Cocks letter diary, 1916-1919 / Verner Cocks - Page 514
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[Page 514]
4.
on the 29th March last year - Easter Friday night during a forced night march down to Villers-B. Well do I remember it - we rested exhausted in the square for five minutes & munched a tin of cold bully beef.
At daylight we went into the ruined town & were much surprised to find civvies already there in the few remaining houses & particularly a chips & egg shop where we breakfasted. Madame there not at all satisfied with finding her house standing was bewailing the fact that all her crockery & linen was missing since the Germans had not been actually in occupation of the town.
I wonder what idea she has of war at all - of the fact of hundreds of lives lost to keep her house on its foundations. Corbie was a real hell of a place to be in during the war. Fritz used to drop 5-9's into it unceasingly day & night. We use to swim in a pool near bye & these