Battle of Mons
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers
, in which the Allies
clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the Mons-Condé Canal against the advancing German First Army
. Although the British fought well and inflicted disproportionate casualties on the numerically-superior Germans, they were eventually forced to retreat due both to the greater strength of the Germans and the sudden retreat of the French Fifth Army, which exposed the British right flank. Though initially planned as a simple tactical withdrawal, and executed in good order, the British retreat from Mons ultimately lasted for two weeks and took the BEF to the outskirts of Paris
before it was finally able to counterattack, in concert with the French, at the Battle of the Marne
.
an armies, the BEF was, in 1914, exceedingly small. Whereas at the beginning of the war both the German and French armies numbered well over a million men each, divided into eight and five field armies
, respectively, the BEF initially numbered only about 80,000 soldiers divided into two corps
. Unlike the largely conscript armies of Germany and France, however, the BEF was an entirely professional force made up of long-service volunteer soldiers. As a result, the BEF was, on balance, probably the best-trained and most-experienced of the European armies of 1914. In particular, pre-war British Army training emphasized rapid marksmanship, meaning that the average British soldier was able to hit a man-sized target fifteen times a minute at a range of 300 yards with his Lee-Enfield rifle
. This ability to pour out rapid, accurate rifle-fire would play an important role in all of the BEF's battles of 1914.
The Battle of Mons took place as part of the Battle of the Frontiers
, in which the advancing German army clashed with the advancing Allied armies along the Franco-Belgian and Franco-German borders. The BEF was stationed on the left of the Allied line, which stretched from Alsace-Lorraine
in the east to Mons
and Charleroi
in southern Belgium. The British army's position on the French flank meant that it stood directly in the path of the German First Army
, the outermost wing of the massive "right hook" intended by the Schlieffen Plan
to encircle and destroy the Allies. The BEF, small as it was, thus had the crucial role of holding back the German right wing and preventing the Allies from being outflanked.
The British reached Mons on 22 August. On that day, the French Fifth Army, located on the immediate right of the BEF, was heavily engaged with the German Second
and Third
armies at the Battle of Charleroi
. At the request of the Fifth Army commander, General Charles Lanrezac
, the BEF's commander, Field Marshal Sir John French
, agreed to hold the line of the Mons-Condé Canal for twenty-four hours to prevent the advancing German First Army from threatening the French left flank. The British thus spent the day creating entrenched positions along the canal.
At the Battle of Mons the BEF consisted of two corps, each with two infantry
divisions
, plus an additional five brigades of cavalry
– a total of approximately 80,000 men. I Corps was commanded by Sir Douglas Haig
and was composed of the 1st and 2nd Divisions. II Corps was commanded by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien
and consisted of the 3rd and 5th Divisions. Each infantry division consisted of three brigades, each with four battalion
s. It was armed with twenty-four Vickers machine gun
s – two per battalion
– and was supported by three field artillery
brigades totalling fifty-four 18-pounder gun
s, one field howitzer
brigade of eighteen 4.5-inch howitzers
, and one heavy artillery battery of four 60-pounder guns.
The British II Corps, on the left of the British line, occupied defensive positions along the Mons-Condé Canal, while I Corps was positioned almost at a right angle away from the canal along the Mons-Beaumont road (see map). I Corps was deployed in this manner to protect the BEF's right flank in case the French were forced to retreat from their position at Charleroi. In the event, however, the fact that I Corps did not line the canal meant that it played very little role in the upcoming battle, and the German onslaught was faced almost exclusively by II Corps. The dominant geographical feature of the battlefield was a loop in the canal, which jutted outwards from Mons towards the village of Nimy
. This loop formed a small salient
that would, inevitably, be very difficult for the British to defend. Consequently, this salient formed the focus of the battle.
Advancing towards the British was the German First Army
, commanded by Alexander von Kluck
. The First Army was composed of four active corps (II
, III
, IV
, and IX Corps) and three reserve corps (III, IV, and IX Reserve Corps), although only the active corps took part in the fighting at Mons. German corps, like British corps, consisted of two divisions each, with attendant cavalry and artillery. Of all the German field armies, the First Army had the greatest offensive power, with a density of about 18,000 men per mile of front, or about 10 per metre – higher than any other German army.
