ARTICLE: Snapshots of July, 1915

My mother is in hospital at the moment, so today I thought I’d give you a picture show, as I’m pushed for time. They constitute the war as it was covered in the week of 11th July 1915 by Le Miroir… (Yes, it’s just mirror in French)

First off, a photographer had evidently visited multiple towns in a certain area on the Oise, as several appear in this issue:

The magazine’s caption reads:

The small town of Tracy-le-Val, [about fifty miles southeast of Amiens] which had only 532 inhabitants, was one of the points along the front that suffered the harshest enemy attacks. This is evident from the state of the church, surrounded by a network of barbed wire. The worshippers' chairs were used as barricades.

I love the sign they’ve stuck on this shelter. Bacchus was the Roman god of wine, among other things. Semper viva - Always alive. These men were clearly a spirited bunch. With stand out moustaches.

The curious photo we are publishing above was taken in a trench dug at the intersection of two roads. The signpost that precisely locates the spot was walled into the parapet.

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