Battle of Mons 1914

21st Aug 1914 First British Troops enter Mons  In the afternoon heat of the 21st of August 1914, the first British Troops arrived in Mons. Exhausted, sunburnt and footsore from the long route march, they rested breifly in the suburb of Nimy then crossed the railway line and began to dig in, refusing assistance offered by the locals, but gratefully accepting offers of food and drink.

21st Aug 1914 4th Middlesex arrive at Mons  In the afternoon heat of the 21st of August 1914, the 4th Middlesex reached their destination, entering their allocated sector in the time honoured fashion with a single man designated as 'Point' marching alone down the centre of the road to draw any enemy fire, his comrades following in single file in small groups spaced fifty yards apart. They reached the line without incident and quickly established lookouts. A bicycle reconnaissance team from the 4th Battalion Middlesex Regiment encountered a German unit near Obourg, just north of the Mons-Conde Canal. One of the cyclists, Private John Parr, was shot by German Sniper and killed, becoming the first British fatality of the war.

22nd Aug 1914 The Battle of Mons

22nd Aug 1914 4th Middlesex engaged at Mons  As the church bells of Nimy called the locals to Mass, a patrol mounted Uhlan's emerged from the wood in full view of L/Cpl Alfred Vivian and his six men of the 4th Middlesex, who were in a forward outpost in an abandoned cottage. The rapid fire of the British rifles cut down eight of the enemy and their horses at a range of eighty yards.
In the church, the priest continued to say Mass with barely a pause, but skipped his sermon and sent the congregation home.

23rd Aug 1914 German attack at Mons  The Battle of Mons began early in the morning with a German artillery bombardment of the British lines, concentrated near a bend in the canal close to the town of Mons. At 9:00 am the German infantry assault began as they attempted to force their way across the four bridges that crossed the Mons-Conde canal. The demolition charges had been placed beneath the bridges by the Royal Engineers, whilst under fire from enemy snipers.
Four German battalions attacked the Nimy bridges, defended by a single company of the 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers and a machine gun section led by Lieutenant Maurice Dease at the south side of the railway bridge. The 4th Royal Fusiliers were positioned along the canal between the two bridges, the swing bridge having been turned to prevent crossing. The German infantry suffered heavy losses as they advanced in "parade ground" formation, the well-trained British riflemen were making hits at over 1,000 yards So heavy was the British rifle fire throughout the battle that the Germans thought they were facing machine guns.
To the right of the Royal Fusiliers, the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders were suffering heavy casualties in facing the German assault. With reinforcements from the Royal Irish Regiment (acting as the divisional reserve) and fire support from the divisional artillery, they managed to hold the bridges. The Germans then widened their attack, to the British defences along the straight section of the Mons-Conde canal to the west of Mons. Aided by the cover of a plantation of fir trees they inflicted heavy casualties with machine gun and rifle fire on the 1st Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, who despite their losses, managed to repulse the Germans throughout the morning.
The order to withdraw was given at 3pm, after a German soldier swam out to the swing bridge and activated the mechanism, allowing his comrades to cross easily. To the east the Germans had crossed the canal and were advancing on the British flank. The 3rd Division was ordered to retire to positions a short distance to the south of Mons which necessitated a similar retreat in early evening by the 5th Division, and by nightfall a new defensive line had been established at the villages of MontrÅ"ul, Boussu, Wasmes, Paturages, and Frameries. The Germans had spent the late afternoon building pontoon bridges over the canal, and were approaching in great numbers. News arrived that the French Fifth Army was also retreating, dangerously exposing the British right flank as night fell.

23rd Aug 1914 57th Field Coy Royal Engineers at Mons  57th Field Coy Royal Engineers were tasked with destroying the bridges over the Mons-Conde canal during the Battle of Mons on Monday 23rd of August 1914. A company of the Royal Scots Fusiliers was holding a barricade at the north end of the bridge at Jemappes, but the situation was deteriorating and the order was given to withdraw. Demolition charges had already been put in place by the Royal Engineers, a hazardous task, under enemy sniper fire, Corporal Alfred Jarvis RE was allocated the task of detonating the charges. Captain Theodore Wright, who had been wounded in the head, brought up the detonator and leads, but came under sniper fire every time he attempted to reach the leads beneath the bridge to connect them and after many attempts was unsuccessful. Cpl Jarvis eventually managed to connect the leads, he received the Victoria Cross for his actions in blowing up the bridge and checking the enemy advance. Capt Wright was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action and for undertaking repairs to a pontoon bridge under fire at Vailly on 14th September 1914.

