How one Machine Gun held up the German Army (WW1 Documentary)
In August 1914 Europe descended into a war which would ultimately rage for four years at the cost of millions of lives. Amongst the very first moves of that war, and one which brought Britain into the fight, was the launching of the famous German Schlieffen Plan. In an attempt to destroy the French Army, a huge assault had been made through Belgium with the objective of capturing Paris. Standing in their way was the small but highly skilled British Expeditionary Force. Those opponents would meet outside the Belgian town of Mons in a short but brutal engagement that set the scene for many more battles to come. This is the story of that first action and the remarkable personal bravery shown that August day, which resulted in the award of the first two Victoria Crosses of WW1.
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:34 Situational Overview
01:35 The British Expeditionary Force
03:54 Germany Attacks
04:33 The British Situation
05:36 Mons
06:59 British Battlefield Positions
08:36 German Forces Arrive
09:02 The Battle Begins!
10:49 The Lone Sniper
11:37 Fighting at Nimy
14:24 Last Stand By Godly
15:36 British Withdrawal
15:54 Visiting the Battlefield Today
Reference Material:
S. Jones, The Great Retreat of 1914 (2018)
APG Vivian, The Phantom Brigade (1930)
JGW Hyndson, From Mons To The First Battle of Ypres (2014 Version)
R. Dunlop & H. Puttkammer, The Battle of Mons: The Official German History (2020 Verison)
Sources:
The Fusilier Museum, London
The Middlesex Regiment Museum
The Battle of Mons (1926 Film)
National Library of Scotland Image Archive
War Diaries of the Battalions (Naval and Military Press)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Archive (CWGC)
US National Archives (NARA)
The National Archives, Kew (TNA)
Google Earth Pro & Web Versions
Memory Maps, Trench Maps of the First World War
Maptiler Pro (Desktop Version)
Credits:
• Research: Dan Hill & Dr. Spencer Jones
• Script & Narration: Dan Hill
• Editing: Simon James
• Thumbnail Design: Linus Klassen
• Music & Sound Effects: Epidemic Sounds/Shane Greer
My Grandfather Percy Edgar Brereton MM was also a 'Die Hard' serving with the 1st Battalion Middlesex regiment. He won his Military Medal for bravery under fire at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Lest we forget ! 🌹🇬🇧
My Grandfather CSM Charles Wilson 2 KOSB. Mortally wounded at Mons 23 Aug 1914. Died the following day buried in Hautrage military cemetery. RIP
HMC is 1.5km from my house... I drive in front of it very often. It is a weird thing/reminder to live close by. Bless your Grandfather and many others for their bravery and sacrifice. Damned be all the ones who send men fight their wars.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Regiments of the British Army, the KOSB were the King's Own Scottish Borderers The Regiment had an outstanding record of Battle Honors.
RIP 🙏
My Great Grandfather Pvt. Albert Leonard was shot through the thigh and taken prisoner at the Battle of Mons.
My grandfather served with the Royal Irish Regiment (18th of Foot) and was wounded in three places on Aug 23rd at Mons. He was taken prisoner in his hospital bed that day. He was a POW until September 1917 when he was exchanged via the Red Cross and arrived in his hometown of Clonmel Co. Tipperary in ireland later that month. He passed away in 1954. His brothers served with the 4th Queens own Hussars and 8th and 14th Hussars. His brother lies in unicorn cemetery Vendhuile KIA June 5th 1917. All in all 9 of my family served in the great war. Three never came home. They lie in France, Belgium and Gallipoli and never saw Ireland again. As a postscript last Nov out 18th of Foot Association (Royal Irish Regiment 1684-1922) held a ceremony of the 100th anniversary of a Celtic Cross which was unveiled at La Bascule Crossroads in Mons. Present at this were ranking officers of the British/French/Belgian/irish armies. Wreaths were laid and four national anthems played. Honours were given to the fallen of all the Allied armies 1914-1918. Lest we forget.
God bless You all!
Respect to them all - 'Lest we forget'
🫡
Interesting . . . . my wife comes from Clonmel. My Grandfather served in the RA during WW1 and being an architect had some input into the design of the artificial harbours used at D day - Mulberry. My Father was torpedoed twice in one day off the coast of Iceland during WW2 . . .the sea was cold, after 3 minutes the screams of the dying were silenced, all was quiet just the lapping of the waves against your life raft.
@@philipmain5701Wow total respect for him and his comrades.
