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[[underlined]] Dec. 13. [[/underlined]] Left Gare du Nord 7:45 A.M. for [[underlined]] Brebieres [[/underlined]] near Arras. Dark [[underlined]] poorly lighted noisy smokey station. [[/underlined]] Very fast train. (Lille Express) goes to Brussels and Ghent. [[underlined]] La Roche  and Surcouf.[[/underlined]] About 2 hours express. On arrival excellent Rolls Royce and Mr. [[underlined]] Blanguère Chief Engineer of  Mines de Bethune [[/underlined]] there. Gray landscape few trees, wet roads. no cement nor asphalt. Region of devastation [[underlined]] of the war [[/underlined]], near by is [[underlined]] Vimy Ridge or Vimy Plateau [[/underlined]] which is the entrance to the former county of Flanders which extends to the Scheldt. Hence [[underlined]] most of the bombarding was done from that plateau of slight elevation but very favorable for the Germans [[/underlined]] who thus dominated the whole country as far as the eye reaches. All houses, churches
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factories and [[underlined]] any buildings were shot down by the Germans. [[/underlined]] The country on both sides of the lines was gutted by trenches. All the houses have been rebuilt, mostly brick [[strikethrough]] bo [[/strikethrough]] and seem already old enough for having been there half a century. Here and there [[underlined]] ruins also  ruins [[/underlined]] of churches not yet rebuilt. Some of the Gothic churches are being rebuilt in Gothic style but using reinforced concrete construction. [[strikethrough]] Now and [[/strikethrough]] Fields are all well cultivated and look green and nobody would suspect [[strikethrough]] fo [[/strikethrough]] [[underlined]] recent devastation [[/underlined]]. This shows recuperating powers of French peasants. Blanquère tells me that as fast as a house was hit by German projectiles the [[strikethrough]] people [[/strikethrough]] [[underlined]] inhabitants immediately repaired it. [[/underlined]] Otherwise the British troops were immediately tearing down the remnant so as to get