The first contact between the two armies occurred on 21 August, when a British bicycle reconnaissance team encountered a German unit near Obourg
. One of the cyclists, Private John Parr, was killed, thereby becoming the first British fatality of the war. The first substantial action occurred a day later, on the morning of 22 August. At 6:30 a.m., a patrol of the 4th Dragoon Guards spotted a group of German cavalry outside the village of Casteau
, to the northeast of Mons. The Dragoons, led by Captain Hornby, gave chase. After a pursuit of a few miles, the Germans turned and fired upon the British cavalrymen, at which point the Dragoons dismounted and opened fire. Drummer Edward Thomas is reputed to have fired the first shot of the war for the British Army, hitting a German trooper, while Captain Hornby became the first British soldier to kill an enemy by sword.
The initial German attack was thus repulsed with heavy losses. Quickly realising the folly of attacking in close order, however, the Germans switched to an open formation and attacked again. This attack was more successful, as the looser formation adopted by the Germans made it more difficult for the British to inflict casualties rapidly. As a result, the outnumbered defenders were soon hard-pressed to defend the canal crossings. The Royal Fusiliers, defending the Nimy bridge and the Ghlin
bridge, faced some of the day's heaviest fighting, and only the piecemeal addition of reinforcements to the firing line as well as the exceptional bravery of two of the battalion's machine gunners allowed them to hold off the German attacks. At the Nimy bridge, Dease took control of his machine gun after every other member of his section had been killed or wounded and continued to fire the weapon despite being shot multiple times. Only after being wounded for a fifth time was he evacuated to the battalion aid station, where he died. At the Ghlin bridge, Private Sidney Godley operated the battalion's other machine gun tenaciously throughout the day, ultimately staying behind to cover the Fusiliers' retreat at the end of the battle. He only surrendered after disassembling his gun and throwing the pieces into the canal to prevent its capture by the Germans. Both soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross
, the first two earned in the First World War.
To the right of the Royal Fusiliers, the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment
and the 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders were equally hard-pressed by the German assault on the salient. Greatly outnumbered, both battalions suffered heavy casualties but, with the addition of reinforcements from the Royal Irish Regiment
(which was acting as the divisional reserve) and effective fire support from the divisional artillery, they managed to hold the bridges. At this point, the Germans expanded their attack, assaulting the British defences along the straight reach of the canal to the west of the salient. The Germans attackers were aided by fir
plantations that lined the northern side of the canal, allowing them to advance under cover to within a few hundred yards of the canal and to rake the British defences with machine gun and rifle fire. The German attack fell particularly heavily on the 1st Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers
, but, although these battalions endured heavy casualties, they managed to repulse the Germans throughout the day.
killed or wounded. To the east of the British position, units of the German IX Corps had begun to cross the canal in force, threatening the British right flank. And at Nimy, a German private, August Neimeier, had swam across the canal under British fire to operate machinery closing a swing bridge. Although he was killed, his actions allowed the Germans to increase pressure against the 4th Royal Fusiliers.
In consequence, at 3 p.m. the British 3rd Division was ordered to retire from the salient to positions a short distance to the south of Mons. This retirement necessitated a similar retreat towards evening by the 5th Division, and by nightfall II Corps had established a new defensive line running through the villages of Montrœul, Boussu
, Wasmes
, Paturages, and Frameries
. By this point, however, the Germans had built pontoon bridges over the canal, and were approaching the British positions in great strength. Additionally, news had arrived that the French Fifth Army was retreating, dangerously exposing the British right flank. At 2 a.m. on 24 August, II Corps was ordered to retreat southwest into France with the goal of reaching defensibile positions along the Valenciennes
to Maubeuge
road.
The unexpected order to retreat from prepared defensive lines in the face of the enemy meant that II Corps was required to fight a number of sharp rearguard actions against the pursuing Germans. For the first stage of the withdrawal, Gen. Smith-Dorrien
detailed the 5th Brigade of the 2nd Division, which had not been involved in heavy fighting on 23 August, to act as rearguard. The 5th Brigade fought a holding action at Paturages and Frameries, the Brigade artillery in particular inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans. Elsewhere, at Wasmes, elements of the 5th Division faced a heavy assault. German artillery began bombarding the village at daybreak, and at 10 a.m. infantry of the German III Corps attacked. Advancing in columns, however, the Germans were immediately met with heavy rifle and machine gun fire, and were "mown down like grass." For a further two hours, soldiers of the 1st West Kents, 2nd Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
, 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment
, and 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
held off repeated German assaults on the village despite taking heavy casualties, and then retreated in good order to St. Vaast.
