21 August, 1914
BRITISH TROOPS ARRIVE IN MONS
As a fourteen-year-old boy, Georges Licope, witnessed the arrival of the advance guard of the British Expeditionary Force in his home town. The patrol of Lancers was given an enthusiastic welcome by the Belgian inhabitants of the suburbs of Mons. He also witnessed the Canadians re-entering Mons as the war ended on 11 November 1918.
It was Friday, 21 August, a glorious summer’s day, blazing with sunshine, as if Nature was intent on revealing all her splendour. The civilized world, in a torment of anxiety, turned its gaze towards that ancient land of Belgium, where, once more the destiny of Europe was to be decided. Already the eastern half of the country was under the heel of the enemy and King Albert’s little army, after having waged a lone struggle for eighteen long days against an enemy a hundredfold stronger in numbers and material, was withdrawing slowly upon the fort of Antwerp.
At Mons, capital of the province of Hainaut, close by the ancient battlefield of Malplaquet, where the Duke of Marlborough won fame two centuries before, the war had not yet made itself felt, and the inhabitants awaited anxiously to know their fate.
From early morning, alarming news had spread from mouth to mouth: Brussels had been occupied the previous evening and German Uhlans had been sighted at Manage, some sixteen miles north-east of Mons.
The Garde Civique had been on a war footing since the beginning of August and was holding the bridges and crossroads on all the highways leading into the town. This force, corresponding in some degree to the French Garde Nationale, or the English Yeomanry, was composed of men who had not served in the army. Armed with Comblain single-shot rifles, firing a leaden bullet, this corps could not be utilized in war time, except for service in the rear, because of its obsolete equipment. The Garde Civique, only active in peace time in the towns, assembed every Sunday on the parade ground or at the rifle range. These displays were either a time of relaxation or an imposition, according to whether the citizens who took part in them were martially or peacefully inclined. Their manoeuvres invariably ended at the cafe, where a few pints of good Belgian beer put everybody into high spirits.
On that particular morning, however, a company of the Garde Civique from La Louvière had come to reinforce their comrades at Mons and promptly took up position at ‘La Bascule’, an important strategic point at which the roads from Mons to Binche and Charleroi, and to Givry and Beaumont, crossed about a mile and a half south-east of the town on the northern slopes of Paniael Hill. Sentries had been stationed all along the roads and were conscientiously scanning the horizon, whilst their comrades made themselves comfortable and slaked their thirst at the Belle Vue café.
Suddenly I noticed about six or seven hundred yards away a cloud of dust approaching swiftly along the Beaumont road from the south-east. Indisputably, it was caused by galloping cavalry. A few seconds later I could clearly make out lances and khaki silhouettes wearing flat service caps, and galloping at full tilt. The sentry close by me missed no detail of this. I watched as he hid behind a big elm tree, loaded his single-shot rifle, and waited.
Who could these strange horsemen be, armed with lances and coming from the direction of the Ardennes – who else but German Uhlans? They certainly were not Belgian Lancers, and I for one was not aware that the French army included any mounted regiments armed with lancers.
The sentry methodically took aim with his rifle. In another few seconds a shot would have rung out.
Suddenly the horses stopped dead, the leaders drawing up on their haunches but the rider did not dismount. Seeing the sentry, the riders waved their caps, shouting ‘English! English!’ The sentry, somewhat reassured, beckoned them and aroused the company.
There followed a fine commotion; the Gardes Civiques were instantly on their feet. While senior officers who knew English were trying to talk with the members of the patrol, others gave orders: ‘Company fall-in in two ranks! Slope arms! Present arms!’
In a few minutes all the nearby inhabitants were joining the Gardes Civiques in welcoming our Allies and offering them cigarettes, eggs, chocolate and beer.
Never shall I forget that moment when we first knew for certain that the British Army was drawing near and was going to fight the invader for our soil.
My two eyes were hopelessly incapable of taking in fully the martial glamour and magnificent equipment of our Allies. The highly polished leather rifle holsters; the ropes and pickets for tethering the horses and, above all, the bags of feed to care for their mounts. All were objects of comment and high praise by the admiring crowd.
The horsemen, still in the saddle, seemed in a tremendous hurry. Having asked the way to Obourg, they rode off again, amid excited cries of ‘Vivent les Anglais!’ and ‘Vive L’Angleterre!’ The mounted troopers raised their hands to acknowledge our spontaneous welcome and shouting ‘Hurrah!’ in a salute to Belgium, they trotted off. As a precaution, an officer of the Garde Civique escorted them on his bicycle to Obourg. This was as much to grant safe passage against any trigger-happy members of the Garde Civique, as to show them the way. I cannot recall whether these horsemen belonged to the 9th Lancers (2 Brigade) or to the 5th Lancers (3 Brigade).
Obsolete Belgian Comblain rifles armed the Garde Civique.
Caught on camera, the moment the British Lancers rode into Mons.
Over the years I have dwelt upon that event which I witnessed because it gave us all inestimable encouragement at the very moment when we needed it most. Two days after that event I witnessed the gallantry of the Brtish infantry (8 Brigade, General B.J.C.D. Doran), which then consisted of 4th Middlesex, 2nd Royal Irish Regiment, 1st Gordon Highlanders, and 2nd Royal Scots. For a whole day on 23 August they resisted, almost alone, the brunt of the attack by the German IX Corps in the Mons Salient and on the heights of Panisel and Bois-la-Haut. I pay equal tribute to the King’s 15th Hussars, who fought in the same part of the line in the capacity of divisional cavalry, and to the 6th, 23rd and 49th Batteries of 40 Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery. The civilians of the district where they fought for the first time in the Great War have never forgotten, nor will they ever forget, the sacrifices they made.