Lewis war diary, August 1917-March 1919 / James Ray Lewis - Page 83

[Page 83]

I noticed one date 1880; they treasure such old things these French peasants; old papers and books. I got some copies of the Petit Parisienne, and was able to read all about the Boer War, in it. The old church rags of 1908 were bitterly antagonistic to Britain, but good magazines like, "Lectures pour tous", were remarkably pro British.

Often I have sat in the cool of the evening, and looked out from near my dugout across the valley towards Corbie. It was peaceful enough. The wooded and grassy valley with the river winding through, and villages showing through the poplars. Up on the opposite side of the valley a few fleecy clouds were bursting for Fritz was over there. 

Over on the east was Corbie showing through the trees, with its old Abbey showing up well, near it some smoke was rising up, a fire, in the town. And I thought hard; children should have been playing in those villages, the people who went about their work, where were they? refugees! All was silent, there were dead horses in the yards, and cats wandered about masterless 4 months before people were living here. In the gardens roses and flowers were blooming a few yards away were shell or bomb holes and skeleton houses.

"Tragedy, all is tragedy", "C'est la Guerre", and I thought what if it was my own country; the lid is off [indecipherable]