A strong and cogent narrative uninterrupted by music is becoming scarcer so thanks for this excellent presentation.
Sid Godley is buried in Loughton cemetery in Essex. His name isn't forgotten here.
He is indeed. In the churchyard. Forgotten by many but not by all.
Parr and Ellison's grave in the same cemetery....Their graves are separated by seven yards of lawn and, chronologically and metaphorically, by 700,000 fellow British servicemen who died in the conflict. The proximity of the graves of Private John Parr, killed 17 days after Britain declared war, and Private George Ellison, who died 90 minutes before the armistice, is said to be a coincidence - when they were buried, their "first" and "last" status was unknown - making it somewhat all the more poignant.
Indeed, very powerful, we cover the story in a video on here called "Last to Fall"
A great video. My great grandfather Fred Appleby served with the KOYLI and was wounded in November 1914 and sent back to England to recover. When his enlistment was up and he came to Canada, only to re enlist. I have a German bayonet, German binoculars and the grandfathers' badges... My grandfather, JE Mountenay joined the 116th Battalion and saw action with them. I remember both gentlemen quite well as a teenager. Lest we forget!!
There are those in society today who would rather we forgot about the bravery and ultimate sacrifice of these men and say we should be ashamed of what happened, I say we should be ashamed of those who want us to forget of those that gave 🇬🇧🌹👍
The Canadians took Mons back for the Empire in 1918.
Brilliantly put together and presented, as with all of your material. Excellent!
Thank you so much Martin!
It's a very humbling experience watching this story
Yes we agree..
I think this is dramatised in the BBC series “Our World War” excellent series - great to see the history in more depth 👍
Glad you enjoyed it thanks!
I was going to make this comment, great episode👍🏻👍🏻
Wasnt so keen on the rest of that series, but that episode was absolutely brilliant, could have been a great film if they had made it slightly longer
@@Ukraineaissance2014 i liked that 1st one and the 3rd episode with the tank as you dont generally see much tank based WW1 material.
@@edsavage5526 yeah that was the other one I enjoyed in the series. There was another series released about the same time, it was designed more for kids but showed a germans and british soldiers perspective in ww1. Id reccomend it for an easy watch if i could remember the title
My wife's grandfather John Henry Walker was in the thick of this battle and was declared 'Missing in Action" on 24th August. He was part of the Cheshire regiment and was wounded and taken to field hospital in Caudrey and then became a POW in Doberitz until 1918. He died in Birkenhead in 1932 aged 45
My favorite actor Ronald Colman was wounded here. It shattered his ankle and he was mustered out, later the next year. His movies in the 1930's and 40's are terrific. My favorite being "Lost Horizon."
Actually he was wounded at the Battle of Messines
It's wonderful how you tell these stories. I served from '61 to '71 and recall Mons on the battle honours of the RCR, but think that was in the last 100 Days push.
It was where the british ended up in 1918 when the armistice arrived, started and finished in mons.
The Canadians were the ones who were in Mons on the last day in 1918. The man mentioned as the last (known) combat death of the war was a Canadian soldier. In 1986 I had the privilege to be on Ypres and attended the 'Last Post 'Ceremony at the Menin Gate. That evening a Canadian Army contingent pareded to pay respects to their Regiments dead in the war that are named on the gate. Very moving and great to have a chance to talk to those lads after wards (I am not Canadian but Australian)
My Granddad was in both battles of Mons and Ypres i have both his Mons Stars he was a bandsman in the 4th London Rifle Brigade (once called Sharpe's regiment now the Green Jackets) he was there before the British expedition force had left Britain or war had even been declaired.
Great analysis. The BEF were tough, rough boys just for a colonial army. Without them, the enemy would have probably achieved their objective. Respect.
Ironically it was their defeats against the Boers which led to a transformation of our army. The British take something from every battle and from the Boers we learned better marksmanship, rapidity of fire, mobility, even how to take care of the horses better.
@@copferthat Yes, very much so.
Contrary to popular belief, the decisive battle which later led to the victory of the Marne did not take place at Mons (August 23) between the British and the Germans but at the Trouée de Charmes (August 24-26) between the French and the Germans. The little-known Battle of the Trouée de Charmes was one of the most brutal of the early war, and by all accounts and testimonies the Germans suffered horrific losses (around 70,000 casualties, compared to 2,000-5,000 German casualties at Mons). As a result, the German General Staff decided to change the disposition of its troops, which gave numerical superiority to the French and British during the Battle of the Marne (September 5-12), allowing them to win the victory.
