On September 4 Barcy was the headquarters of a German division. A few people, among them the brother of the Bishop of Meaux, had been arrested near Varreddes, in Mgr. Marbeau's car, and taken before the general. The latter, announcing that he meant to keep their car, told them to inform the inhabitants of Meaux that on the morrow, at the same hour, his troops would be before Paris. But on the morrow Maunoury's army had begun its flank attack, and on the morning of the following day Barcy was carried by the French troops arriving from Monthyon. [Illustration: MR. ASQUITH QUESTIONING A LITTLE GIRL] [Illustration: BARCY CHURCH] Barcy served as starting point for the assaults on Chambry and on the line of defence of Étrépilly-Varreddes; very often also as a place for defensive withdrawals. The fighting was desperate; on September 6 the 246th had nearly twenty officers, including the colonel, out of action, whilst the 289th found it necessary to attack three times during the day. [Illustration: BARCY CHURCH] For three days the bombardment was terrific: the batteries of Étrépilly, Varreddes, and Gué-à-Tresmes rained shells on the village and its approaches. The church suffered heavily, as shown by the photographs on this page. In the upper one is seen the hole made by the heavy projectile which brought down the bell seen in the foreground of the second photograph. Many houses, like those in the church square, still bear traces of the cannonade. Others, less heavily damaged, have been repaired. Indeed, to look at the farm sleeping in the sunshine (_see following page_), one would never dream that it had lived through such tragic days. The new roofing of the building on the left is all there is to remind one that it was not spared by the shells. [Illustration: FARM AT BARCY] _Following the road by which we arrived at the church, we go towards Marcilly._ Before leaving Barcy, we pass the cemetery where lie buried many officers and men who fell in the neighbourhood of the village. The Germans entered =Marcilly= on the evening of September 4, and abandoned it on the 6th, fearing the outflanking movement of the Seventh Corps towards the north. The village was the centre of operations for the 56th (Reserve) Division. The photograph below shows General de Dartein's temporary headquarters beside a haystack, not far from the village, whose church can be seen in the background. The tourist will have an opportunity of seeing in detail the objectives of the division when passing through Champfleury, Poligny, and Étrépilly. The struggle was very fierce and the bombardment incessant for three days.