THE DEMPLAR TOWER AT NIEUPORT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2681, 29 January 1916, Page 13

THE DEMPLAR TOWER AT NIEUPORT

DESTROYED BY THE GERMANS,

Major A. A. Corrigan, officer' in charge of the Wellington Area Group, supplies an interesting note on a cable message from the Western theatre yesterday relating the fact that the Demplar Tower at Nieuport had been destroyed by the Germans. Major Corrigan earlier in the war was on special service in Flanders; and knows this tower well. "It is an old fort," he ,says, "standing between Nieuport and tflie river, between the opposing forces. The Germans had two ISkientimetre guns, one to the 'riglit and the other to the left of that portion of their front, and they could then have demolished this tower without any trouble. But although every other prominent edifice that could possibly servo aa an observing station' had been • levelled in the vicinity, they did not molest the tower, from wihich I obtained an excellent view of the big battle thero at that time. The Germans occasionally threw shrapnel over it just to make tilings lively 'for our observers. I asked a Belgian officer why the Germans left the tower standing, and 'lie told mo that they evidently expectcd to possess it later on, and use it as an observing station'. The fact that they havo now demolished it suggeste that thoy have given up all hope of reaching that point."