On October 17th, the British troops entered Lille.
The Ruined Industries of Northern France
Before the war, Northern France was one of the most flourishing industrial centres in the country.
The metallurgical firms of the North produced annually over a million tons of steel, representing nearly a quarter of the country's total production. This steel was transformed locally into finished articles. The exceedingly prosperous textile industry was carried on mainly at Tourcoing, Roubaix, Rheims and Sedan.
The flax industry was also concentrated around Armentières, Lille and Halluin.
The cotton mills of Roubaix, Tourcoing and Lille were extremely prosperous and important.
TRULIN'S GRAVE
in the East Cemetery.
The following general figures give an idea of the industrial importance of this region, which contributed one-sixth of the country's total taxes. Before the war, the annual industrial production was estimated at 4,000,000,000 frs., of which the textile industries accounted for 2,500,000,000 frs.
The industries of Northern France have been ruined, not so much by the war, as by the systematic pillaging and destructions carried out by the Germans.