However, little by little, the people took up their occupations again. Forty schools for boys and girls reopened early in November. Of the remainder, five had been destroyed, two turned into hospitals and ten into barracks. The higher schools and, later, the Lycée reopened, as did also the Conservatoire, whose pupils were exempted from having passes. The only newspapers allowed were the Bruxellois and the Gazette des Ardennes, both under German control. On November 15th, 1915, at the request of the Kommandantur, the Municipality started the bi-weekly Bulletin de Lille, which appeared on Thursdays and Sundays, and contained the Proclamations, Birth and Death notices, etc.
Next came the Requisitions: saddles and bridles, bicycles, photographic apparatus, telephones, bedding and horsehair (photo opposite). The Germans relentlessly seized all bedding, including that of the old people, some of whom died of cold from sleeping on bare stone floors. Neither sickness nor old age could soften them, and when at last Lille was relieved, very few houses contained any bedding.
Famine
The town now began to be threatened with famine. Since 1914, bread had only contained one-third of wheat flour. At the request of the Military Authorities, the Mayor sent an urgent appeal to Switzerland for help, to save the women and children from starving, and cited the case of Strasburg generously revictualled by her in 1870. In March, 1915, a Commission of Swiss Officers visited Lille, but was unable to conclude arrangements. On April 19th, after lengthy negotiations, the Comité National Belge, under the patronage of the Ambassadors of the United States and Spain, obtained permission to revictual the famine-threatened town.
In the meantime, recourse was had to various expedients to eke out the stocks of food. In December, wheat flour was mixed with rye, Indian corn and rice. In April, potatoes were added. On the 11th, bread cards were inaugurated, fixing the daily ration per head at 9 oz. The inhabitants were divided into two classes, the ration being distributed every other day.
The gold, silver and copper coinage disappeared, and was replaced by cardboard pennies and paper "bons" (photos above and below).