On the extreme left of the British line, the 14th and 15th Brigades of the 5th Division were particularly hard-pressed by the Germans, who were attempting to outflank them, and were forced to call for help from the cavalry. The 2nd Cavalry Brigade, along with the 119th Battery RFA
and L Battery RHA
, were sent to their aid. Dismounting to fight, the cavalry, protected by the two artillery batteries, successfully screened the withdrawal of the 14th and 15th Brigades during four hours of intense fighting.
and II Corps to Le Cateau
. Ultimately, the retreat would last for two weeks and cover over 250 miles. Throughout the retreat, the British were closely pursued by the Germans, and were forced to fight a number of rearguard actions, including the Battle of Le Cateau
on 26 August, the Étreux rearguard action
on 27 August, and the Action at Néry
on 1 September.
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In a way, both sides were victorious at the Battle of Mons. The British, outnumbered by as much as 3 to 1, managed to hold off the German First Army for 48 hours while inflicting significantly heavier casualties on their enemies, and then were able to retire in good order. They thus achieved their main strategic objective, which was to protect the French Fifth Army from being outflanked. Additionally, the Battle of Mons was an important moral victory for the British. As their first battle on the European continent since the Crimean War
almost 60 years earlier, it was a matter of great uncertainty as to how they would perform. In the event, the British soldiers came away from the battle with a clear sense that they had gotten the upper hand during the fighting at Mons. The Germans, likewise, seem to have understood that they had been dealt a sharp blow by an army they had previously considered inconsequential. The German novelist and infantry captain Walter Bloem, for example, wrote his thoughts on the outcome of the battle:
For the Germans, the Battle of Mons was a tactical defeat, but nonetheless a strategic victory. Although the First Army was temporarily held up by the British and suffered heavy casualties, it still managed to cross the barrier of the Mons-Condé Canal and begin its advance into France. Ultimately, it would drive the BEF and French armies before it almost to Paris before finally being stopped at the Battle of the Marne
.
. Indeed, Mons spawned its own famous myth: a miraculous tale claiming that the "Angels of Mons
" – angelic warriors sometimes described as phantom longbow
men from Agincourt – had saved the British army by halting the German troops.
Soldiers of the BEF who fought at Mons later became eligible for a campaign medal, the 1914 Star
, often colloquially called the Mons Star, honouring troops who had fought in Belgium or France between 5 August and 22 November 1914. On 19 August 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm allegedly issued an Order of the Day which read in part: "my soldiers to exterminate first the treacherous English; walk over Field Marshal French's contemptible little Army." This led to the British "Tommies"
of the BEF proudly labelling themselves "The Old Contemptibles". However, no evidence of the famous Order of the Day was ever found in the German archives after the war, and the ex-Kaiser denied having given it. An investigation conducted by General Frederick Maurice
traced the origins of the Order to the British GHQ
, where it apparently had been concocted for propaganda purposes.
After the battle, the Germans established the St Symphorien military cemetery
as a memorial to the German, British, and Irish dead. On a mound in the centre of the cemetery was erected a grey granite obelisk, 7 metres (23 ft) tall, with a German inscription: "In memory of the German and English soldiers who fell in the actions near Mons on the 23rd and 24th August 1914". Originally, 245 German and 188 British and Irish soldiers were interred at the cemetery. Subsequently, additional British, Canadian, and German graves were moved to the cemetery from other burial grounds, and there are now over 500 soldiers buried in St. Symphorien. Of these, over 60 are unidentified, and special memorials have been erected to five soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment believed to be buried in unnamed graves. Other special memorials record the names of four British soldiers, buried by the enemy in Obourg Churchyard, whose graves could not be found. Poignantly, St. Symphorien cemetery also contains the graves of the two soldiers believed to be the first (Private John Parr
, 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regt., 21 August 1914) and the last (Private Gordon Price
, Canadian Infantry, 11 November 1918) Commonwealth soldiers to be killed during the First World War. A tablet in the cemetery sets out the gift of the land by Jean Houzeau de Lehaie.
Mons Road, in Dudley
, Worcestershire
, is named after the Battle of Mons.
Battle of the Frontiers
The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of World War I. The battles represented a collision between the military strategies of the French Plan XVII and the German Schlieffen Plan...
, in which the Allies
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the Mons-Condé Canal against the advancing German First Army
German First Army
-First World War:The 1st Army during World War I, fought on the Western Front and took part in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against France and Belgium in August 1914. Commanded by General Alexander von Kluck, the 1st Army's job was to command the extreme right of the German forces in attacking...
