BATTLE OF CHARLEROI
BRITISH IN THE NICK OP \ TIME
Received thi3 day 12.50 a.m. Lsndon, Friday
The English artillery was magnificent, but there was not enough of it in comparison with the enemy's shells/ The Allies' burst without fail, but the Germans who found the range smartly, failed to make their ahellß burst, while they frequently fell short The Germans bombarded the entrenched Berkshires for twenty-four hours with very 6 few casualties A German aeroplane cama too close to the gunners, who brought it down, when two thousand feet up Three miles north of the canal were two clumps of forest about five miles in depth. The Germans advanced from Charleroi through wooded country northwest of Mons
From- higher grounds the British could follow the whole German movements. When they emerged into the plain the artillery opened a devastating fire echoed by rifle fire from the trenches when within range. Thousands of Germans fell
The Germans had made no progress at nightEall on Sunday, but tbek dead and wounded were scattered over the bills between the canal and the forest The British loss was Bmall
.The play of the German searchlights throughout the night was uncanny. It was accompanied by occasional artillery fire
Fighting was resumed with violence at daybreak as the Germanß were heavily reinforced
Received this day, 1 a.m. London, Friday
The British wounded at Mons reached Rouen though the worst cases were sent to the field hospital. The bulk are wounded in the feet and legs, only a small percentage in the stomach. The wounded reached Mons on Saturday though the French troops had taken up a position on Thursday The British only arrived in the nick of time to stem the Germans' onrush. They prepared their lines with extraordinary rapidity The infantry and artillery occupied points of vantage on the low hills overlooking the valley The British were strengthening their position when attacked on Sunday morning.
Simultaneously other Britishers were ordered out of Mons and came under fire with no trenches or cover of any kind They just had to drop down and be still till, nightfall when they did their beat to make trenches. <Directly the British sought to entrench the German shells began to Durst. The regiments tried new positions with the same result. They fought all the afternoon for liberty to make trenches Received this day, 1.10 a.m.
For a time the German artillery tried to explode the gasometer at Moris. Every time they missed the gasometer the. "Tommies" cheered, though they waited anxiously for the next'shot. The big siege gups of the Royal Garrison Artillery made excellent practice. One half of the battery v.as exposed in a particularly galling position Several German batteries made combined attack and silenced the Birtish guns one by one until only a single gunner remained. He Would have gone on until he dropped, but an officer called him Received this day, 1.25 a.m.
During the morning scouting par-, ties of Gsrman Hussar and Uhlans strove to reach the canal. Most of these were killed fay the artillery fire arid a few were mads prisoners. Then'the. advance en masse began. The Germans were four and five deep
Although whole ranks were mown down the main body managed to reach the north bank of the canal and began building bridges The battle at this paint was mere butchery. Ten times the Germans threw pontoons over the water and ten times the British artillery destroyed them In a closer move desperate fighting took place in a colliery village, on the west whereof British held a section for some hours
The Northumberland Fusiliers took part in this street fighting, which included a bayonet charge by the South Lancasbires. Piles of German bodies were mown down by the machine guna The bodies blocked the streets in some places Meanwhile sheer weight of massed batteries carried the Germans forward . Their infantry also advanced in close order and offered a magnificent mark. There losses ware greater than the Allies, but so were their numbers, and they came again and again By 2 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. They had been twenty-two hours in the trenches and were very hungry
GENERAL JEOFFRE'B TRIBUTE TO BRITISH ARMY Received Friday, 7.40 p.m. London, Friday General Jeoffre has sent a message to General French saying the British army did not hesitate to throw its whole strength against forces having a great numerical superiority, and in so doing contributed in the most effective manner to securing the left flank of the French army. It exhibited a devotion, energy and perseverance which would be Bhown again to-«or-row, and make certain triumph in a common causa
The French would never foregct the service rendered to the French army, which was inspired with the same spirit of self-sacrifice and determination to conquer, and make good its debt of gratitude to Britain in the battles of the near future
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King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 699, 29 August 1914, Page 5
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838BATTLE OF CHARLEROI King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 699, 29 August 1914, Page 5
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