_A heavy trench-mortar of the 3rd Australian Medium Trench-Mortar Battery in action at Ville-sur-Ancre, on May 29, 1918, when the German front line was only 400 yards beyond this farm-house._] [Illustration: PÉRONNE IN 1918. THE GRANDE PLACE. CAPTURED GERMAN GUNS. _Taken from the Guide_: THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE SOMME.] [Illustration: AMIENS, DURING THE GERMAN OFFENSIVES OF 1918. (1) _Fire at the Saint-Frères Works, April 23, 1918._ (2) _Platforms at the Gare du Nord, May, 1918._ (3) _One of the Warehouses at the Goods Station._ (4) _One of the buildings at the Saint-Frères Works._ (5) _The Rue de la Hotoie._ (6) _The Rue des Jacobins and the Passage du Commerce connecting it with the Rue des Trois Cailloux._] _To visit AMIENS_, centre of the itineraries for BAPAUME and PÉRONNE ("THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE SOMME") and MONTDIDIER and COMPIÈGNE ("THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE SOMME"), see the MICHELIN Illustrated Guide: "=AMIENS, before and during the War.=" [Illustration: FROM AMIENS TO COMPIÈGNE Lunch at Montdidier. _The roads to be followed are shown by heavy lines. Detailed sketch maps are incorporated in the text._] AMIENS TO COMPIÈGNE _See route-map, p. 57._ From Amiens to Villers-Bretonneux =via Longueau, Gentelles and Cachy=. _Leave Amiens by Exit V_ (Michelin Tourist Guide) (_Rue Jules-Barni, Chaussée Périgord and N. 35_). _Cross the railway twice (l.c.) or if preferred, take the road on the right under the railway._ =Longueau= _is soon reached._ The road from Amiens to the crossing over the river Avre, before reaching Longueau, follows the left bank of the Somme. Market-gardens famous for their fertility and known locally as "_hortillonnages_" lie in the valley, especially around Camon. Formerly, the river-side _seigneurs_ above Amiens, met once a year for wild swan-shooting in the valley of the Somme. The custom died out in the 18th century, poaching having by then exterminated the swans. [Illustration] It was at Longueau that the Roman roads from Amiens to Rheims and to St. Quentin crossed the river Avre. Gallo-Roman tombstones were discovered in 1848, while excavating near the first bridge at Longueau. In 1590, the Leaguers held the village to ransom, and the Spaniards burnt it in 1636. _Beyond Longueau, leave the Montdidier road on the right, and keep straight along the road to Roye for 4½ kms. Take the second road on the left, to_ =Gentelles=. Gun emplacements, shelters and trenches are met with on both sides of the road. Gentelles Wood is on the right. (_See sketch-map, p. 59_). _Pass through Gentelles village_, entirely destroyed. _1½ kms. beyond Gentelles stands_ a partly destroyed monument to the memory of the French who fell in the Franco-German War of 1870 (_photo below_). [Illustration: MONUMENT TO THE FRENCH DEAD OF 1870, AT ENTRANCE TO CACHY.] _Leave the monument on the right, and enter_ =Cachy= (completely ruined). [Illustration: RUINS OF CACHY CHURCH.]