A Thirty-Months’ Siege
From September 1914 to March 1917, while the Germans remained at the gates of the city, the latter was veritably besieged. Notwithstanding the increasing destruction caused by the shells, the civil population continued bravely to “carry on”. Part of the population refused to leave the city, while here and there, on the walls that were left standing, printed notices announced the fact that the house was still occupied. Then followed the names of the courageous inmates. During the bombardments, the people took shelter in the cellars, only to resume their ordinary daily occupations as soon as the firing ceased. The public services continued to work normally. Many shops were kept open, and an hotel was available for the travellers who arrived by the night omnibus that linked up the city with Vierzy, the nearest point on the railway.
In parts of the city, it was only possible to get about by making use of the communication trenches which ran along the side of the roads. One such trench ran the whole length of the Boulevard Jeanne-d’Arc (photo above), while others crossed the Town-Hall gardens (See p. 40) and the streets near the Aisne.
Moreover, getting about was restricted to certain quarters of the city as, just beyond the centre, the defensive works (barricades, trenches, etc.) began.
These works are described in the second Itinerary (p. 52–64) which takes the tourist from the centre of the town to the first line trenches of the 1915–1917 front (Vauxrot, Saint-Paul and Saint-Médard), via the Mail, Saint-Waast suburb, etc.
POPULATION · 14,458 inhabitants.
ALTITUDE 180 feet.
SCALE
0 50 100 200 300 400
HOTELS:
a Hôtel de la Croix d’Or
b Hôtel du Lion Rouge
:::::::::: Streets and roads impracticable for motor-cars.