BRITISH SOLDIERS' GRAVES IN FRANCE.
ITO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:1
SIR,—All of us would like, if we could, to see the spot where our dear one lies, whether he was buried near the trench where ho fought, or in some cemetery of the town in one of whose hospitals he died. It would be to the peace of our hearts could we care for his grave ourselves, laying there, sometimes, the homely flowers that we know would please him. But these consolations cannot be ours till the war is over. Mourners can only trust that the " Graves Commission " does its honourable duty with sympathy and reverence. May I say, as one who has frequently visited our cemeteries in France during the past six months, that they are certainly as well cared for as circumstances will allow, and, also, tell a story of French sympathy which must appeal, I think, to all tender hearts, but especially to those for whom Rouen is now a sacred place because of some grave that is there ?
The quarter of Rouen Cemetery where so many of our soldiers have been laid to rest in Christ looked somewhat bare when I saw it first from a distance. Spring had not " spun her coverlid of green " over the new-made sleeping-place. The small wooden crosses stood at the head of mounds of yellow earth, and only here and there was the austerity of the scene softened by the kindliness of a growing shrub or flower. One passed through the French portion of the cemetery. Here each grave had a wealth of wreaths in bead or metal, as well as natural flowers. Already there were permanent monuments to the heroes lying there. All this contrasted somewhat sharply with the unadorned ground beyond it. But, on reaching what is now " British soil," I found that pious hands had been at work, for every grave was planted with- " forget-me-not." The first-made graves were more lavishly covered with the little tufts than the more recent. But no grave was without its tribute of green leaves and turquoise buds. In my heart I gave praise to the officers of the " Graves Commission " for their diligence, and, specially, for their happy choice of the forget-me-not. But, presently, I learned that all this planting had been done by a French lady. She had sown the seed, and raised the innumerable plants, and gone, day by day, with her gardener and her wheelbarrow, to deck the graves of men not one of whom she had ever known in life, though, surely, she is now their friend. I was told that sometimes she would watch a British soldier's funeral coming down the road from the hospitals, and would follow it to the grave, if there were no relatives or friends of the dead man there—" to represent," as she expressed it, " the mother, or the wife, or the sister, and to say the prayer they would have said by the sleeping soldier's bedside." I had the privilege of making this dear lady's acquaintance. " It is nothing that I have done," she said. " If my boy had lived to grow up, he would have been In the Army, and, only too probably, been killed. I thought how sad I should have been, had his grave been far away, and I unable to watch over it. So I thought, too, of the British women whose dear ones were buried here in Rouen, and tried to do something of what they would do, were they here. You would notice, Monsieur, that several graves are as beautifully adorned as if the relations were close at hand I " " Yes," I replied, " I suppose they are looked after by comrades always at the Base here." " No, Monsieur, each of those graves is tended by a Frenchwoman who will never see her own son's grave, for no one can ever tell her where it is. So she takes one of your soldiers' graves to care for, as she cannot care for her son's."
You will agree, Sir, I trust, that your readers' hearts will be gratefully touched when they know of these instances of affectionate sympathy with our sorrows shown by women of the noble French nation, which is now one with us. The lady of whom I write told me that she had made many attempts to discover the addresses of relatives of those buried at Rouen, with the intention of writing to them and offering to take their graves under her especial charge, placing there such flowers as they might desire, &o. Unfortunately, her efforts had not mot with much success, and she allows me to say (if you, Sir, will permit) that g any one who reads this letter would like to write to her about any grave, whether of private soldier or officer, she would be only toe glad to do what she can. Her address is Mine. Cornet, Les Bruyeres, Sottoville-les-Rouen, France. I ought to say, however, that the military authority does not now permit the planting of flowers on the graves, since a general scheme of planting has been, or is about to be, undertakes upon the advice of one of the directors of Kew Gardens, who has visited all the British graveyards in France, and made suggestions as to their permanent decoration. The mounds are to be levelled, and each grave enclosed within a bordure ; grass is to be sown (as at Boulogne), and flowering shrubs and hedges are to be planted in orderly fashion. "Cue flowers " are allowed, and Mme. Comet would willingly undertake to place such " frail memorials " on any grave for relations who aro unable [The touching solicitude of the French for their fallen Allies has, shoe this letter was written, received a further illustration. The French Parliament have decided that the graves of British soldiers buried in France are to be free of rent, and our Army Council has expressed its gratitude for this generous and noble decision.—En. Spectator.]
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