@@MarquisVincentBissetdeGramont Always nice to read informative comments and replies from nerds. I write "nerd" as a compliment.
@@raypurchase801 Thank you so much! I like to share knowledge about history.
love these videos with the satellite maps giving a good indication of the lay of the land for the battles
Certainly helps us understand the battles more!
My Irish grandfather Frederick Crean was there with the Irish guards he had the Mons Star.
"The men all chilled to the bone, almost too exhausted to move and with the depressing consciousness of defeat weighing heavily upon them. A bad defeat, there can be no gainsaying it ... we had been badly beaten, and by the English - by the English we had so laughed at a few hours before"
Fantastic job telling this story. Really enjoyed it.
Thanks mate!
My Grandfather, Private Frederick Clarke, was in the Royal Scots (whose nickname was “Pontius Pilate’s Bodyguard) under General Smith-Dorian, and was captured on 26 August 1914, at the battle of Le Cateau, near Mons and was held as a Prisoner of War until 1918. I never met him as he died in the early 1930s, but I am proud of him in absentia.
What's sad is those who start the wars don't do any of the fighting.
Childish thinking
Not really @@user-ig3el6zt6c
@user-ig3el6zt6c it sums up the German Kaiser quite nicely, though. An immature, bellicose warmonger with the tact of a rhino with a hangover who liked the idea of war but couldn't handle the situation when it happened.
Does anyone ever think of the heroes that died without being witnessed by an Officer or, the witness died in action before making a report, and were never awarded a posthumous VC as a result?
That is why officers are most likely to win medals in this system.🤔
A great story told many a time and well presented here as well. However every time I watch videos like this the utter despair of what has happened to the UK today always hits home and makes all these sacrifices seem so …..vain if I’m honest.
people like you, like me, with true comprehension; ensure that none of it was in vain
It was not at all in vain and the people in France, Belgium, Netherlands... who know about History will never forget ; we're just subjected to different imperialisms today, and we must act against those as well - if I get your meaning. And if you want to discuss the state of despair, or disrepair, that UK is in today, lets not forget : 1) how it's still very relative in the grand order of things - it's still a "prime country" and much better to live in than most others on the planet ; the deterioration is also very global as well, in many countries, european or not... and 2) how UK was removed from its dominating position on the planet by its former dominion at the favor of both those world wars. Oh, they came to "help", but always just late enough to ensure major damage was done, and that much could be obtained in return for that help. Allies, but just in title, or only when it fits...
@@justalonesoul5825 It might be wise to visit the UK today. The decline is horrific and we are slowly but surely heading towards a Socialist /communist hell probably within 25 years.
@@Mizzkanuk is becoming a 3rd world country
@@Mizzkan A socialist/communist hell ? WTF are you smoking you ... FFS
Very well told. These stories should never be forgotten. Whatever our views of the war, these were young men, doing what they believed was their duty and ready to give their lives.
This is a documentary of exceptional quality. ❤
Wow, thank you!
Could never make this into a movie. People wouldn’t believe it was true.
Great video. Thank you. My great uncle Albert was killed here and is buried in Hautrage cemetery.
Fascinating stuff, as always. Thank you very much.
Absolutely stunning story-telling, as always.
Informative and powerful video. Dease and Godley - and the lone sniper - were courageous. It's amazing how Dease and Godley were able to continue fighting in spite of the heavy injuries. Incredible how Godley survived also. The computer imagery and maps were very helpful with picturing how the battlefield looked. Great work. I remember Dan and Spencer discussing the Battle of Mons and this video gave some great insight too. Kudos. Have a nice day. Hope you're having a good week as well.
This was the best documentary commentary on any battle that I have ever reviewed! Brings you right to the front seat of a vicious battle....how close....you can smell the cordite!
My Father who joined the army before the first world war and it was the 1st battalion Royal Fusiliers he was part of BEF his best pale was was Fusilier Sidney Godley I have a picture of my Dad after the war with a wreath that he as the Honorary Treasurer of the Duchy of Cornwall branch of The Old Contemptibles Association was going to lay at The Cenotaph in Whitehall and comparing it with the picture at 3:08 I have been able to match the pictures up, thank for this account of this battle that my Dad told me about, my dad and I attended the Remembrance Service at the Royal Fusiliers Memorial in High Holborn in November 1981 my father passed away in 1982 and every year after I attended on his behalf to troop his Medals until I was unable to do so as I am know in my Dotage.
