had skirmishes in the neighbourhood of Fouquet. Meanwhile, the garrison, consisting of territorials and Algerian mounted troops, took up positions to the south of Faches and Wattignies, in liaison, at Ronchin, with other units of the 13th Division. The enemy attacked at this point, and reached the railway. On the 5th, after a sharp counter-attack, the French took Fives, Hellemmes, Flers, the Fort of Mons-en-Barœul and Ronchin. To the west of the town cavalry engagements took place along the Ypres Canal. On the 6th, the 13th Division left the outskirts of the town, following the 21st Corps in the direction of Artois. Only two battalions of Chasseurs were left in Lille. On the 7th, the two battalions of Chasseurs rejoined the 13th Division, the defence of Lille being left to the territorials and Algerian troops. On the 9th and 10th, the 2nd cavalry Corps engaged the enemy near Estaires-Merville (between Aire-sur-la-Lys and Armentières), but was unable to open the road to Lille, which was then left to its fate. At 10 a.m. on the 9th, the first enemy aeroplane appeared, and dropped two bombs on the General Post Office. In the afternoon, all men from 18 to 48 years of age were ordered to the Béthune Gate, with instructions to leave Lille immediately. AFTER THE BOMBARDMENT: A FALLING HOUSE IN THE RUE DE PARIS A crowd of people from Lille, Tourcoing, Roubaix and the neighbouring villages, left on foot for Dunkirk and Gravelines. Several died on the way of exhaustion, others being taken prisoners by the Uhlans. The last train left at day-break on the 10th. At 9 a.m., the first enemy shell burst, being followed by many others which fell in the neighbourhood of the station, and on the Prefecture and Palais des Beaux-Arts. The afternoon was quiet, but at 9 a.m. the bombardment began again, lasting until 1 in the morning, then from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On the 12th, when the garrison capitulated, 80 civilians had been killed and numerous buildings destroyed by the bombardment. That part of the town near the railway station was almost entirely destroyed (see plan, p. 25 ) . The Rue Faidherbe, Café Jean, Grand Hôtel, Grande Pharmacie de France, part of the Rue des Ponts-de-Comines, and the whole of the Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Poulets, were in ruins. The Hôtel Continental in the Parvis-St.-Maurice Square, was a mere heap of rubbish. The Rue de Béthune, Rue de l'Hôpital-Militaire and Rue du Molinel were partially destroyed. In the Boulevard de la Liberté, the premises of the "Belle Jardinière" Stores were wiped out (p. 38 ) . At 9 a.m., on October 13th, while hundreds of fires were still burning, five companies of Bavarian troops entered the town, followed throughout the day by Uhlans, Dragoons, Artillery, "Death Hussars" and Infantry. The occupation had begun. The Manœuvre of Marshal Foch This map shows the successive advances of the Allies, from August 1st (1/8) to October 18th (18/10). On October 16th (16/10) the line reached (shown by thick dots) threatened Lille with envelopment, and forced the enemy to retreat along a wide front. The Deliverance For more than three years the inhabitants of Lille had heard the guns thundering almost at their gates, as for a long while the front was bounded by Armentières and Lens. In December, 1914 , the Battle of Artois partially cleared Arras. The offensive of May-June, 1915 , was marked by the capture of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Ablain-St.-Nazaire, Carency, Souchez, stopping at Vimy Ridge and hemming in Lens on the south. The victory of September-October, 1915 , cleared Lens further to the north, by the capture of Loos. In March, 1918 , a powerful German offensive from Armentières, forced the Allies back for several months, until the successive and correlated offensives of the Allies, under Foch, beginning on July 18th, finally liberated the French soil, town by town, and village by village. In August and September there was an advance along the whole front from the Argonne to the Artois, while in October, the Artois-Picardy front also burst into flames. While the French , in the centre of their line of attack, crossed the Oise at Mont-d'Origny, to the south-west of Guise, the British , north of Douai and east of Lens, encircled Lille more closely on the south, and approached Séclin, Aubourdin and Quesnoy-sur-Deule. At the other end of the front, on the left, Belgian , British and French forces under the King of Belgium, Albert I. , took the offensive, and on the 14th, 15th and 16th. of October, in spite of the rain and mud, took Roulers and Thourout. Meanwhile, the 2nd British Army captured Menin, crossed the Lys 9 miles from Lille, taking from the rear the northern defences of the latter. In possession of Menin and Bouchain, the British continued to encircle Lille and Douai, and approached the two ends of the important Menin-Tourcoing-Roubaix-Cysoing-Orchies-Somain-Cambrai railway. On the 14th, the