Item 04: Walter Bruce Rainsford diary, 3 January 1917-31 December 1917 - Page 22

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[Page 22]

went for a walk round Abbeville. The town (of [indecipherable] L. of C.) is not very large and has a population of about 20,000. I first had a look at the fine old Cathedrale (l'eglise Saint-Vulfran) and then went along the bank of the Somme for some distance. The river looked very pretty – a shady walk runs along both banks – the tall leafy trees keeping one well protected from the sun's rays. I passed a number of Hospital barges just outside the town – they had evidently just brought a cargo of wounded down the Somme & would probably be going up for more. The waterways of France have been very useful in relieving the strain on the railways. Left again for Wimereux at 8 pm and arrived back 3 ½ hrs. later.

In the train I had quite a long yarn to French officer returning from leave to Paris, to the French front in Belgium. He shares the opinion of all French people and that is that the war will not be over for some considerable time & this officer said that we still had three

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