Battle of Mons
Part of the First World War
Map of the Battles of Charleroi and Mons
Date August 23, 1914 Location 50°27′N 03°57′E / 50.45, 3.95 (Battle of Mons)Coordinates: 50°27′N 03°57′E / 50.45, 3.95 (Battle of Mons) Mons, Belgium Result Tactical British Victory - a successful holding action, which gained the Allies vital time to regroup.
Combatants
United Kingdom	German Empire
Commanders
Sir John French	Alexander von Kluck
Strength
4 divisions	8 divisions
Casualties
1,600	5,000 (estimate)

The Battle of Mons ^[1] was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in World War I. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Download high resolution version (983x741, 32 KB)Map of the Battles of Charleroi and Mons, southern Belgium, during the Battle of the Frontiers, 21-24 August, 1914. ... {| style=float:right; |- | |- | |} is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Mons Mons ---- (more info) Stage 1 : Request (How-to) Article EN is too short for the city where the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is located Sylfred1977 20:04, 13 October 2007 (UTC) Very good article (featured article in the french WIKIPEDIA) Join this translation   ---   Update this information (instructions)   This... For German colonial territories, see German Colonial Empire. ... The Earl of Ypres John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, PC (28 September 1852–22 May 1925) was a British Field Marshal, the first commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in World War I. Biography Born in Ripple in Kent, the son... Alexander Heinrich Rudolph von Kluck (May 20, 1846 - October 19, 1934) was a German general during World War I. He was born in Münster, Westphalia. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ... 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 the First World War. ... 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 the First World War. ... Lorraine: Missed Chances, and a French Disaster By C. Arthur Yancey From the 20th to the 24th of August 1914, the fighting was extremely fierce on the Western Front, in four battles that came to be known as the Battle of the Frontiers. ... Combatants France German Empire Commanders Pierre Ruffey, Fernand de Langle de Cary Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, Crown Prince Wilhelm Strength French Third and Fourth Armies German Fourth and Fifth Armies Casualties  ?  ? The Battle of the Ardennes was one of the opening battles of World War I. It took place... Combatants Germany France Commanders Strength Casualties {{{casualties1}}} {{{casualties2}}} The Battle of Charleroi was fought on August 21, 1914, between French and German forces. ... The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British army sent to France and Belgium in World War I and British Forces in Europe from 1939–1940 during World War II. The BEF was established by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Second Boer War in case the... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

Prelude

Following the surrender of the Liège forts by the Belgian Army on 16 August, the Germans continued advancing towards Paris in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan. The remainder of the Belgian army began to retreat towards the BEF, which was advancing to attack the German forces. Meanwhile the French were being pushed back and slaughtered on the southern end of the front, and were unable to assist the Belgians. So the weight of the German army fell on the small British force. The BEF had advanced into Belgium on the left of the French Fifth Army and took up position on a 20 mile (32 km) front along the Mons-Condé Canal on August 22. When the Fifth Army was defeated in the Battle of Charleroi, the BEF commander, General Sir John French, agreed to hold his position for 24 hours. Geography Country Belgium Community French Community Region Walloon Region Province Liège Arrondissement Liège Coordinates , , Area 69. ... Flag of Belgium The Land Component, formerly the Belgian Army, is the land-based armed force of the Belgian Armed Forces. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Image:AlfredGrafVonSchlieffen. ... The French Fifth Army was a famous fighting force that participated in World War I. Under its enthusiastic and offensive-minded commander, Louis Franchet dEspèrey, it led the decisive attacks which resulted in the spectacular victory at the First Battle of the Marne in 1914. ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Germany France Commanders Strength Casualties {{{casualties1}}} {{{casualties2}}} The Battle of Charleroi was fought on August 21, 1914, between French and German forces. ... The Earl of Ypres John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, PC (28 September 1852–22 May 1925) was a British Field Marshal, the first commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in World War I. Biography Born in Ripple in Kent, the son...

First contact

At 6 am, on August 23, the advance guard of General Alexander von Kluck's German First Army, arrived at Casteau, a small village along the Chausée de Bruxelles on the edge of Mons. Major Thomas Bridges was in command of C Squadron, Royal Dragoon Guards, and he gave the order to open fire on the German cavalry (after a brief cavalry chase) causing them to fall back. Drummer Edward Thomas fired the first British rifle shot of the war, while Captain Hornby who led the charge killed the first German by sword. Thomas, who survived the war, later transferred to the Machine Gun Corps and was awarded the Military Medal. {| style=float:right; |- | |- | |} is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Alexander Heinrich Rudolph von Kluck (May 20, 1846 - October 19, 1934) was a German general during World War I. He was born in Münster, Westphalia. ... The German First Army (German: ) was a World War I and World War II field army. ... The Royal Dragoon Guards is an armoured regiment of the British Army. ... The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The Heavy Branch of the MGC were the first to use tanks in combat... The Military Medal was (until 1993) a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. ...

