Souilly

14 September 1914: the 106th RI marches through Souilly. The village is devoid of inhabitants, who have all fled the advancing Germans.
“The houses are silent, yet they have not been demolished by shells: the melancholy of neglect, nearly as moving as the despair of the ruins.” The pursuit continues: Sivry-la-Perche, Thierville, Bras-sur-Meuse and Vacherauville are passed through quickly, ending in Louvemont.
The Town Hall would become General Pétain’s HQ in 1916 during the Battle of Verdun, and the Voie Sacrée (“Sacred Way”), a vital artery used to carry supplies to Verdun from 1916 onwards, passed through the village.