23rd August 1914 Action with enemy

23rd Aug 1914 Under Fire

23rd Aug 1914 Trapped in Shellholes

23rd Aug 1914 On the March

23rd August 1914 German attack crosses Canal

23rd Aug 1914 Hard Action

23rd Aug 1914 Digging in

23rd Aug 1914 In Action

23rd Aug 1914 Locks

23rd Aug 1914 Into Positions

23rd Aug 1914 Orders Recieved

23rd Aug 1914 Retreat

23rd Aug 1914 Maps

23rd August 1914 Battle of Mons.

23rd August 1914 Orders.

24th Aug 1914 The Battle of Mons  At 2 a.m. on 24 August, II Corps was ordered to retreat into France to defensible a position along the Valenciennes to Maubeuge road, requiring a number of sharp rearguard actions against the pursuing Germans. 5th Brigade were ordered to to act as rearguard and fought a holding action at Paturages and Frameries, with Brigade artillery in particular, inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans.
At Wasmes, units of the 5th Division faced a heavy assault from German artillery which began bombarding the village at daybreak, followed at 10 a.m. by an infantry assault by German III Corps who advanced in columns and were "mown down like grass" by British Rifle and Machine Gun fire. Soldiers of the 1st West Kents, 2nd King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 2nd 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 at mid day.

24th Aug 1914 1st Cheshires at Audregnies  The 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment suffered 771 casualties at Audregnies on the Franco-Belgian border, whilst acting as flank guard to the 5th Division. The Battalion alongside three Companies of the 1st Norfolks, engaged four German regiments who were advancing in close formation across open fields between the villages of Audregnies and Elouges. Their actions bought valuable time for the rest of the BEF during the retreat from Mons.
The 1st Cheshire's War Diary states: "At roll call in Bivouac at Les Bavay there were 6 Officers, a Warrant Officer and 199 men - The strength marching out at 7.30 a.m. on the morning of 24th inst was 27 Officers, 1 Warrant Officer and 933 men - A loss of 78%, most of which was caused in the withdrawal."

24th Aug 1914 The Charge at Audregnies  The 9th Lancers and 4th Dragoon Guards were brought up to assist the 5th Division who were facing an advance of massed German troops and suffering heavily from enemy artillery. The Lancers at first fought dismounted alongside the British Infantry, but as the situation grew more hopeless, the Lancers were ordered to charge. Under heavy fire, the 9th Lancers charged a battery of eleven German guns posted in a Compiegne Wood. The guns had been causing terrible losses to the British infantry
Accounts in the British Press at the time put a rosey spin on the action. stating "the 9th made a furious charge, reached the battery, cut down all the gunners and put the guns out of action". It would be over a year before an honest account was printed in The War Illustrated on the 9th of October 1915: "On the 24th our 5th Division was in a very tight place, and the cavalry was sent to its assistance, the 2nd Brigade reaching the scene of the action first. The Germans were advancing in great masses, so near the village of Audregnies, General De Lisle ordered his men to dismount and to open fire on them. They did so, but the enemy still came on in good order. The general then decided on a charge, and for this chose the 9th Lancers who, at the word of command, mounted their horses and rode steadily at the enemy.
It was Balaclava over again. The squadrons rode to death, and the colonel, so we were told, said that he never expected a single lancer to return. In face of a torrent of shot and shell from guns and rifles, they dashed on until they found themselves against two lines of barbed wire, where men and horses fell over in all directions. This ended the charge. The survivors were ordered to return into shelter, and out of more than four hundred who had ridden out, only seventy two at first answered their names, Later some two hundred others turned up, but the regiment had lost heavily. Major V. R. Brooke D.S.O. was among the killed. However, the charge was not altogether fruitless. The Lancers had drawn the enemy’s fire and so had done something to help the harassed 5th Division."
Forty One members of the 9th Lancers could not be accounted for after their attack, including L/4653 Private Henry Warr, his survival was reported in The Western Gazette on 6th of November 1914: "H. Warr, of the 9th Lancers, who was in the famous charge and had been missing since the end of August, was taken prisoner by the enemy. He has written, saying that he is a prisoner at Munster, Germany, and is being well-treated by the Germans. The letter was written in September, so that it has been a very long time in transit. Warr had many friends here, and there is great satisfaction at the news of his safety." Private Warr remained in captivity for the rest of the war.