Germans, who were preparing to evacuate Lille, destroyed the railway behind them, and on the 15th, burnt the goods station of St. Sauveur, after hurriedly plundering it. At 4 a.m. on the 17th, the inhabitants were ordered to form up and march towards the British lines. At 5 a.m. on the 17th the last of the Germans left Lille, after blowing up all the bridges and a number of locks on the canal. At noon, on the 1,536th day of the war, the 5th British Army entered Lille, after a four years' occupation. Although they had organized powerful defences to a depth of 12 miles around the town (barbed-wire entanglements, concrete trenches, etc.), the Germans made only a faint show of resistance. To console the people at home, the newspapers (Strassburger Post) announced that "retreat was the only way to preserve the elasticity of the front and prevent a break-through at all costs." (See opposite, map showing, step by step, the advance of the Allies, from August 1st to October 18th, 1918.) The joy of the liberated population may best be expressed by the words with which the Mayor of Lille received Président Poincaré on October 21st: "For four years we have been like miners buried alive, listening for the sound of the rescuers' picks; then all at once the dark gallery opens and we perceive the light." In Paris, the news was received with singing and cheers. In the Place de la Concorde, the Statue of Lille was decorated with the French and British colours and flowers. The Fourth National Loan, named the "Liberation Loan," opened under the most favourable conditions. FRENCH AND BRITISH PRISONERS (Rue Faidherbe and Place du Théâtre, before the ruins of the Café Jean) (Most of the photographs in the "Occupation of Lille" portion of this Guide, were taken by M. Hazebroucq, engineer, in spite of enemy prohibitions and threats.) BRITISH TROOPS DEFILING IN THE RUE LÉON GAMBETTA, OCTOBER 21ST, 1918 (A portrait of the King of Belgium is seen in one of the shop windows) THE KAISER IN MOTOR-CAR, IN THE PLACE CORMONTAIGNE THE GERMAN OCCUPATION The German occupation began on October 13th, 1914. From the 13th to the 28th of that month it was Major-General Wahlschaffe who directed the operations, levied the War Contributions and chose the hostages. His successor, Artillery General Von Heinrich , was appointed Governor on October 25th, and held the post until December 27th, 1916, when he was made Governor of Bucharest. General Von Graevenitz was Chief of the Kommandantur, which occupied the premises of the Credit du Nord bank in the Rue Jean Roisin. THE KING OF BAVARIA AND THE KAISER IN THE PLACE DE LA GARE The Hostages and War Contributions Sixty hostages were chosen from among the most notable persons in the town, and included the Bishop (Mgr. Charost) , the Prefect of the North (M. Trépont) , MM. Delory and Ghesquière , Members of Parliament, the Mayor (M. Delesalle) and deputy mayors. In groups of ten they were made to spend the night in turns at the Citadelle (photo, p. 51 ) . From December 31st, they were required merely to sign a presence-sheet, but were later again forced to spend the whole of their time (day and night) in the Citadelle, this time in groups of five. Finally, they had to sign a presence-sheet each morning and evening until October 5th, 1915, when this formality was dispensed with, i.e. after the Census operations had been completed. In November, 1914, began exorbitant exactions in the guise of War Contributions . On the 4th, Von Graevenitz demanded a million francs to be paid on the 10th; then two millions on the 17th, and three millions on the 24th, in addition to the expense of feeding the troops, which alone amounted to 10,000 frs. daily. After much negotiating the Governor finally agreed first to give more time, then to reduce the amounts of the contributions. To ensure an effective control, a very strict census of the population was taken on August 27th, 1915. Particulars of the persons in each house were constantly posted up, and after September 1st identity-cards with photographs were obligatory. To be found in the street or even standing on one's doorstep without this card, was punishable by fine (3 to 30 marks) or imprisonment (one to three days). M. JACQUET'S IDENTITY CARD (see p. 16 ) . Passes DISTRIBUTING PASSES IN THE RUE JEAN-ROISIN (see plan, p. 25 ) . In January, 1915, the Kommandantur drew up rules for the granting of passes, a fruitful source of profit to the Germans, and of annoyance to the population. A scale of prices provided even for the shortest journeys. Funeral processions going to the South Cemetery were also required to have passes (free), to go through the Porte des Postes, and were escorted by soldiers, both going and coming, to prevent the people from leaving the ranks. REQUISITIONING BEDDING IN THE RUE RATISBONNE. However, little by little, the people took up their occupations again. Forty schools for boys and girls reopened early in November. Of the remainder, five had been destroyed, two