. Although the British fought well and inflicted disproportionate casualties on the numerically-superior Germans, they were eventually forced to retreat due both to the greater strength of the Germans and the sudden retreat of the French Fifth Army, which exposed the British right flank. Though initially planned as a simple tactical withdrawal, and executed in good order, the British retreat from Mons ultimately lasted for two weeks and took the BEF to the outskirts of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
before it was finally able to counterattack, in concert with the French, at the Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
.
Background
Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, and on 9 August the BEF began embarking for France. By the standards of Continental EuropeContinental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
an armies, the BEF was, in 1914, exceedingly small. Whereas at the beginning of the war both the German and French armies numbered well over a million men each, divided into eight and five field armies
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
, respectively, the BEF initially numbered only about 80,000 soldiers divided into two corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
. Unlike the largely conscript armies of Germany and France, however, the BEF was an entirely professional force made up of long-service volunteer soldiers. As a result, the BEF was, on balance, probably the best-trained and most-experienced of the European armies of 1914. In particular, pre-war British Army training emphasized rapid marksmanship, meaning that the average British soldier was able to hit a man-sized target fifteen times a minute at a range of 300 yards with his Lee-Enfield rifle
Lee-Enfield
The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century...
. This ability to pour out rapid, accurate rifle-fire would play an important role in all of the BEF's battles of 1914.
The Battle of Mons took place as part of the Battle of the Frontiers
Battle of the Frontiers
The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of World War I. The battles represented a collision between the military strategies of the French Plan XVII and the German Schlieffen Plan...
, in which the advancing German army clashed with the advancing Allied armies along the Franco-Belgian and Franco-German borders. The BEF was stationed on the left of the Allied line, which stretched from Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
in the east to Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
and Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
in southern Belgium. The British army's position on the French flank meant that it stood directly in the path of the German First Army
German First Army
-First World War:The 1st Army during World War I, fought on the Western Front and took part in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against France and Belgium in August 1914. Commanded by General Alexander von Kluck, the 1st Army's job was to command the extreme right of the German forces in attacking...
, the outermost wing of the massive "right hook" intended by the Schlieffen Plan
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff's early 20th century overall strategic plan for victory in a possible future war in which the German Empire might find itself fighting on two fronts: France to the west and Russia to the east...
to encircle and destroy the Allies. The BEF, small as it was, thus had the crucial role of holding back the German right wing and preventing the Allies from being outflanked.
The British reached Mons on 22 August. On that day, the French Fifth Army, located on the immediate right of the BEF, was heavily engaged with the German Second
German Second Army
The 2nd Army was a World War I and World War II field army.-First World War:The 2nd Army during World War I, fought on the Western Front and took part in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against France and Belgium in August 1914...
and Third
German Third Army
The 3rd Army was a German field army that fought during :World War I and :World War II.-World War I:Upon the mobilization Max von Hausen was given command of the 3rd Army which mainly consisted of Saxons. The army participated in the battle of the Frontiers, mainly in the battles of Dinant and...
armies at the Battle of Charleroi
Battle of Charleroi
The Battle of Charleroi , or the Battle of the Sambre , was fought on 21 August 1914, between French and German forces and was part of the Battle of the Frontiers. The French were planning an attack across the Sambre River, when the Germans launched an attack of their own...
. At the request of the Fifth Army commander, General Charles Lanrezac
Charles Lanrezac
Charles Lanrezac was a distinguished general of the French army at the outbreak of World War I.-Early life:...
, the BEF's commander, Field Marshal Sir John French
John French, 1st Earl of Ypres
Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC , known as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a British and Anglo-Irish officer...
, agreed to hold the line of the Mons-Condé Canal for twenty-four hours to prevent the advancing German First Army from threatening the French left flank. The British thus spent the day creating entrenched positions along the canal.