24th Aug 1914 4th Dragoons at Audregnies  Two days after the encounter at Casteau, on the 24th of August, the 4th Dragoon Guards were heavily involved in the rearguard action at Audregnies after the battle of Mons. Part of B Sqn took part in a charge with the 9th Lancers and other dismounted parts of the regiment defended the village of Audregnies with the infantry. Pte AH Page was killed that day and lies in the graveyard in the nearby village of Elouges. This was the beginning of the Retreat from Mons, and it was not until the 28th of August that the regiment reassembled at Le Plessis Patte d'Oie.

24th August 1914 Ongoing Action

25th Aug 1914 Street Fighting

24th August 1914 Withdrawals

24th Aug 1914 Cheerful

24th Aug 1914 In Action

24th Aug 1914 In Action

24th Aug 1914 Holding the Line

24th Aug 1914 In Action

24th Aug 1914 In Action

24th August 1914 Orders

24th Aug 1914 Fighting Withdrawal

24th Aug 1914 A Difficult Day

24th Aug 1914 Rear Guard

25th August 1914 Ongoing Retirement

25th Aug 1914 Enemy Position

25th Aug 1914 Rear Guard

25th Aug 1914 Rear Guard

25th August 1914 Shelling

25th Aug 1914 Fighting Withdrawal

25th Aug 1914 Digging in

26th August 1914 Ongoing Action

26th Aug 1914 In Action

26th Aug 1914 Confusion

27th Aug 1914 On the March

14th Sep 1914 A Wounded Soldiers Experiences

12th Jun 1915 Atrocities Recalled

14th Sep 1915 Not war. It is murder.