Thanks for sharing that wonderful story!
This is a amazing story. Battle Guide did a Great job. Keep doing videos about the Great War. Do you have one about Gallipoli, if not you should do it.
What a great story telling. Thanks for this video!
I saw the Netflix documentary on this exact battle, superb job mate you explained it so well...defintey SUBSCRIBED!
Brilliant video as usual!
Thank you so much!
I wonder how many of the original BEF survived the war? Twenty years ago I stood under the bridge over the Mons canal and just imagining the German army coming along the canal tow path made my blood run cold.
Yeah those 100,000 BEF lads were facing up to 160,000 Germans in their front.
My grandad missed Mons but was at Le Cateau. He joined the Hampshire Regt in 1911 but trained as a machine gunner. He finished the war as a QSM and was awarded the Military Medal and bar. He joined with his two brothers and all three survived.
I visited the bridge in October, 4 years ago. Tactically speaking, it's very hard to defend.
My wifes Grandfather was in the Northumberland Fusiliers, recalled to the colours after previous service in South Africa and was involved in the retreat. He was wounded in the ensuing battles and ended up as a POW . He seemed to have had a good captivity, working on a Farm.
Great work this, lots of memorials and videos to the Newfoundlander's, Scottish units etc, but not so many for the English units that fought and died, they just get lumped into the wider British Army conversations. From what I have seen, so well aware I could be wrong. Anyway, respect to my hometowns regiment the Royal Berkshire Regiment, the Lancashire Fusiliers etc
Thanks for the great content
Thanks for watching!
A great video, wonderful description of these amazing men, great to keep there story alive
Very interesting to see actual past images of this area where I was born and spent most of my life so far, you most certainly went through immense and thorough research sessions! To hear the details of those combats and heroic acts that happened merely a dozen kilometers from my family house is strangely fascinating and impactful. Hautrage Military Cemetery for Commonwealth soldiers on Route de Mons-Tournai is at a stone throw from my place, and several memorial monuments exist all around. One is very recent, it was built for the 100 years anniversary of the armistice. It took a few decades before I could see the importance of all these. To the memory of british soldiers of both WW, thank you for your sacrifice and bravery.
I wonder how many of the original BEF who left in 1914, survived the entire war?
Most got injured and were medically discharged before the end of the war. So thousands survived, but most were out of action by 1917. Some survived the whole war, my great great grandad joined in 1912 and left the army in 1919. He was in the frontlines the whole war.
Very well presented, telling a complex story well.
Thank you for the kind words!
Hell yea a new ww1 upload !
Thank you! @rikezambacher301
Brilliant, break down many thanks
This story is the personification of the old phrase: "With a rifle, you can kill one man, but with a machine gun, you can make an entire army keep its head down."
Everyone should perhaps be aware that the German army never realized Mons was a separate action. From the German perspective Mons was just a blip in the general flow of action along the entire front - resistance was met, resistance was overcome. Same as along the entire German right wing at the time.
You guys never disappoint with your brilliant documentaries. So well researched and presented, if there were awards for KZhead documentaries, you would surely take the top award! Question, was the German soldier awarded any bravery awards for his actions to open the bridge?
Excellent video, hopefully you will do one about the Worcesters in the earl days of WW1? 100k professional army then, one wonders why politicians have not learnt the lessons of the past with the state of the British Army today!
In those days of the British Empire, a large professional army was necessary to keep the native populations of the colonial territories subjugated.
@@reynaldoflores4522 might want to check your numbers and deployment of British troops in those days. British soldiers captured strategically important sites and territories, with the army involved in wars to secure the empire's borders, internal safety and support friendly governments and princes. Among these actions were the French and Indian War / Seven Years' War,[39] the American Revolutionary War,[40] the Napoleonic Wars,[37] the First and Second Opium Wars,[41] the Boxer Rebellion,[42] the New Zealand Wars,[43] the Australian frontier wars,[44] the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857,[45] the first and second Boer Wars,[46] the Fenian raids,[47] the Irish War of Independence,[48] interventions in Afghanistan (intended to maintain a buffer state between British India and the Russian Empire)[49] and the Crimean War (to keep the Russian Empire to the north on the Black Sea at a safe distance by aiding the Ottoman Empire).[50] Like the English Army, the British Army fought the kingdoms of Spain, France (including the First French Empire) and the Netherlands (Dutch Republic) for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial and colonial assistance.
These are of such good quality. So many YT history/military documentaries are so empty of content. These are of such high quality not only in presentation but also in meaningful content.