Disposition of forces and first contact
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
divisions
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
, plus an additional five brigades of cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
– a total of approximately 80,000 men. I Corps was commanded by Sir Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
and was composed of the 1st and 2nd Divisions. II Corps was commanded by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien
Horace Smith-Dorrien
General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien GCB, GCMG, DSO, ADC was a British soldier and commander of the British II Corps and Second Army of the BEF during World War I.-Early life and career:...
and consisted of the 3rd and 5th Divisions. Each infantry division consisted of three brigades, each with four battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s. It was armed with twenty-four Vickers machine gun
Vickers machine gun
Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
s – two per battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
– and was supported by three field artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
brigades totalling fifty-four 18-pounder gun
Ordnance QF 18 pounder
The Ordnance QF 18 pounder, or simply 18-pounder Gun, was the standard British Army field gun of the World War I era. It formed the backbone of the Royal Field Artillery during the war, and was produced in large numbers. It was also used by British and Commonwealth Forces in all the main theatres,...
s, one field howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
brigade of eighteen 4.5-inch howitzers
QF 4.5 inch Howitzer
The Ordnance QF 4.5 inch Howitzer was the standard British Empire field howitzer of the First World War era. It replaced the BL 5 inch Howitzer and equipped some 25% of the field artillery. It entered service in 1910 and remained in service through the interwar period and was last used in...
, and one heavy artillery battery of four 60-pounder guns.
The British II Corps, on the left of the British line, occupied defensive positions along the Mons-Condé Canal, while I Corps was positioned almost at a right angle away from the canal along the Mons-Beaumont road (see map). I Corps was deployed in this manner to protect the BEF's right flank in case the French were forced to retreat from their position at Charleroi. In the event, however, the fact that I Corps did not line the canal meant that it played very little role in the upcoming battle, and the German onslaught was faced almost exclusively by II Corps. The dominant geographical feature of the battlefield was a loop in the canal, which jutted outwards from Mons towards the village of Nimy
Nimy
Nimy is a village near the Belgian town of Mons in the province of Hainaut. In 1914, it was the scene of heavy fighting during the Battle of Mons, the first action of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I.- Gallery :...
. This loop formed a small salient
Salients, re-entrants and pockets
A salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant...
that would, inevitably, be very difficult for the British to defend. Consequently, this salient formed the focus of the battle.
Advancing towards the British was the German First Army
German First Army
-First World War:The 1st Army during World War I, fought on the Western Front and took part in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against France and Belgium in August 1914. Commanded by General Alexander von Kluck, the 1st Army's job was to command the extreme right of the German forces in attacking...
, commanded by Alexander von Kluck
Alexander von Kluck
Alexander Heinrich Rudolph von Kluck was a German general during World War I.- Military career :He enlisted in the Prussian army in time to serve in the seven-week Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War, where he was wounded twice in the Battle of Colombey-Neuilly...
. The First Army was composed of four active corps (II
II Corps (German Empire)
The II Army Corps was a unit of the Imperial German Army that was stationed in Stettin. At the outbreak of World War I, the corps served on the Western Front.In 1914, the component units of the corps were:*3rd Division*4th Division...
, III
III Corps (German Empire)
The III Army Corps was a formation in the Imperial German Army. It was established in 1814 as the General Headquarters in Berlin and became the III Army Corps on April 3, 1820...
, IV
IV Corps (German Empire)
The IV Army Corps was a formation of the Imperial German Army. It was established on October 3, 1815 as the General Command in the Duchy of Saxony and became the IV Army Corps on August 30, 1818...
, and IX Corps) and three reserve corps (III, IV, and IX Reserve Corps), although only the active corps took part in the fighting at Mons. German corps, like British corps, consisted of two divisions each, with attendant cavalry and artillery. Of all the German field armies, the First Army had the greatest offensive power, with a density of about 18,000 men per mile of front, or about 10 per metre – higher than any other German army.
The first contact between the two armies occurred on 21 August, when a British bicycle reconnaissance team encountered a German unit near Obourg
Obourg
Obourg is a village near the Belgian town of Mons in the province of Hainaut. Obourg was known for its tobacco in the past.- Gallery :...
. One of the cyclists, Private John Parr, was killed, thereby becoming the first British fatality of the war. The first substantial action occurred a day later, on the morning of 22 August. At 6:30 a.m., a patrol of the 4th Dragoon Guards spotted a group of German cavalry outside the village of Casteau
Casteau
Casteau is a village of Belgium in the French-speaking region. With the others villages Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Horrues, Naast, Neufvilles, Soignies , and Thieusies, they compose the municipality of Soignies....
, to the northeast of Mons. The Dragoons, led by Captain Hornby, gave chase. After a pursuit of a few miles, the Germans turned and fired upon the British cavalrymen, at which point the Dragoons dismounted and opened fire. Drummer Edward Thomas is reputed to have fired the first shot of the war for the British Army, hitting a German trooper, while Captain Hornby became the first British soldier to kill an enemy by sword.
