53845: Postcard of ruined Basilica, Albert

<p dir="ltr">From a series of French postcards showing ruined towns. Captioned: '111. Albert (Somme) - Basilique, vue ouest - West view of the Basilic'. Taken after the recapute of the town in August 1918: the tower of the Basilica, with the famous 'hanging Virgin', was demolished in April 1918. </p> <p>Part of the photograph and scrap album of Revd. Leonard Thomas Pearson, Army Chaplain's Department (attached No. 44 Casualty Clearing Station), discovered in a skip and deposited with the Bodlian Library. Revd. Pearson was interviewed by Lyn Macdonald for her book 'The Roses of No Man's Land', which contains two extracts and a photograph.</p>