turned into hospitals and ten into barracks. The higher schools and, later, the Lycée reopened, as did also the Conservatoire, whose pupils were exempted from having passes. The only newspapers allowed were the Bruxellois and the Gazette des Ardennes , both under German control. On November 15th, 1915, at the request of the Kommandantur, the Municipality started the bi-weekly Bulletin de Lille , which appeared on Thursdays and Sundays, and contained the Proclamations, Birth and Death notices, etc. Next came the Requisitions : saddles and bridles, bicycles, photographic apparatus, telephones, bedding and horsehair (photo opposite). The Germans relentlessly seized all bedding, including that of the old people, some of whom died of cold from sleeping on bare stone floors. Neither sickness nor old age could soften them, and when at last Lille was relieved, very few houses contained any bedding. Famine The town now began to be threatened with famine . Since 1914, bread had only contained one-third of wheat flour. At the request of the Military Authorities, the Mayor sent an urgent appeal to Switzerland for help, to save the women and children from starving, and cited the case of Strasburg generously revictualled by her in 1870. In March, 1915, a Commission of Swiss Officers visited Lille, but was unable to conclude arrangements. On April 19th, after lengthy negotiations, the Comité National Belge , under the patronage of the Ambassadors of the United States and Spain , obtained permission to revictual the famine-threatened town. In the meantime, recourse was had to various expedients to eke out the stocks of food. In December, wheat flour was mixed with rye, Indian corn and rice. In April, potatoes were added. On the 11th, bread cards were inaugurated, fixing the daily ration per head at 9 oz. The inhabitants were divided into two classes, the ration being distributed every other day. The gold, silver and copper coinage disappeared, and was replaced by cardboard pennies and paper "bons" (photos above and below). THE KAISER AND THE KING OF BAVARIA IN FRONT OF THE RUINS IN THE RUE DE TOURNAI (PLACE DE LA GARE). THE REIGN OF TERROR Prohibitory Decrees followed in quick succession, in an endeavour to terrorize the people, who were forbidden to possess arms, approach the prisoners, import Belgian tobacco, or sell their wares in the streets, breaches being punished often with vindictive severity. Two of the first victims were the Prefect (M. Trépont) and his secretary (M. Borromée) , the former accused of treason, the latter of stirring up revolt against the German Authorities. Their "crime" was that, on August 24th, in conformity with their duty, they had mobilized the French citizens, within sight of the enemy. They were roughly handled at the time by the German soldiers, and would probably have been shot, but for the intervention of one of the University professors (M. Piquet) , who, acting as interpreter, managed to smooth matters over. After being closely watched and spied on, they were arrested on February 17th, 1915. M. Borromée was tried by Court-Martial on March 13th, and sent to prison at Alrath. Nine months later (December 27th, 1915), his release was obtained through diplomatic representations. The Prefect was sent as hostage first to Rastatt, then to Cellaschloss in Hanover, and his liberation was only obtained on January 17th, 1916. In April, 1915, a system of Roll Calls was inaugurated, to prepare the way for the wholesale deportations which followed. At a given time and place, the people were required to present themselves, with a small quantity of baggage. Absentees were first fined, then imprisoned, the penalty increasing in severity with each succeeding "offence." Domiciliary searches were carried out at all hours of the day and night, for hidden soldiers, arms, carrier-pigeons, smuggled French newspapers, and the like. Then, as if fines, imprisonment and starving were not punishment enough, the Germans started shooting . NOTICE The undermentioned persons were tried by Court-Martial and shot to-day at the Citadel: Wholesale Wine merchant: Eugène JACQUET. Second-Lieutenant: Ernest DECONINCK. Shop-keeper: Georges MAERTENS. Workman: Sylvère VERHULST. (1) For hiding the British aviator who landed at Wattignies on March 11 last, supplying him with food and lodging, and helping him to reach France and get back to the enemy lines. (2) For assisting members of the enemy forces, helping them to remain in Lille and neighbourhood in civil dress and procuring their evasion to France. In conformity with the Proclamation of the Governor, dated April 7, 1915, these two cases are considered as espionage, and are brought to the notice of the public as a warning. Lille, September 22, 1915. The Governor. The Case of the Four When, on October 12th, 1914, the small garrison which was holding Lille, surrendered, several hundred French soldiers escaped capture and hid themselves in the town. Until evasion should be possible, it