to leave st. Quentin, viz., by the 28th August.  Some passers-by offered to hide him.  It appears that, through his ignorance of the French language, he was unaware that the Germans threatened execution to all men found after a certain date.  He was discovered and condemned to death for espionage.  It is obvious, as the man himself said, that one could not imagine a man acting as a spy without knowing either the language of the country or that of the enemy.”

* * * * *

“Before the evacuation of the population the Germans chose those who were to remain as civilian workers, viz., 120 men from 15 to 60.  On the very day of the evacuation they kept back at the station 27 others.  These men are now at Cantin or SOMAIN, where they are employed on the roads or looking after munitions in the Arras group.  The others at DECHY and GUESNIN are in the Vimy group and are making pill-boxes or railway lines.  A certain number of these workers refused to carry out the work ordered, and as punishment during the summer were tied to chairs and exposed bareheaded to the full blaze of the sun.  They were often threatened to be shot.”

* * * * *

“After the bombardment of Lille the Germans entered ENNETIERES on the 12th October, 1914.  On the next Monday 200 Uhlans occupied the Commune, and houses and haystacks were burned....  At LOMME every one was forced to work:  the Saxon Kdnt.  Schoper announced that all women who did not obey within 24 hours would be interned:  all the women obeyed.  They were employed in the making of osier-revetement two metres high for the trenches.  The men were forced to put up barbed wire near Fort Denglas, two kltrs. from the front.  A few days after the evacuation of ENNETIERES the Uhlans shot a youth, Jean Leclercq, age 17, son of the gardener of Count D’Hespel, simply because they had found a telephone wire in the courtyard of the chateau.”

* * * * *

“Informant, who has lost his right arm, was nevertheless forced to work for the Germans, notably to unload coal and to work on the roads.  He had with him males from 13 to 60.  Having objected because of his lost arm, he was threatened with imprisonment.  At LOMME squads of workers were given the work of putting up barbed wire; women were forced to make sand bags.  In cases of refusal on either side the Kdr. inflicted four or five weeks’ imprisonment, to say nothing of blows with sticks inflicted by the soldiers.  In spring 1917 a number of men were sent from LOMME to the BEAUVIN-Provins region to work on defences....  Those who refused to sign were threatened and struck with the butts of rifles, and left in cellars sometimes filled with water during bombardments.  Several of them came back seriously ill from privation.”

* * * * *

“Young girls are separated from their mothers; there are levies made at every moment.  Sometimes these young girls have barely a few hours before the moment of departure....  Several young girls have written to say that they are very unhappy and that they sleep in camps amongst girls of low class and condition.”