LES RÉFUGIÉS

In 1914, Bar-le-Duc had about 14,000 inhabitants plus 3,000 soldiers. As soon as war was declared, the town lost its garrison and its mobilised men. However, its population increased sharply due to the installation of numerous army services and the arrival of thousands of refugees. In September 1914, it was mainly Belgians and inhabitants of the Nord-Meusien who fled on foot or in wagons in the face of the German advance. In 1916, when the Germans attacked Verdun, the inhabitants of all the threatened localities fled in turn. Finally, in July 1918, a third wave of emigrants crossed the town from the Argonne, when the Americans launched a decisive offensive in this region. A large number of the refugees only passed through Bar-le-Duc, but they had to be fed and housed for a while, as best they could. Others, perhaps a thousand, settled more permanently. They had to be given shelter, food and resources when everything was in short supply. One of these refugees, certainly the most prestigious, was Mgr Ginisty, bishop of Verdun, who settled in Bar-le-Duc in February 1916 when his town was evacuated. The church of Notre-Dame, in Bar-le-Duc, became his cathedral.