was necessary to feed and shelter them, and this M. Jacquet , a wholesale wine merchant, undertook to do. A good organizer, his coolness and courage fitted him well for the task. He was assisted by his daughter Geneviève (who, later, narrowly escaped being shot), his friends Deconinck and Georges Maertens and a Belgian, Sylvère Verhulst . The Citadel, Lille, September 22, 1915. My Beloved Wife and Children, At the moment of starting for the place of execution, I tenderly embrace your dear image for the last time. My last kiss, from the bottom of my heart, here for you. Farewell! Long live France! E. Jacquet. On March 11th, 1915, a British aviator was forced to land in the town, after having bombed a German telephone station. Hidden by Jacquet, he eventually escaped to Belgium, guided by Melle. Geneviève. A few days later, he again flew over the town and dropped notes reading as follows: "Lieutenant Mapplebeck sends his compliments to the Kommandant of the German Forces in Lille, and regrets that he was unable to make his acquaintance during his recent pleasant stay in the neighbourhood." The joy of the inhabitants and the rage of the Kommandantur may be better imagined than described in print. Orders were immediately given, and the "Polizei" set to watch. Previously, on March 16th, notices had been posted up all over the town, threatening with death any person who should hide "any member of the enemy forces." Hostages , including the foremost persons in the town, were imprisoned in the Citadelle, while the liberties of all were severely curtailed. Passes to and from the surrounding villages were stopped, and "lights out" was sounded at 5 p.m. Being unable to imprison the entire population, the Kommandant deprived them of liberty and air in mid-summer. Meanwhile Jacquet , who knew that he was suspected, made light of the danger. Arrested several times under various pretences, all efforts to incriminate him failed. However, a spy was at last found, who undertook to do the business. Passing himself off as a French prisoner, he asked Jacquet and his friends to help him, and then betrayed them to the "Polizei." A new search enabled the Germans to lay hands on 2,000 frs. in gold, but they could not find any incriminating documents (the list of the soldiers in hiding, 200 in number, was in the upholstering of an armchair at Deconinck's house). THE MOAT OF THE CITADELLE where M. Jacquet, his friends, and Trulin were shot . In consequence of the spy's information, Deconinck's house was watched. Informed of the recent search of Jacquet's premises, Deconinck was looking round for a safer hiding-place, when his next-door neighbour, who was in the secret, suggested that the armchair would be safer in her keeping. The offer was well-meant but unfortunate, as the Police, who were on the watch, seized the chair, smashed it and found the list. Returning at once to Jacquet's house, they arrested him and his daughter, and locked them up in the Citadelle. At the same time, Deconinck, Maertens and Verhulst were arrested. Jacquet's daughter, Melle. Geneviève, owed her life to lack of evidence. The four men were tried on September 16th and sentenced to death. They were shot on the morning of September 22nd, and died bravely, "standing, their hands free, and their eyes unbandaged." Their last words, shouted together, were: "Vive la France, Vive la République." Their names are inscribed on the Roll of Honour of the Army, and the Journal Officiel of December 8th, 1918, announced that the Legion d'Honneur had been conferred on M. Jacquet. Execution of Léon Trulin When the war broke out, Léon Trulin, a Belgian subject, aged 17, was living at Lille. Intensely patriotic by nature, he burned to serve his country against the hated invader. With the help of a few comrades, among whom were Raymond Derain and Marcel Gotti , he got together various documents and succeeded in bringing them to the Allies across the Dutch frontier. In 1915, he decided to go back to France and enlist in the Belgian Army, in company with his friend Derain. On October 3rd they arrived at the frontier. For three hours, in the dark, they burrowed under the "live" wire entanglements, when suddenly the alarm was given. Lights flared up, shots were fired, and Trulin and his companions were taken. The documents found on Trulin proved to be his death warrant. His friends Derain and Gotti were condemned to penal servitude for life. On his way to the place of execution on November 8th, Trulin's nerve (he was 18) gave way for a moment, but recovering himself quickly, he walked to the post with a firm step, and so another name was added to the long list of the victims of Kaiserism. TRULIN'S PASSPORT. TRULIN'S LAST LETTER TO HIS MOTHER (pp. 20 , 21 ) . (TRANSLATION) November 7, 1915. My dearest Mother, I am very sorry for all I have done since I left home on June 30. I suffered greatly during July, often homeless, then in September life changed, I was a little happier, I had a