STORY OF BRITISH STAND AT MONS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2241, 29 August 1914, Page 7

STORY OF BRITISH STAND AT MONS

overwhelmed numbers . r ... .; ; •<-•.; 7 : -'- -■:■:■ - "■ ~' ; .■■;.;. •'V ; '•:', . pyTelejrftph—Press, ' . • ' ..(Reo. August 29, 0.60 a.m.) . . '■■ „, ' ~,• .„ - ■'■■■■ London, August 28, morning. .-■ • The Enghßfl artillery in the battleat Mons was magnifioenty but there was iiot enough of it m comparison with the enemy's. The Allies' shells burst ,feithout fail, but the Germans, who foiled the range smartly, failed to "make . jtheir shells burst, -while frequently they, fell short. • ' The Germane bombarded the,entrenohed Berkshire Begiment forVentytour hours, but there were very few casualties. A German aeroplane cam.e too jolose to the gunners, ,who .brought it dotra when about two thousand feet up. Three miles north of a canal there were two clumps of forest about five " tefles in depth. TJie Germans advanced horn Chsrieroi through this wooded country to the north-west of Mone. From the higher ground the British could follow the whole of the German movements, and when they emerged into tho plain the British artillery opened a devastating fire, which was echoed by rifle 'tre from the trenches when within range. Thousands of Germans fell. ■.' '-'■ ~ .' ' ; ENEMY HELD ON SUNDAY.' : - The Germans made no" progress up to ( nightfaH on JStmday, but the dead hnd wounded Were scattered'all over the hills between the canal and the forest. ■ The British loss was small. The play of Gorman -'searchlights throughout the ' night was uncanny, and was accompanied by occasional artillery fire. '; ■~ Fighting -was resumed with \nolence at daybreak, the Germans having been heavily reinforced. ' ' . ■ The .British wounded at Mons reached Rouen, though the worst cases were > Sent to the field hospital. The bulk wore wounded in the feet and legs, and only a small percentage in the stomach.' Thp wounded reached Mon3 on Satnrday. •' ' ■ ~','. .3ITISH AERIVE IN NICK OF TIME. Though the French troops had not taken up their position on Thursday. IThe British only arrived in the nick of time to stem the Germans' onrush. They prepared their lines. with extraordinary rapidity and the infantry and artillery occupied points of vantageon the low hills overlooking the valley, the Britisherastreagthenine the positions when attacked on< Sunday morning. Simultaneously other Britishers were ordered out of.Mohs, and came under fire. They had no trenches or cover of any kind, hut just had to drop down and lie Btill until nightfall, when they did their best to make trenches. '■: Directly the Britishors sought to entrench, the German shells began to burst. The regiments tried new positions, but with the same result, They fought all the afternoon without the liberty, to make. tr«ttcbea.

