THE SOMME COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2848, 12 August 1916, Page 13

THE SOMME COUNTRY

WHERE WE ARE FIGHTING

"Where the French and the British are gradually foroing the invaders back from French soil,"' said M. V. Jonguel, the head of a French • wool-buying firm in Sydney, to a representative of the "Sydney Morning Herald,"is close to my native place. In fact, I was born within forty miles of Peronne, which at the present time is, one may say, the storm centre. Peronne is not a large town by any means,, numbering, perhaps, 3500 inhabitants, and it is surrounded by low hills that hardly deserve the name, being more in the form of undulations of the country outside the city proper. Peronne, which I know well, is a very ancient city, with fortifications dating back 500 years, and having on its south-eastern side a very beautiful church, built in the 13th century. The River Somme flows on the western side of the town, and on each side of this stream are extensive marshes. TTTe country all round is given up. to agricultural pursuits, and especially small sheep farms. They cannot be compared with your 'runs' in Australia, for a man owning 300 sheep would be considered a : very big sheep owner, indeed.

"Bapaume is another small town a few miles north of Peronne, with about 3000 inhabitants; and Albert, which is behind the Allies' advanced line, contains •from 7000 to. SOOO people. . Of these two Albert is the more important industrial centre; but one can hardly speak of these little villages and small towns as manufacturing centres. In the full meaning of the word they are not'.' They are just country towns made more or less important because railway lines or main roads converge on tliem. In peace times they are very similar to small English or Australian towns, where small industries and shopkeeping aro carried on, and the disposal of local produce is conducted in the market squares. For miles round the country is flat save-for slight undulations, and given over to small farmers, Who make their living 'out of what the land provides. One village just behind the advanced line is Hebuterne. It is a name only now, for from what wo have heard it lias been entirelv battered to pieces In tire 6uccessivo attacte and. counterattacks.

"A little to the north is Arras, a slightly larger town, which was once captured by tho Spanish. To-day one can traco tho conqueror's occupation by tho dark eyes and olivo skins of manv of the inhabitants. It boasted a beautiful town hail, with a fine tower, which, in days gone by, was used as a vatch lower in case of fire, a watchman always being stationed in it day dnd night. At one timo Arras was a big garrison town, but, I believe, prior to the war, tho garrison had been reduced to a singlo regiment. Anyhow, it had a busy' population of 35,000, but sinco tho German invasion*, that has been reduced to 1000, all of whom are living ail underground life in cellars. Tho Germans mado a 'dead set/ as yon say here, at Arras in tho early days of the" war, and blew tho Town Hall tower away with heavy gunfiTe, and practically demolished tho many beautiful old buildings in the town."

Taking up the story, M. P. Lamerand, another representative wool-buyer, who spent four years at Epehy, just to tho north-east of Poronne, continued the account of this devastated district. "All round Epehy is exceedingly 'ricti agricultural country," ho said. "It stretches for milea—to Peronne, to Combles, to Bertincourt, and then again south-east. It is the country of the sugar beet, a.ua so rich is tho soil that tho factories engaged in this business paid from 30 to 40 por cent, per annum. I know Peronno well," continued 11. Lamej'and. "It is a wonderful old town, haying a beautiful cathedral on tho south-eastern side, and tho great castle, known as tho Citadel, built and occupied by .Louis XI, on the north-east, 'l'hero is 0110 long main streot, which runs through the town from south-west to north-east, and tho town is entirely surrounded by ramparts, with a deep nloat on the outside.' This moat was kept filled with water from the arms of the Somine, and tho town has defied eo many assaults in tho olden days that it took as its motto luvicta TJrte'—an unconciuerablo citr. Tho motto held till

IS7O, when the Germans entered it, and all the inhabitants who remained took refuge in the great osllars underneath the Citadel.

'Tierce fighting is now going on in Biaoh.es. This is the southern suburb of Peronne. The town being fortified, and., the inhabitants inoieasing prior to the - war, it beoarae necessary to hove outlets for the population, and two suburbs sprang up—the one I have mentioned to the south and Mount St. Quentin to the north. At present we are driving the ■ enemy back from Biaches, and their only line of retreat must ibe through the main street of old Peronne, and then it will become necessary to force them to evacu- : ate Mount St. Quentin. There is no other line of retreat open to them, as swamps and marshes lie on either side of. tie Somme ai>4 Biaches to the south, and were they to attempt a detour they would soon be in difficulties. -Here and there around Peronne are small, : very small, hills, but often the roads leading toitheir summits are steep. Tou read in the. cablegrams of 'up-hill fighting,' which, is : perfectly correct, for many of the roads leading'to the top of these hills hare 1 a rise of 10 per cent., or, as you would ' say, 10 feet in each hundred, and every foot of the way is, of course, being eon- ' tested. Peronne and Arras are really the only two towns in this region; the rest of the names aro those of villages, but they loom large when fighting is going on around .them. Bapaume, for instance, is of importance because the railway runsthrough it, and no fewer , than seven main roads, leading north, south, •'east, - and west. A dozen main roads converge on Peronne, and the railway from Chaulnes goes north from there, striking off in an easterly direction to Cartigny and Koisel."