The BEF comprised four regular army divisions arranged as I Corps (Douglas Haig) and II Corps (Horace Smith-Dorrien). The British were experienced and professional soldiers, capable of rapid, accurate fire with their Lee-Enfield rifles at the rate of at least aimed 15 shots a minute; many could fire more. The Germans believed they were being shot at with machine guns. This was a rate of fire the conscription-based armies of Germany and France could not hope to achieve given their skill and equipment. Hurriedly they prepared shallow defensive positions. Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ... The British I Corps has a long history, and was in existence as an active formation in the British Army for longer than any other corps. ... For other persons named Douglas Haig, see Douglas Haig (disambiguation). ... The British II Corps was formed in both World War I and World War II. During WWII its first assignment was to the British Expeditionary Force where it was commanded by Alan Brooke (from whose name it took its insignia of a red leaping salmon upon three wavy blue bands... General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien (May 26, 1858–August 12, 1930) was a British soldier and commander of the British II Corps of the BEF during the Great War. ... Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ...

Morning

At 9 am, eight German battalions, aided by artillery fire, advanced against two battalions in the 3rd Infantry Division in the "parade ground formation" and were decimated. So intense and continuous was the shooting that the Germans believed they were facing machine guns, but at the time the British had only two machine guns per battalion—nearly all the damage was done by riflemen. Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols This article is about the military unit. ... For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... The British 3rd Infantry Division, known as the Iron Division, was originally formed in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsula War, and was known as the Fighting 3rd under Sir Thomas Picton during the Napoleonic Wars. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

Soon afterwards, the rest of the German First Army arrived and matters worsened for the Allies. Artillery fire was forcing the British from their positions and a German advance was looming, yet they still put up strong resistance. The British suffered 1,600 casualties but morale remained high and the troops believed they could continue to hold off the German advance.

The 4th Royal Fusiliers defended the northern approaches to Mons. The battalion defended a swing bridge located at this point and a railroad bridge further west. This bridge was opened, cutting the Mons-Brussels road. At the swing bridge the British had held the Germans to a standstill. A German soldier, August Neiemeier, swam the canal under British rifle fire and operated the machinery to close the bridge. While he died after closing the bridge, his efforts enabled the Germans to cross the bridge.^[2] The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a regiment in the British Army. ...

A few hundred yards west, the battalion's machine gun section provided heavy weapons support. The section took heavy losses from German rifle fire. Lt. Dease, the only unwounded member of the section began firing one of the machine guns. He was soon wounded five times and evacuated to the battalion aid station, where he died. A wounded gunner, Private Sidney Godley, operated the other gun, covering the battalion's withdrawal. Before he was overwhelmed and taken prisoner by the enemy, Private Godley destroyed the section's guns. For their actions, Lt. Dease and Pvt. Godley were awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for valour in the British Army, and the first awarded during the war. The original railway bridge they were defending was demolished; by its replacement, there is a memorial commemorating the Fusiliers' gallant deeds. Maurice James Dease Born Gaulstown, Coole Co Westmeath 18 september 1889 (VC) (28 September 1889–23 August 1914) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and the most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Missing image Photo submitted by Iain Tidey - (as a POW, from the Godley Family) Sidney Frank Godley was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... For other uses, see Victoria Cross (disambiguation). ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

D Company of the 4th Middlesex Regiment came under German fire from the village of Obourg. Their attackers, the 31st Infantry Regiment, suffered huge losses but were soon reinforced by the 85th Infantry and 86th Fusilier Regiments. These three regiments comprised the German's 18th Division, a unit made up of divisions from northern Germany. The 18th Division engaged the British front while using the unguarded canal lock, located about 1 km east of the Gare, to get cavalry across. By midday, the British began a withdrawal. To assist them, they requested reinforcement from the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish. Reinforcements arrived under fire. By that time, however, the German 17th Division had crossed the canal in strength at Havre and moved along the Havre-Mons road folding up the British right flank. At the Obourg Gare, an unknown soldier sacrificed himself to cover the retreat of his unit. Remaining in the burning station building, the soldier engaged the advancing German troops with rifle fire. His sacrifice allowed the remainder of D and B Companies of the 4th Middlesex to retreat to St Symphorien cemetery on the outskirts of Mons. The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambriges Own) was regiment of the British Army . ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ...

Afternoon

At 1400, the British began to see they were being overwhelmed. After hearing of the French army's retreat to the south and seeing the Belgian army had retreated, they realized their right flank was exposed. So the BEF followed its allies and retreated from Mons; the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers, in a classic rearguard action, held nine German battalions while suffering severe casualties until being cut off and finally overwhelmed on the 27 August at Etreux, only 240 men surviving. But they secured the unmolested withdrawal of their division, II Corps falling back to Le Cateau and I Corps to Landrecies. The retreat would continue for 14 days, taking the BEF close to the outskirts of Paris. The Royal Munster Fusiliers consisted of two regular service and two reserve battalions prior to World War I. Subsequently it had a total of 11 raised battalions. ... is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... On the 25th of September, 1914, the British, French & Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons & set up defensive positions in Le Cateau. ... Landrecies is a commune of the Nord département, in France. ... This article is about the capital of France. ...