1 GUNNER FIGHTS ON UNTIL THE LAST. For a time the German artillery tried to explode the gasometer at Mons, and every time they missed the gasometer the Tommies cheered, though, they waited anxiously enough for the»next shot. Tho big siege guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery made excellent practice. One-half of the battery was exposed to a particularly galling fire from several German, batteries, who made a combined attack and silenced the' British guns one by qno until only a single. Runner remained. He would have gone on until he dropped but an officer called him away. ' GERMANS ADVANCE EN MASSE. A During the morning' scouting parties of German Hussars and Uhlans tried to reach the canal, but most of thorn were killed by artillery fire, and a few were taken prisoners. Then an advance en masse began. The Germans were four or five deep, and although whole ranks were mown down the main body managed to reach the north bank of the canal, and' began building briageß. The battle at this point was a more butchery. Ten times the Germansl throw pontoons over the/water and ten times the British artillery destroyed them. . . . ... A closer move was made, and desperate fighting took place in a colliery village, on the west of which the British held a section for some hours, llie Northumberland Fusiliers took part in this street-fighting, which included a bayonet charge by the South' Lancashire?. Piles of" German bodies mown down by. machine guns blocked the streets at some places. GERMAN LOSSES GREATER THAN THOSE OF ALLIES. Meanwhile by sheer weight of masses the batteries were carried by the Germans, who pushed forward their infantry, which, also advanced in close order and ottered a magnificent mark. Their losses were greater than those of the Allies, but so were their numbers, and they came again and again. By two o'clock on Monday the British began to fall' back. The Middlesex Regiment suffered badly, but many of the British infantry were never within range of the Germans. The men had been hours in the trenches, and were very hungry.' . ■' BRITISH TROOPS STEADY. WHOLE FRENCH LINE. London, August 27. Mr. Asquith, in the House of Commons; said that Field-Marshal Sir John French reported that the British, were yesterday engaged against a superior force, and fought splendidly. ' ' , '.', ~ ■ " i„ c «,„ Mr.'Asquith added that Sir John French had reported the prospects of the British in the impending battle to bo satisfactory. * ;•:■.! ■. London, August 27. The British resistance to the Germans has (had a great moral effect on tbeVwholo of the French line. If the Allies' left had been turned a retreat might readily have been converted into a rout. It was difficult to hold the Tommies back from pursuing the retiring Germans, but the commander decided that a forward movement would Tie highly dangerous. The order lor a general withdrawal intensely irritated the British, but they fhoweiL coolness and-steadiness in retreat. The Turcos (Algerians) were next to the British in tbo firing line. ~ , ■ . ; ... BRITISH AWAITING GERMAN ADVANCE. ".'■"■ (Reo. August 28, 8.40 p.m.) London, August 28, morning. _ The Press Bureau reports the British troops now occupy a strong line to meet the German advance and are supported by Frcndh troops on both (Rec. August 28, 8 p.m.) London, August 28. The "Times," in a leading article, says: "We may be certain that the battle now raging is upon a line further south than was _ supposed, lhe Germans'have successfully-invaded northern France, sacrificing troops in a desperate effort' to strike swiftly and irresistibly at Paris." ; '.-.'■ ■■.■• — • i•. " SEVEN THOUSAND DEAD'ON TWO FRONTS. (Reo. August 28, 11.45 p.m.) . Paris, August 28, morning. A communique issued at eleven o'clock last.night Bays that irithe north the British were attacked -by a greatly superior forco, and were obliged, after a brilliant resistance, to withdraw slightly. The French armies on the right maintained their positions, while in the Yosges the French troops resumed the offensive and repelled the Germans with heavy losses south-east of Nancy. Over a front of three kilometres (under two miles) 2500 dead were found, and over another front of four kilometres (about 2£ miles) there were 4500 dead. MINERS BURIED ALIVE. (Rec. August 28, 11.10 p.m.) - . ■ Miners from Fremaries report that the Germans reached the village on Sunday, and the first thing they did was to close the mouths of all pits, despite'the fact that a number of miners wore, still, working. The unhappy men were buried alive.. The villagers ..took refuge in the cellars, whero.tho soldiers stabbed /them with lances. The refugees state the TJhktts sometimes drive hundreds of villagers before them. ■ ; , ~ The Germans at Tournai, fourteen miles east of Lille, demanded two million francs (£80,000), and threatened to shoot the burgomaster if tho money was not forthcoming. The inhabitants were £ible to save the burgomaster's. Weill'. . ■■>■■ ■■ ■■•■■r .:.!.<,. ■■.-■ - : -. ' .. . . : -The Germans also imposed, a levy of £60,000 on Charleroi. Tournai has a population of 37,000, and is a busy manufacturing city in the province of Hainaut, in Belgium. Charleroi has a population of, .30,000. GENERAL JOFFRE CONGRATULATES BRITISH TROOPS,; (Rec. August 28, 7.40 p.m.) London, August 28, morning. General Joffre sent a message to General French saying that the British Army had not hesitated to throw her Whole strength against forces having a great numerical superiority. By so doing he had contributed in the most effective manner towards securing the left flank of the French Army. The British had exhibited devotion, energy,_ and perseveranco which would be shown again to-morrow and make certain of the triumph of the common cause. The French would never forget the services rendered. The French Army was inspired by the same spirit of self-sacrifice and determination to conquer and to make good its debt of gratitude to Britain in the battles of tho near future, ENEMIES LINES OP COMMUNICATION UNGUARDED. (Reo. August 28, 6.40 p.m.) N London, August 27. Correspondents note that the most remarkable thing about tho German advance is, that no troops are along the line of communication. The railway services have been reopened by the Belgians to towns through which masses of German troops have just passed. It. seems to be all or nothing with the Germans, unless there is a second army marching up behind will supply this deficiency, but there is no.news of it at present.—-''Times" and Sydney "Sun" services. v