Across the occupied zone

Resistance was also a collective endeavour. In 1916, in Roubaix, Cambrai and Valenciennes, at the instigation of the workers’ organisations, the workers ceased production of the bags which were intended to be filled with sand and thus reinforce the network of German trenches. The German repression was extremely harsh. After late 1915-early 1916, the networks were considerably weakened in both Belgium and France. In Belgium, Édith Cavell’s network was dismantled in late 1915. The resistance networks were never to regain the effectiveness they had had at the beginning of the War.