On April 13—18 the bombardment became so intense that the town was almost razed to the ground.
The officials and the miners of the district were mentioned in Orders of the Day for their courage and endurance.
At first sight, the town does not seem to have suffered so much, but this impression soon passes.
The Grande Place (photo, p. 126) where the chief beauties of this small town were concentrated, is now a heap of bricks and stones.
The old houses have fallen in; only the façade of one of them (No. 44), dating from the 16th century, remains, and even this one was severely damaged and is now supported by wooden props.
Of the modern Hôtel-de-Ville there remains only a small portion of the façade (photo, p. 127), whilst the Savings Bank on the left is a shapeless ruin.
The belfry, built in 1346 and restored forty years later, is still standing, but the upper portion of it has disappeared, and the houses which surrounded it have fallen in.
BÉTHUNE. THE GRANDE PLACE. Before the War. (Cliché LL.)