Morning
The Battle of Mons opened at dawn on 23 August with a German artillery bombardment of the British lines. Understanding that the salient formed by the loop in the canal was the weak-point of the British defences, throughout the day the Germans focused their primary efforts on attacking the British there. At 9:00 a.m., the first German infantry assault began, with the Germans attempting to force their way across the four bridges that crossed the canal at the salient. Four German battalions attacked the Nimy bridge, which was defended by a single company of the 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, as well as a machine gun section led by Lieutenant Maurice Dease. Advancing at first in close column – "parade ground" formation – the Germans made nearly unmissable targets for the well-trained British riflemen (who were evidently making hits at over 1000 yards (914.4 m)), and were mown down by rifle, machine gun, and artillery fire. Indeed, so heavy was the British rifle fire throughout the battle that the Germans thought they were facing batteries of machine guns.Ghlin
Ghlin is a village near the Belgian town Mons in the province of Hainaut.- People born in Ghlin :* Charles Plisnier , writer winner of the Prix Goncourt in 1937- See also :Grand Large...
bridge, faced some of the day's heaviest fighting, and only the piecemeal addition of reinforcements to the firing line as well as the exceptional bravery of two of the battalion's machine gunners allowed them to hold off the German attacks. At the Nimy bridge, Dease took control of his machine gun after every other member of his section had been killed or wounded and continued to fire the weapon despite being shot multiple times. Only after being wounded for a fifth time was he evacuated to the battalion aid station, where he died. At the Ghlin bridge, Private Sidney Godley operated the battalion's other machine gun tenaciously throughout the day, ultimately staying behind to cover the Fusiliers' retreat at the end of the battle. He only surrendered after disassembling his gun and throwing the pieces into the canal to prevent its capture by the Germans. Both soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the first two earned in the First World War.
To the right of the Royal Fusiliers, the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
and the 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders were equally hard-pressed by the German assault on the salient. Greatly outnumbered, both battalions suffered heavy casualties but, with the addition of reinforcements from the Royal Irish Regiment
Royal Irish Regiment (1684-1922)
The Royal Irish Regiment, until 1881 the 18th Regiment of Foot, was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, first raised in 1684. Also known as the 18th Regiment of Foot and the 18th Regiment of Foot, it was one of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, its home depot in...
(which was acting as the divisional reserve) and effective fire support from the divisional artillery, they managed to hold the bridges. At this point, the Germans expanded their attack, assaulting the British defences along the straight reach of the canal to the west of the salient. The Germans attackers were aided by fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
plantations that lined the northern side of the canal, allowing them to advance under cover to within a few hundred yards of the canal and to rake the British defences with machine gun and rifle fire. The German attack fell particularly heavily on the 1st Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.-History:It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours...
, but, although these battalions endured heavy casualties, they managed to repulse the Germans throughout the day.
Retreat
Under the weight of continuing German attacks, by the afternoon the British began to realize that their position in the salient was untenable. Many of the battalions defending the salient had taken heavy casualties – the 4th Middlesex, for example, had suffered 15 officers and 353 other ranksOther Ranks
Other Ranks in the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are those personnel who are not commissioned officers. In the Royal Navy, these personnel are called ratings...
killed or wounded. To the east of the British position, units of the German IX Corps had begun to cross the canal in force, threatening the British right flank. And at Nimy, a German private, August Neimeier, had swam across the canal under British fire to operate machinery closing a swing bridge. Although he was killed, his actions allowed the Germans to increase pressure against the 4th Royal Fusiliers.
In consequence, at 3 p.m. the British 3rd Division was ordered to retire from the salient to positions a short distance to the south of Mons. This retirement necessitated a similar retreat towards evening by the 5th Division, and by nightfall II Corps had established a new defensive line running through the villages of Montrœul, Boussu
Boussu
Boussu is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. As of January 1, 2006, Boussu had a total population of 20,058. The total area is 20.01 km², which gives a population density of 1,002 inhabitants per km²....
, Wasmes
Wasmes
Wasmes is a village in the municipality of Colfontaine in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.Vincent van Gogh lived there for a while in 1880....
, Paturages, and Frameries
Frameries
Frameries is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On June 21st 2011 Frameries had a total population of about 20,652...
