THE RETURN TO MONS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 229, 21 June 1919, Page 7

THE RETURN TO MONS

- AS A BOY SAW IT This is the story of the battle of Mons, as told by a twelve-year-old Belgian boy, Jean Paternotte. Jeau spent four years in Mons during the German .occupation, and was an eager witness of the. doings in that city oii November 11,, 1918, in tlio last hours before-' the' armistice. .. His story, written in French, recently arrived in New York. A- translation (as it- appears in the "Saturday Evening Post Magazine") is given below:— Tlio battle of Mons lasted three davs. The cannon roared, and I could hear in tlio distanoe the tack-tack of the mitrailleuse and the exploding of mine.?, which the Germans kept popping to defend* the road to. the city; We had all taken refuge in the cellar, for fear of tlie". bombardment I slept very soundly Sunday night, even though the first part of tlio night was exciting enough. At: about fivo o'clock I was awakened by the voicc of my father, who said: "Look, the cannon can 110 longer be heard, perhaps it is the armistice." Bflt'.my:mother answered:/ "No, no; wait awhile." We waited, -five, ten, fifteen niimitos—all was absolutely calm. What' a sudden change from tlio cannonade of the preceding days! . T'lie servaiits, who wfere already' tslirriny,' had left the cellar. All of a sudden quo of them' caine rushing down the 6tdrs and'said: "Oh! They are at tlio fish market, they are kuocking at every door, and. I hear tlio 'Brabanconne' (the Bolgian National Hymn) in-the distance. It is said that they are heading for the Grand Place/"' 'flip "tbev". explained everything. They wero the English, Qnickly wogot up,'and w soonnswo were drefsed we. inade haste to reach the Place'.. Tim .street was quiet and the city seemed asleep. It was stili twilight, btifc Ihero was no longer any doubt that, the English were indeed Mons. Several dags already fluttered in the mist.. On reaching the I'alnce I saw an English soldier standing sentinel in fr.ont, the City Hall. Tlio English.soldiers had succeeded in entering the city at 2.10 a.m., November 11. 1313, liino hours before hie armistice. ■ I. saw a patrol of nine men coming from the lino de la Chaussee and "proceeding toward the Rue "d'HaVre.' Another, came from, the Hue de in Clsf anil entered tlio. City Hall. Others followed. • They sprang from ovwynhoreiho Rue do Vimy, iho I!uc "do Miroir, Hue ties Clercs, etc. All! But. they were beautiful, these soldiers 'whb freed' us from the terrible and brutal occupation of tho enemy. They, were dressed in khaki uniforms and all.had trench helmets. Home nt them wore' skirts of plaid; hidden by waterproof coats that were covered wiln mud. All had bayonets fixed, still" searching .for-tlio enemy. They revived an ovation. ' Many of them wore embraced One of tho officers (Capbiu G.) of tho Third Canadian Division, who lodged at my grandmother's, always said when any o'no spoke of the recapture of -Mons, "I did lnOro embracing'oft'that day than all the rest, of my life." An officer entered tho City Hall nnd renounced to the city authorities, who were present at tlio limp, that Mons hadbeen recaptured by the Third Canadian liivision, and asked if tiisro were any more 13oche in the city. Ho was answered, in the negative. Meanwhile several men had. climbed to the balcony at the City Hall and cut tho strings which hell the placard "Ktappen Kommandantui:.' It fell to tlie street with a loud crash. Then the German flag was burned. Beforo long (ten -minutes to 6) the Place was full of peoplo and tlievo was shouting without end. Tho flags of the Allies wero raised above tho Citv Hall. Then the crowd turned, its attention to the other signs, the Deutscher Liojtspiellef (movies), and lore them down. Those which could not bo lmuled down wero smeared with paint.

Soon tho first English automobile arrived. the! first since August, IflH. It brought a' colonel. He entered the City Hall, signed in the book of gold, and lield counsel with tlio Assoniblv. Then followed :i Red Cross automobile, fortii.uatelv ompty. and several wagons drawn by magnificent mules and prancing horses. Tho Scotch band did not wait long to make ilf-elf heard, the crowd lined up in Ironl: of it. It wns loudly cheered and several people began lo dance. It was a kind' of musio quite different' from ours or that of,. othci "times. The instruments into which they blew were Ihe famous bagpipes,.-decor-nled wilh ribbons nml fancy cloth like their littlo Kilts: ". At 8.30 o'clock, when I left the Place, several soldiers were .nlxmt to wash up in tho court of the City Hall. Never in my life shall T forget that day of November 11, 191 S. day Of the recapture of Mon', the hist bnjlle before the armistice, day of our deliverance.