The church was spared by the first bombardments, on account of two spies who, hidden in the top of the tower, made signals to the Germans, but as soon as they had been discovered and shot, the church became a target for the enemy artillery. The walls of the façade soon showed large gaps in many places. The roof fell in and the belfry was badly damaged, especially on the south side. A shell struck the top of the dome and burst against the socle of the statue of the Virgin. The base gave way, but did not entirely collapse, and the statue overturning remained suspended in mid-air (photo, p. [34]).
For several years the statue remained in this precarious position, and there was a saying that "the war would end when the Virgin Statue of Albert would fall."
The bombardments in the spring of 1918 completed the ruin of the church. Not only did the belfry collapse, carrying in its fall the statue of the Virgin, but all the upper structure which had until then resisted, fell down, so that to-day the immense building is a shapeless heap of stones, bricks and débris of all kinds (photo, p. [34]).
LA BOISSELLE. THE SIGN IS ALL THAT REMAINS OF THE VILLAGE.
Leave Albert by the Rue de Bapaume, then take N. 29 which climbs La Boisselle Hill. 2 km. beyond Albert there is a large cemetery on the right. The site of Boisselle village (completely destroyed) is reached 2 km. further on.
The Mine Warfare at La Boisselle
In October, 1914, the front line became fixed, west of this village. A fierce trench-to-trench struggle continued throughout 1915, when it developed into ceaseless, desperate mine warfare.
At the end of December, 1914, the French captured that part of La Boisselle which lies south of the church. German counter-attacks, launched almost daily, failed to drive them out. On January 17, 1915, after a violent bombardment, the French were compelled to withdraw from that corner of the hamlet, but the next day they succeeded in re-occupying the still smoking ruins.