LILLE UNDER THE HUNS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 22, 21 October 1918, Page 6

LILLE UNDER THE HUNS

OCTOBER 1914

FOUR YEARS OF GERMAN

DOMINATION

Life in Lille since the German occupation is vividly described by Marguerite Buchot, a lady who regained her freedom through a convoy sent to the south of France some time before, the recent British occupation of the city. What Mdllo. Buchefc terms "mes souvenirs" have been translated for the ''Current History Magazine" by M. L. Cavenaugh. and the first pnrf of her recital appeared in a recent number of that magazine. "October, 1914, will never be forgotten by us," writes Mdlle. Bouchet; "no one can ever understand the terrible sorrow of tho invasion if they have not experienced it. Friday, October 9, the first bomb fell on the city. Saturday they fought on tho boulevards. All the inhabitants hurried into their houses. In the evening the bombardment commenced, continuing Sunday and Monday. Darkness reigned in the city. Thousands of shells whistled, fire 'brake out. hearts were crushed with angujsh and grief, while our brave soldiers valiantly held out. Our heroic defenders were only a few 'thousand, and they were attacked by a strong army. Our men knew it could only end in defeat, that word which chills the blood, but they had been commanded to hold bravely on in order to save the region farther north which led to the sea. so they fought courageously.' . . . There were some desperate flights for life amid the fall of whistling shells. I know of a woman with three children who was obliged to flee from her house five times during that terrible There were young mothers who had to fly with their newly-born. s . . . They had to .leave everything!, their homes, their souvenirs, 'everything they loved, and go to the unknown in their distress and poverty."

The Capitulation. • The surrender of'the stricken city to the enemy Is graphically- described: "Finally the hour approached when cur > Lille was proud to havo paid her "debt to her country by bravely holding on, notwithstanding her sorrows and trials. The white Itagwas hoisted, the city surrendered, Tho German general, full of admiration for the commander who had shown so much heroism, accepted his sword and saluted him first. However, the enemy entered the city, singing their song of victory.

Tuesday morning, October 13. The German army made its entrance into our dear old Lille, where reigned tho silence of death, a silence which accompanies the greatest grief, and what grief could be greater than this ? It was the silence, the solitude, the calm, the majesty of a noble, of a heroic defeat. Not a citizen was in tho street; every window, every door was closed. 'Die troops \filed by an endlessly long time without provocation, I must admit it, without a cry of victory. My sister and I will never forgot our suffering on the mornins of October 13; it will forever be ingrained on our hearts. I still tremble and suffer, though more than three years have passed. The heavens were red, flames crackled, fire continued, certain, streets seemed like a vast. furnace, there seemed to be no help." After describing the great damage done in certain quarters by fires (which by the way we're apparently not all caused by the, bombardment, but in some cases were due to treachery, and which the Germans could have prevented , if they were so disposed) Mdllo. Bucliet describes phases of life under the invader. "From the first days placards appeared, indicating to us the orders of our masters, and also making to us lying promises. In fact, they declared that the commercial life would not be interrupted, that the wealth and property of the citizens would be respected. A little later we had other placards, which did not declare tho same things., We had all kinds and all colours—yellow, .red, blue, green, orange—one after the other, touching our fortunes. They requisitioned horses, saddles, oils, grease, arms, leather, bicyclettes, flax, oxen, carriages, wines, grain, all tlfc equipment for photography, telephones, qo"s, ■ chickens, rabbits, linen, wool, and thread. I have friends from whom they have taken 600,000 francs. They havo taken all, n little at a time, even the old iron and wooden shoes. . . . The finest materials have gone, the beautiful trees are destroyed, all. is lost." , . i "We were ordered to be in our houses by 5 o'clock in the evening. Everyone said 'How kind they are; what good care of our health!' As these sarcastic exclamations were heard by the Germans a new command was ' given, forbidding anyone to criticise-the acts of tlie German Government. All these commands terminated with threats of fines and imprisonment. I passed under the German domination. The first time was on the .occasion of French prisoners passing. They had not only been saluted, the dear soldiers of France, but cigars and cakes had been thrown to them. The following <lay a placard appeared which informed us that wo did not understand our position, and we must be in our homes by 5 o'clock. German policemen on bicycles appeared ill the streets. No one was permitted to stand near a window; the children could not even play in a yard which opened on tho street from 5 o'clock;, the silenco of death reigned, only broken by tho heavy step of tho Germans, and they even confessed to each other at that time that such c, solitude was not gay. The blinds on all the stores and houses vrere closed. J'his punishment was again inflicted during tho summer, on our refusal io mnke'bags and cordage for the German Army. . . • The affair of the making of the sacks was terrible; some women were imprisoned; they were told they could have their liberty as soon as they accepted the work. They were given only bread and water, and were forced to remain standing; not even a bed was given for tho night. There was ono of them who suffered cruelly, and no care was given to her."

"The Bells of Lille." Here is a description of one of those incidents of refined cruelty of which probably only tho German could be guilty. "It was in tho month of December, ]014, that we experienced for tho first', timo a sorrow of which wo l:ad not dreamed. It was to hear our bells, mute since October 12, by order of the conquerors—to hear them ring at their command to ennounce their victories. This, indeed, was differing I It was endured three, timos during the following year. No one can imagine iiow wo suffered, what sorrow it was. We experienced at the- samo time shame and humiliation, a crushing of all tho sentiments, both patriotic and religious', but we were too proud to show that we suffered. In the winter of 1916 I again heard the bells of Lille; it was"to announce the taking of Bucharest; it was at 9 o'clock in the evening. For an hour the great city had been silent, though the obligatory entrance was at 8 o'clock'. Suddenly' tho joyous tones burst forth in every quarter, all churches, save one, joining in this glorious rutburst. Sacre Cocur was oxeopted, as tho Germans injured the Ijjclls when announcing one of their victories." The writer describes the shocking quality of the food. Tho bread was a "greyish black or brown, the colour of spices." Even animals at times refused to eat it, for it "stuck to the

hands, to the teeth." Had it not been for tho American Committee the inhabitants of Lille in these days would have fared badly indeed. Prices, naturally, soared. The restrictions imposed by the Germans to prevent food smuggling; were severe. One woman was heavily fined for having brought a rabbit into Lille; another spent r.ine days in the citadel for taking potatoes into a village. Naturally under these conditions the mortality, especially among the children, rapidly increased:—m March 2, 1916, it was double that in the same month of 1915. Such were the food conditions that, as the author writes, "ive ate rice, and riceagain; the leaves of rhubarb were used in place of spinach, the leaves of carrots and radishes in guise of salads, even in tho wealthiest families."