Newspaper accounts of the battle and retreat resulted in a rapid rise in army recruitment in Britain. By April 1915, rumours were circulating which claimed a "miracle" or the intervention of the "Angels of Mons" had aided British troops. For other uses, see Miracle (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The German novelist and Captain Walter Bloem wrote in his diary after the battle:

“…the men all chilled to the bone, almost too exhausted to move and with the depressing consciousness of defeat weighing heavily upon them. A bad defeat, there can be no gainsaying it… we had been badly beaten, and by the English – by the English we had so laughed at a few hours before.”

Soldiers of the BEF who fought at Mons later became eligible for a campaign medal, the Mons Star. Kaiser Wilhelm's 'Order of the Day' on August 19, 1914 was for "my soldiers to exterminate first the treacherous English; walk over General French's contemptible little Army." This led to the British "Tommies" of the BEF proudly labelling themselves "The Old Contemptibles". The Mons Star was medal awarded to the British Expeditionary Force whom a senior German commander (often thought to be Kaiser Wilhelm) referred to as Britains contemptible little Army, and hence commonly known as the Old Contemptibles. ... German Emperor Wilhelm (born Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albrecht, Prince of Prussia 27 January 1859–4 June 1941), was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia (de: Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen), ruling from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. ... Mentioned in Despatches (MID) is a military award for gallantry or otherwise commendable service. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Earl of Ypres John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, PC (28 September 1852–22 May 1925) was a British Field Marshal, the first commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in World War I. Biography Born in Ripple in Kent, the son... Tommies from the Royal Irish Rifles in the trenches during the First World War. ...

Legacy

The Germans made the St Symphorien cemetery after the Battle of Mons. The site was an existing cemetery but they created an artificial mound in the centre of the circular burial ground. On the highest point of the mound, they erected a grey granite obelisk, 23 metres high, with a German inscription "In memory of the German and English soldiers who fell in the actions near Mons on the 23rd and 24 August 1914". They originally buried 245 German and 188 British soldiers there. Another 27 British graves were brought after the Armistice. Subsequently additional British, Canadian and German graves were moved here from other burial grounds. There are now over 200, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, over 60 are unidentified and special memorials are 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. This cemetery contains the graves of two soldiers deemed to be the first (Pte. J. Parr, 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regt., 21 August 1914) and the last (Pte. G. L. Price, Canadian Infantry, 11 November 1918) Commonwealth soldiers to be killed during the 1914-18 War. A tablet in the cemetery sets out the gift of the land by Jean Houzeau de Lehaie.^[3] is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Private John Parr (1898 in Finchley - August 21, 1914) was the first British soldier killed in World War I. Born in 1898, Parr lived most of his life at 52 Lodge Lane, North Finchley as the youngest son of Edward and Alice Parr. ... is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other people named George Price, see George Price. ... is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

The commune of Mons has created a battlefield tour. Maps and guidebooks can be obtained from the Tourist Office in the Grand Place.

See also

• Order of battle at Mons
• Angels of Mons
• La Ferté-sous-Jouarre memorial

The following units of the German First Army and British Expeditionary Force fought in the Battle of Mons in World War I. // 30th Aviation Battalion 15th Foot Artillery Regiment (heavy) 3rd Division 3rd Artillery Brigade 3rd Horse Grenadiers 5th Brigade 2nd Grenadier Regiment 9th Grenadier Regiment 6th Brigade 34th Fusilier... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The La Ferté-sous-Jouarre memorial is a World War I memorial located on the south bank of the River Marne, on the outskirts of the French commune of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, 66 kilometres east of Paris, in the department of Seine-et-Marne. ...

References

• Military Heritage did a feature of the Battle of Mons and the Angels of Mons (Robert Barr Smith, Military Heritage, August 2005, Volume 7, No. 1, p. 14, p. 16, p. 17, and p. 76).
• Evans, M. M. (2004). Battles of World War I. Select Editions. ISBN 1-84193-226-4.
• Lomas, D. Mons 1914 : The BEF's Tactical Triumph (Campaign). Osprey Publishing.
• The Advance from Mons 1914: The Experiences of a German Infantry Officer by Walter Bloem (Helion and Company Ltd) Published October 2004. ISBN 1-874622-57-4

Mons Mons ---- (more info) Stage 1 : Request (How-to) Article EN is too short for the city where the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is located Sylfred1977 20:04, 13 October 2007 (UTC) Very good article (featured article in the french WIKIPEDIA) Join this translation   ---   Update this information (instructions)   This...

External links

• A source for Kaiser Wilhelm's Order of the Day
• A good description and article about the Battle