. By this point, however, the Germans had built pontoon bridges over the canal, and were approaching the British positions in great strength. Additionally, news had arrived that the French Fifth Army was retreating, dangerously exposing the British right flank. At 2 a.m. on 24 August, II Corps was ordered to retreat southwest into France with the goal of reaching defensibile positions along the Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
to Maubeuge
Maubeuge
Maubeuge is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is situated on both banks of the Sambre , east of Valenciennes and about from the Belgian border.-History:...
road.
The unexpected order to retreat from prepared defensive lines in the face of the enemy meant that II Corps was required to fight a number of sharp rearguard actions against the pursuing Germans. For the first stage of the withdrawal, Gen. Smith-Dorrien
Horace Smith-Dorrien
General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien GCB, GCMG, DSO, ADC was a British soldier and commander of the British II Corps and Second Army of the BEF during World War I.-Early life and career:...
detailed the 5th Brigade of the 2nd Division, which had not been involved in heavy fighting on 23 August, to act as rearguard. The 5th Brigade fought a holding action at Paturages and Frameries, the Brigade artillery in particular inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans. Elsewhere, at Wasmes, elements of the 5th Division faced a heavy assault. German artillery began bombarding the village at daybreak, and at 10 a.m. infantry of the German III Corps attacked. Advancing in columns, however, the Germans were immediately met with heavy rifle and machine gun fire, and were "mown down like grass." For a further two hours, soldiers of the 1st West Kents, 2nd Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. The regiment's traditions and history are now maintained by The Rifles.-The 51st Foot:...
, 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment
Duke of Wellington's Regiment
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division.In 1702 Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he did in and around the city of Gloucester. As was the custom in those days...
, and 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army originally formed in 1688...
held off repeated German assaults on the village despite taking heavy casualties, and then retreated in good order to St. Vaast.
On the extreme left of the British line, the 14th and 15th Brigades of the 5th Division were particularly hard-pressed by the Germans, who were attempting to outflank them, and were forced to call for help from the cavalry. The 2nd Cavalry Brigade, along with the 119th Battery RFA
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
and L Battery RHA
L (Néry) Battery Royal Horse Artillery
L Battery Royal Horse Artillery are the Tactical Group Battery of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. They are currently based in Assaye Barracks in Tidworth.-Current Role:...
, were sent to their aid. Dismounting to fight, the cavalry, protected by the two artillery batteries, successfully screened the withdrawal of the 14th and 15th Brigades during four hours of intense fighting.
Aftermath
By nightfall on 24 August, the British had successfully retreated to what was expected to be their new defensive lines on the Valenciennes to Maubeuge road. Their retreat did not stop there, however. Significantly outnumbered by the German First Army, and with their French allies also falling back, the BEF had no choice but to continue to retire – I Corps retreating to LandreciesLandrecies
Landrecies is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is the site of a skirmish between the British I Corps under Douglas Haig and the German Fifth Army on 25 August 1914.-Heraldry:-People:...
and II Corps to Le Cateau
Le Cateau-Cambrésis
Le Cateau-Cambrésis is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.The term Cambrésis indicates that it lies in the county of that name which fell to the Prince-Bishop of Cambrai.-History:...
. Ultimately, the retreat would last for two weeks and cover over 250 miles. Throughout the retreat, the British were closely pursued by the Germans, and were forced to fight a number of rearguard actions, including the Battle of Le Cateau
Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
on 26 August, the Étreux rearguard action
Étreux
Étreux is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The first major engagement of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War in August 1914, resulted in what became known as the Great Retreat during the Battle of Mons, in the course of which a strategic...
on 27 August, and the Action at Néry
Action at Néry
Néry is set in a north-south oriented valley around a small river, which feeds into the River Autonne to the north; it is overlooked from the east and west by high bluffs. The main landmark was a sugar factory, just south of the village, where L Battery were billeted; the cavalry regiments were...
on 1 September.
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
almost 60 years earlier, it was a matter of great uncertainty as to how they would perform. In the event, the British soldiers came away from the battle with a clear sense that they had gotten the upper hand during the fighting at Mons. The Germans, likewise, seem to have understood that they had been dealt a sharp blow by an army they had previously considered inconsequential. The German novelist and infantry captain Walter Bloem, for example, wrote his thoughts on the outcome of the battle:
For the Germans, the Battle of Mons was a tactical defeat, but nonetheless a strategic victory. Although the First Army was temporarily held up by the British and suffered heavy casualties, it still managed to cross the barrier of the Mons-Condé Canal and begin its advance into France. Ultimately, it would drive the BEF and French armies before it almost to Paris before finally being stopped at the Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
.
