BRAVE FRENCH GIRLS SACRIFICE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 16049, 6 February 1918, Page 3

BRAVE FRENCH GIRLS SACRIFICE.

' PRISON FOR HELPING BRITISH SOLDIERS, FATHER AND CAPTIVES SHOT. \ A brave French girl, named; Mile. Germaine Chaudrel, who lived with her family in a little village Guise, in the Aisne Department, has just returned to Fiance after two and a-half years in captivity in Gorman prisons. , The. Journal relates the very dramatic' events in which she and her family took a glorious and leading part. It was oh October 29, 1914, that the region of Guise was invaded. M. Chaudrel and his family, composed of the girl Germaine, aged fifteen, and his son, aged sixteen, had remained, in their little farm. On that morning, while in his fields, M. Chaudrel suddenly saw a British soldier come out from behind a hedge and approach him, followed a moment afterwards hy ten others. These poor fellows had lost themselves, could not return to the French or British lines, and l had been hiding for days i» the country. A neighbour, an old woman- named Goby; took seven of the Tommies, and the Chaudrel family the four others. 1 They lived in cellars, and everything went on all right up to December 24. They were'about to celebrate Christmas in a very humble manner, when, in the evening, lime. Goby’s daughter noticed a group of German soldiers approaching the house, , BETRAYED BY A SPY. The girl rushed in the house, and while the Germans were '■entering the front garden she let the seven Tommies out by a back door anditook them to a little wooded field. The Gormans visited the house, but found no soldiers. M. Chaudrel then decided to take tliesc seven men to his place with the others. They lived there for two months more, the girl Germaine and Her brother keeping watch night and day. OuFebruary 22, 1915, the tragedy took place. The Germans heard through a spy of the presence of these eleven British soldiers m the poor farmer’s house. In the afternoon they surrounded the farm and house. Germaine rushed up to the attic, where her proteges were. . She was canght on the stairs by a German armed with a revolver. , , , “Where are the English?” he asked- “ Look for them!” replied, the girl, . The Tommies knew the danger their little protectress was running. They 'opened the door and gave themselves up. ' The house was burned, and a few days after the women were condemned by , court-martial, Mme. Chaudrel to four years in prison, her daughter to two ajid a-half years, her son to three y e:l r s , Mme. Coby to five years, and her daughter to one year. " . • , , In court the girl Germaine asked, “what about my father and the British soldiers?” ' A Hun answered, “I regret to say they were all shot a fpw days ago. They all died bravely.”