pleasant time in Holland and England for a month, then came back to Belgium, when suddenly misfortune overtook me. By ill luck I was caught within half a minute of Dutch territory. I beseech you not to despair, live for René, who would be an unfortunate orphan, also for my brothers and sisters, set them an example of resignation and lift up your head, your son has given his life for the Fatherland (Long live little Belgium). I embrace you with all my heart, courage, mother, we shall see each other again some day, kiss my brothers and sisters for me and tell them your son knew how to die. Now I am going to lie down, it is already late, to be ready for the execution to-morrow. I forgive everybody, friends and enemies, I pardon, because they do not pardon me. You will find a note-book, in which I have noted my last wishes. I ask you to forgive Denèque for what he has done, I have forgiven him, it is the request of a doomed man. Your son, who causes you much suffering and is deeply grieved. Léon Trulin. I have put 5 marks in the note-book which is in my bag, for one or two masses and an indulgence, I have given the rest to the Priest for the same purpose. November 7, 1915, the last day before my death. Excuse me, if I do not write very well, I am writing on a garden table. Courage, dear Mother, courage, brothers and sisters, live in peace, without hatred. I die a good Christian. Léon Trulin. The Explosion of the "Dix-huit Ponts" On January 11th, 1916, at about 2 o'clock in the morning, a terrific explosion shook the town, hurling huge stones and débris in all directions for a distance of several miles. An ammunition depot situated in the south-east portion of the ramparts, between the Gates of Valenciennes and Douai, about 400 yards distant from the railway station of St. Saviour, had blown up. It was an enormous underground vault, commonly known as the "Dix-huit Ponts," because of the 18 massive stone arches which formed the entrance. "LILLE IN TEARS." It will probably never be known how many thousand shells and tons of explosives blew up, as the greatest secrecy was observed by the German Authorities. All the soldiers who were there were killed. The damage was tremendous, whole streets and numerous factories, including two large spinning-mills, were entirely destroyed. At the funeral, which took place on Saturday, January 15th, 1916, there were 108 coffins, but this figure does not include the numerous persons who were literally pulverized by the explosion. The noise of the latter was heard at Breda in Holland , nearly a hundred miles away, and houses as distant as the Rue Jeanne d'Arc, Place Philippe le Bon and Rue des Postes were destroyed by the flying stones. In general, the catastrophe was stoically borne by the inhabitants, one citizen remarking: "There were enough shells to have massacred whole regiments. Better we should mourn our dead, than the precious lives of so many of our soldiers." One huge stone, weighing more than a ton, fell in the studio of the sculptor Deplechin (Rue de Douai), Director of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, who carved the bas-relief "Lille in Tears" on it (see Itinerary, p. 36 , and photo above) . The Deportations In 1916, the prohibitions increased in number, the people being forbidden to leave their houses after 6 p.m., or before 7 a.m.; to criticise the news published by the authorities, to remain at their windows, or to stand on their doorsteps, under a penalty of 5 to 10 days' imprisonment. They were also forbidden to use the trams without a special permit. These measures paved the way for the deportations of April-May, 1916. During Easter week, under the pretence that the revictualling of the population was difficult, the Governor decided to deport the inhabitants of Lille, Tourcoing and Roubaix into the country, and make them cultivate the soil. Rumours to that effect had been rife for several days previously, but the people would not believe it. However, all doubts were cleared away on April 20th, when posters warned the people to hold themselves in readiness with about 70 lbs. of luggage. The 21st was a day of painful suspense. On the 22nd at 3 a.m., German soldiers hemmed in the Fives Quarter, and placed machine-guns at the corners of the streets. House by house, street by street, amid blows from the butt-ends of their rifles, the Germans forced the people out of their houses. They were counted like cattle, and the number checked with the sheet posted up on each house. Those who were to go, mostly girls, were forcibly taken from their parents and led away between fixed bayonets, then loaded into cattle-trucks and sent to an unknown fate. Girls were taken from mothers and wives from husbands, with coldblooded indifference. It was in vain that the Mayor and the Bishop indignantly protested, the former to the Kommandantur and the latter from the pulpit. Methodically, this abomination was perpetrated.

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