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There are:52 items tagged Battle of Mons 1914 available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Those known to have served in
Battle of Mons 1914
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Alexander William. Pte. (d.16th Sep 1914)
Arnold Charles. CQMS
Arthurs MM, CdeG. Frederick Charles. Gnr.
Atkins John Charles. 2nd Cpl.
Atkins John Charles. Cpl
Atkinson Henry Edward. L/Cpl. (d.12th June 1915)
Baker James. Pte. (d.26th August 1914)
Balderstone Henry. Gdmn. (d.17th Aug 1915)
Ball William Ormsby Wyndham. Lt. (d.26th Sep 1914)
Barlow Thomas. Pte. (d.5th Nov 1918)
Bartlett Francis Albert. Pte. (d.23rd Aug 1914)
Bates Eustace. Pte. (d.1st Sep 1914)
Betts Frederick. Sgt. (d.27th Aug 1914)
Blacker Cecil Francis. Lt. (d.6th September 1914)
Blake James. Pte. (d.21st March 1918)
Bolus Herbert. Sgt
Bond Thomas Henry. Pte. (d.23rd Aug 1914)
Bovis Daniel. Pte. (d.24th Oct 1914)
Bowler Edward. Pte.
Bradley Alfred John. Pte. (d.24th Aug 1914)
Brady John. Cpl.
Bramley-Moore MC. Swinfen. Mjr.
Brent Thomas. Pte.
Brew George. Pte.
Brown George Arthur. Pte. (d.11th May 1917)
Burns Samuel. Pte. (d.22nd Dec 1914)
Button Frank. L/Sgt. (d.23rd Aug 1914)
Caiger Walter Joseph. Drv.
Carpenter-Garnier John Trefusis. Mjr. (d.15th Sep 1914)
Carvell Stephen Calvin. Cpl.
Chisholm Douglas William. Sgt.
Clegg Robert William. Pte.
Codd Thomas. L/Cpl.
Cokley John. Pte. (d.23rd Aug 1914)
Colgrave DCM, MID. Joseph. L/Sgt,
Cooper Charles Frederick. Cpl.
Cooper Charles Frederick Leslie. Pte.
Courtney MM. Ernest. Sgt. (d.26th Sep 1917)
Cruickshank David Waddell. Pte.
Daly Jeremiah. Pte. (d.20th Oct 1914)
Daniels Daniel. Guardsman. (d.1st Sep 1914)
Dean George Pocock Buxton. Sgt. (d.31st Oct 1914)
Dease VC. Maurice James. Lt. (d.23rd Aug 1914)
Dease VC. Maurice James. Lt. (d.23rd Aug 1914)
Doggett DCM. Albert Edward Victor. Sgt.
Doughty Frank. Sgt. (d.8th Aug 1915)
Edwards Joseph. Pte. (d.18th Nov 1914)
Everton Ernest Harry. Pte. (d.27th Sep 1914)
Flippance George Noah. Pte. (d.26th Oct 1914)
Ford MID. Joseph William. Pte.
Foster MiD. George F.W.G.. Pte.
Frank Hatchett W. Pte. (d.28th Aug 1914)
Fulford Thomas. Pte.
Fuller Ernest. Wagoner.
Gale Arthur Daniel. Pte.
Gardiner William John. Sgt.
Gill William. Cpl. (d.20th Oct1914 )
Godley VC. Sidney.
Goodall James. Pte.
Gothard John Willie. Pte. (d.26 Aug 1914)
Grealey Joseph. Pte. (d.25th Aug 1916)
Green Frederick George . CQMS. (d.28th Aug 1914)
Grenfell VC. Francis. Capt. (d.24th May 1914)
Grooby Albert. Pte. (d.4th Dec 1918)
Hancock A. Pte.
Harris James. Pte. (d.5th Nov 1914)
Hather Fred. L/Cpl. (d.27th November 1914)
Higgins John. Pte.
Highgate Thomas J.. Pte. (d.8th Sep 1914)
Hill Thomas. Pte. (d.7 January 1915)
Hobbs Lionel Arthur. L/Sgt.
Hordley Jack. Gnr.
Hunt Thomas Edward. Pte.
Jarvis VC. Charles. L/Cpl.
Johnson MC & bar. Thomas James.
Joy Patrick. L/Cpl. (d.23rd Aug 1914)
Kavanagh Jeremiah. Cpl. (d.9th May 1915)
Killeen James. Pte. (d.15th September 1914)
Kirkby Herbert. L/Cpl. (d.31st Mar 1918)
Kirman Charles H.. Pte. (d.23rd Sep 1917)
Limouzin George Alfred. 2nd Lt.
Linder Jack. Lcr. (d.24th Aug 1914)
Low James. L/Sgt. (d.9th May 1915)
Matthews Vernon George. Sgt.
May Henry. Pte.
McCarthy Justin. Pte.
McGrogan John. Gnr. (d.26th Aug 1914)
McIlhone John. Pte.
McIntosh MM. Robert. Rfn.
Mills Charles Alfred. Tpr.
Moodie David Drever. Pte.
Morgan Leonard. Pte.
Morrison MC, MID. Richard Fielding. Maj. (d.25th April 1918)
Morrison MC, MID. Richard Fielding. Capt. (d.25th April 1918)
Moulson Walter Henry. Gdsm. (d.16th Sep 1914)
Nix Alfred Alaxander . Sgt.
Nolan John. Pte. (d.24th May 1915)
Ogden MM. Robert. Sgt.
Owens James. Pte. (d.16th May 1915)
Page Ernest. Pte.
Paginton Tom. Pte.
Parkinson DSO J.. Pte.
Pateman Richard George. Pte. (d.19th Nov 1914)
Patterson William Grant. Pte
Payne MM, CdG. Jack. Sgt.
Pitts Bertie. Pte.
Prince Maurice Victor Donald. Lt. (d.27th Oct 1914)
Quinn James. Pte. (d.14th Sep 1914)
Randall Charles Frank. Pte. (d.1st Nov 1914)
Randall Edward John. Pte. (d.30th Sep 1915)
Rees CMG, DSO. Hubert Conway. Brig.Gen.
Reid Martin. Pte.
Reilly Frank. Pte. (d.25th July 1916)
Roberts William Owen. Sgt. (d.15th Nov 1918)
Roughan James Martin. Pte.
Rowe Joseph Victor. Pte.
Scott J..
Shaw DCM. Percy. CSM..
Sheehy J.. Pte. (d.10th Nov 1914)
Simpson George. Pte.
Smith Arthur Leonard.
Somers VC. James. Sgt. (d.7th May 1918)
Stanley William Charles. Pte. (d.16th May 1915)
Summers James Domeric.
Tanner Edward. Pte. (d.27th Oct 1914)
Thompson Alfred. Pte.
Titcombe Walter Edmond. Pte.
Tregidgo Donald Thomas. Pte.
Tuppen DCM Walter. Sgt
Walsh MID Thomas. Sgt
Ward Neville Lascelles. 2Lt. (d.23rd August 1914)
Wells William James. Pte.
White Michael. Cpl.
Willsher James McBain. Sgt.
Witherick Percy John. Sgt. (d.24th Aug 1914)
Woolley Frederick George. Pte.
Wright VC Theodore. Cpt. (d.14th Sep 1914)
Wright VC Theodore. Capt. (d.14th Sep 1914)
Wyatt VC. George. L/Sgt.
Yate VC. Charles Allix Lavington. Mjr. (d.19th Sep 1914)
Young VC. Frank Edward. 2nd Lt. (d.18th Sep 1918)