Legacy
Over time, the Battle of Mons has attained an almost mythic status. In the British historiographic tradition in particular, it has been given a reputation as an upset victory against overwhelming odds of the same order as the English victory at the Battle of AgincourtBattle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
. Indeed, Mons spawned its own famous myth: a miraculous tale claiming that the "Angels of Mons
Angels of Mons
The Angels of Mons is a popular legend about a group of angels who supposedly protected members of the British army in the Battle of Mons at the outset of World War I...
" – angelic warriors sometimes described as phantom longbow
Longbow
A longbow is a type of bow that is tall ; this will allow its user a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw....
men from Agincourt – had saved the British army by halting the German troops.
Soldiers of the BEF who fought at Mons later became eligible for a campaign medal, the 1914 Star
1914 Star
The 1914 Star was a British Empire campaign medal for service in World War I.The 1914 Star was approved in 1917, for issue to officers and men of British forces who served in France or Belgium between 5 August and midnight 22/23 November 1914...
, often colloquially called the Mons Star, honouring troops who had fought in Belgium or France between 5 August and 22 November 1914. On 19 August 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm allegedly issued an Order of the Day which read in part: "my soldiers to exterminate first the treacherous English; walk over Field Marshal French's contemptible little Army." This led to the British "Tommies"
Tommy Atkins
Tommy Atkins is a term for a common soldier in the British Army that was already well established in the 19th century, but is particularly associated with World War I. It can be used as a term of reference, or as a form of address. German soldiers would call out to "Tommy" across no man's land if...
of the BEF proudly labelling themselves "The Old Contemptibles". However, no evidence of the famous Order of the Day was ever found in the German archives after the war, and the ex-Kaiser denied having given it. An investigation conducted by General Frederick Maurice
Frederick Barton Maurice
Major-General Sir Frederick Barton Maurice, 1st Baronet GCB GCMG GCVO DSO was a British general, military correspondent, writer and academic...
traced the origins of the Order to the British GHQ
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
, where it apparently had been concocted for propaganda purposes.
After the battle, the Germans established the St Symphorien military cemetery
St Symphorien Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery
The St Symphorien military cemetery is a First World War burial ground 2 km east of Mons in the Belgian province of Hainaut. It was created and maintained by the German army from August 1914 until November 1918, when it passed into Allied hands, and it contains the graves of 229 Commonwealth...
as a memorial to the German, British, and Irish dead. On a mound in the centre of the cemetery was erected a grey granite obelisk, 7 metres (23 ft) tall, with a German inscription: "In memory of the German and English soldiers who fell in the actions near Mons on the 23rd and 24th August 1914". Originally, 245 German and 188 British and Irish soldiers were interred at the cemetery. Subsequently, additional British, Canadian, and German graves were moved to the cemetery from other burial grounds, and there are now over 500 soldiers buried in St. Symphorien. Of these, over 60 are unidentified, and special memorials have been erected to five soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment believed to be buried in unnamed graves. Other special memorials record the names of four British soldiers, buried by the enemy in Obourg Churchyard, whose graves could not be found. Poignantly, St. Symphorien cemetery also contains the graves of the two soldiers believed to be the first (Private John Parr
John Parr (soldier)
Private John Parr was the first British soldier and the first soldier of the Commonwealth killed in World War I.-Early years:...
, 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regt., 21 August 1914) and the last (Private Gordon Price
George Lawrence Price
Private George Lawrence Price was a Canadian soldier. He is traditionally recognized as the last soldier of the British Empire to be killed during the First World War....
, Canadian Infantry, 11 November 1918) Commonwealth soldiers to be killed during the First World War. A tablet in the cemetery sets out the gift of the land by Jean Houzeau de Lehaie.
Mons Road, in Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, is named after the Battle of Mons.
See also
- British Expeditionary Force
- Order of battle at MonsOrder of battle at MonsThe following units of the German First Army and British Expeditionary Force fought in the Battle of Mons in World War I.-II Army Corps:3rd Infantry Division...
- Angels of MonsAngels of MonsThe Angels of Mons is a popular legend about a group of angels who supposedly protected members of the British army in the Battle of Mons at the outset of World War I...
- La Ferté-sous-Jouarre memorialLa Ferté-sous-Jouarre memorialThe La Ferté-sous-Jouarre memorial is a World War I memorial in France, located on the south bank of the River Marne, on the outskirts of the commune of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, 66 kilometres east of Paris, in the department of Seine-et-Marne...