It was near Servon that, on August 25th, 1786, the aeronaut Blanchard, on his way from Lille to Paris, where he hoped to present a bouquet to the King, was forced to descend after being carried out of his course by contrary winds. Occupied by the Germans since September, 1914, and strongly fortified by them, the village and surrounding country were attacked by the French on September 25, 1915, during a minor offensive, intended to cover the main attack in Champagne. The French, after a short advance, were forced to retire on their original positions, in consequence of counter-attacks debouching from Servon. The village was only retaken on September 26, 1918, by the French 4th Army, which, on the evening of the same day, reached the wood 1 km. 500 to the north-east of the village, after a fierce struggle. To-day Servon is an absolute ruin. The cemetery alone, on the left of the road, indicates the site of the village. Below the ruins of the church, which stood on the top of the hill on which the village was built, several German shelters (_photo, p._ 92) may still be seen _along G.C._ 66. [Illustration: FRENCH MILITARY GRAVES AT ST. THOMAS _Alongside the road from Servon._] Immediately beyond these shelters _turn into the road on the left, which runs through the village;_ on both sides are other defence-works. _Outside the village, leave the (impassable) Vienne-le-Château road on the left, and keep straight on._ _G.C. 66 runs alongside the Aisne as far as_ =St. Thomas=, _then passes by_ trenches and barbed-wire entanglements--the remains of the old German front lines. _Shortly afterwards_, the old French front lines _are reached_. _To the right, on the left bank of the Aisne, is seen_ the hamlet of =Melzicourt=, which the French retook on October 25, 1914. All through the trench warfare the French line ran through the Melzicourt Ford. _Two kilometres beyond Servon, by the side of the road_, are large shelters of stone and cement (_photo, p._ 92). _Opposite is_ a French military cemetery (_photo, p._ 95). _Two kilometres further on_ =St. Thomas= _is reached_. [Illustration: FIRST FRENCH LINE IN AISNE VALLEY BEFORE SERVON (_St. Thomas’ Sector._)] The little village of St. Thomas formerly possessed a rich priory, founded in 1096 by Robert, Abbot of St. Méry, and Manassés, Archbishop of Rheims. The modern church was built on the site of the Priory Chapel, destroyed during the Revolution. The village has completely disappeared; of the church only a few broken fragments of wall remain. _On leaving St. Thomas, G.C. 66 winds down into the valley of the Biesme, passes near_ a military cemetery, _crosses the valley, then divides_. _Take the left-hand road (G.C. 67) which soon passes near_ the farm of La Renarde, _then alongside_ a large military cemetery, _finally reaching_ =Vienne-le-Château= (_3 km. beyond St. Thomas_). [Illustration: ST. THOMAS CHURCH AND VILLAGE _Seen from G.C. 66 going towards Servon._]