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Records of Battle of Mons 1914 from other sources.

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True World War 1 Stories

Riding The Retreat: Mons to the Marne 1914 Revisited

Richard Holmes

"His ride, like the campaign of August 1914, took place in scorching weather, passing through still-recognizable battlefields and cemeteries of distracting sadness. The author tells two stories in parallel: that of his own journey and a first-rate account of what happened eighty years before." - Max Egremont, "Evening Standard" .,."an effortless blend of past and present." -"Independent on Sunday" Product Description The retreat of the British Expeditionary Force from Mons in the early months of the First World War is one of the great dramas of European history. Blending his recreation of the military campaign with contemporary testimony and an account of his own ride over the route, Richard Holmes takes the reader on a unique journey - to glimpse the summer the old world ended.

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Riding The Retreat: Mons to the Marne 1914 Revisited

Retreat and Rearguard 1914: The BEF's Actions from Mons to the Marne

Jerry Murland

The British action at Mons on 23 August 1914 was the catalyst for what became a full blown retreat over 200 blood drenched miles. This book examines eighteen of the desperate rearguard actions that occurred during the twelve days of this near rout. While those at Le Cateau and Nery are well chronicled, others such as cavalry actions at Morsain and Taillefontaine, the Connaught Rangers at Le Grand Fayt and 13 Brigades fight at Crepy-en-Valois are virtually unknown even to expert historians. We learn how in the chaos and confusion that inevitably reigned units of Gunners and other supporting arms found themselves in the front line.

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Retreat and Rearguard 1914: The BEF's Actions from Mons to the Marne

The Young Gunner: The Royal Field Artillery in the Great War

David Hutchison

The Young Gunner describes the history of the Royal Field Artillery in France and Flanders in the Great War, including the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The book is based on the letters and journals of Second Lieutenant Colin Hutchison who joined the army aged 19 just before the war started. He found himself in command of a single gun in battle in 1914, a section of guns in 1915, a battery of six guns in 1916, and a brigade of 24 guns by the end of the war. He tells the story of front line action in thirteen battles on the Western Front, including Mons 1914, Ypres 1915, The Somme 1916, Passchendaele 1917 and Ypres 1918. His personal stories are inspiring, but more importantly his letters and journals describe, in a consistent style, not only life on the front line with the artillery, but also the details of his tactical deployment in battle.David explains, from his perspective, why so many men died unnecessarily in that war, and why the changes in tactical thinking he saw as necessary t

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The Young Gunner: The Royal Field Artillery in the Great War

The Wartime Memories Project
- Battle of Mons 1914 in the Great War -

Battle of Mons 1914

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Battle of Mons 1914

Want to know more about Battle of Mons 1914?

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Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- Battle of Mons 1914 in the Great War -

Those known to have served in
Battle of Mons 1914
during the Great War 1914-1918.