At 10 a.m. on the 9th, the first enemy aeroplane appeared, and dropped two bombs on the General Post Office. In the afternoon, all men from 18 to 48 years of age were ordered to the Béthune Gate, with instructions to leave Lille immediately.
AFTER THE BOMBARDMENT: A FALLING HOUSE IN THE RUE DE PARIS
A crowd of people from Lille, Tourcoing, Roubaix and the neighbouring villages, left on foot for Dunkirk and Gravelines. Several died on the way of exhaustion, others being taken prisoners by the Uhlans. The last train left at day-break on the 10th. At 9 a.m., the first enemy shell burst, being followed by many others which fell in the neighbourhood of the station, and on the Prefecture and Palais des Beaux-Arts. The afternoon was quiet, but at 9 a.m. the bombardment began again, lasting until 1 in the morning, then from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On the 12th, when the garrison capitulated, 80 civilians had been killed and numerous buildings destroyed by the bombardment. That part of the town near the railway station was almost entirely destroyed (see plan, p. [25]).
The Rue Faidherbe, Café Jean, Grand Hôtel, Grande Pharmacie de France, part of the Rue des Ponts-de-Comines, and the whole of the Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Poulets, were in ruins. The Hôtel Continental in the Parvis-St.-Maurice Square, was a mere heap of rubbish. The Rue de Béthune, Rue de l'Hôpital-Militaire and Rue du Molinel were partially destroyed. In the Boulevard de la Liberté, the premises of the "Belle Jardinière" Stores were wiped out (p. [38]).
At 9 a.m., on October 13th, while hundreds of fires were still burning, five companies of Bavarian troops entered the town, followed throughout the day by Uhlans, Dragoons, Artillery, "Death Hussars" and Infantry. The occupation had begun.
The Manœuvre of Marshal Foch
This map shows the successive advances of the Allies, from August 1st (1/8) to October 18th (18/10). On October 16th (16/10) the line reached (shown by thick dots) threatened Lille with envelopment, and forced the enemy to retreat along a wide front.