999 9 9 9😮😮😮
The “ old contemptibles!.” Great soldiers who saved Paris!
One of the amazing things about this battle was that the Germans thought the British regiments all had machine guns because their fire was so rapid. They had been highly trained to fire in this unbeatable way at Shorncliffe Army Camp, by General Hamilton, a dedicated soldier whose reputation was sadly trashed at Galllipoli, where he suffered from what was known as ' mission drift'..- When the original operation was expanded exponentially, but without the supplies and backup that the expanded plans required. He took the blame for the omissions of others, just like poor General Percival at Singapore in the next war..My grandfather fought at Gallipoli, and then on the Western front. My other grandfather was wounded when his regiment was the first to step out at the Battle of the Somme. On that first day there were 57,470 casualties.and 19,240 deaths, the worst day in the history of the British Army.
men of tremendous will . thank you for the account and the graphics. a Yank
Truly touching
With my 2 big toes 4 mega thumbs up great work
Very nicely done, one of our favourite Battlefied Walks and were lucky enough to do so on the Centenary of the Battle in 2014 as well as to assist in the unvieling of the Cheshire Regt monument to their action at Audreignes the next day . . .
With reference to the "professional" character of the soldiers of the BEF, that's true, however many of these troops were reservists, who had served their time in the army and were called back to the colours during mobilization. Quite a few sources highlight how many of these men were unfit and became exhausted on the march, especially the retreat from Mons.
As i said on here earlier that my grandfather fought at Mons and was taken prisoner when wounded. He was recalled to the colours two months beforehand as he was a reservist and had served during the anglo Boer War. Most of his peers in the second battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment who were at Mons were reservists due to the fact that the battalion was formed in a hurry.
I have seen or heard of a better example of Military Heroism than this. Great video, thank you.
This is definitely up there, you should look up some Napoleonic wars stories, some massive heroics in that era, especially since cavalry charges were still common and effective.
Ahh, this was the first episode of “Our War” on BBC! Incredible. #LestWeForget
Brave and determined.................tough guy.
I was completely unaware of the Battle of Mons, the Retreat from Mons, and the battle for Paris until I was given my Great Grand Fathers medals which included the 1914 Star, the Mons Star.
I read about Godley & Dease many years ago (maybe 30) in a monograph about The Old Contemptibles, what a story, one buried with military honours by the Germans the other surviving until 1957.
yeah i was confused too when i read the wiki article
@@rednax6955this was well before Wikipedia had been imagined
Looking forward to hearing the role of the angels.
class !!
Wasn’t there a BBC mini series callee Our War based in this engagement?
Shame the soldier who volunteered to remain at the railway building remained unknown for his actions.
Mons, where it began and ended, four years later.
"...near the little-known town of Mons." The people of Mons: "Hang on a minute! We LIVE here." 😮 Otherwise a story extremely well-told. 🙏
Lol thanks! - though I'd argue that in 1914 even residents of Mons would agree it wasn't a big player on the international scene ;)
@@BattleGuideVT Pretty certain most Belgians knew where it was/is 😀👍 +1.
@@andrewrobinson2565 pretty certain, as an actual belgian living and born 10km away from Mons, that its international status has always been near to non-existent. So yeah, in the context of this video, outside its minuscule borders, small belgian cities like Mons are clearly little-known, and that's obviously a euphemism. Apart from being "chief town" of Province of Hainaut, it has little to no aura...
@@justalonesoul5825 +1 We have Belgian friends who live in Mons. He and his mates have bought the theatre 🎭 as a hobby. Well, I stand corrected. If a Belgian says it's little-known, who am I to argue the contrary as a Frenchman 🇨🇵🤔.
@@andrewrobinson2565 Well, I may have been a little too dismissive initially, sorry about that, I guess many historians, travellers, tourists... do still know about it for sure, there are folkloric activities worth a mention, Doudou/Lumeçon is listed as UNESCO world heritage, but that list is getting fairly long 😄 Couple interesting buildings with Beffroi (Bell Tower) and Collegiale Sainte-Waudru... Aside, it's a relatively small city as you must have witnessed if you visited, you can cross it by foot very quickly. It's right under 100k pop. Maybe as a close inhabitant I just cant appreciate at its fair value though, idk. Which Theatre is it that you are talking about? It cant be Theatre Royal, can it?
Informative and wonderful historical coverage video about that infamous battle (Mons ) British bravery.showed decisive existence of machine guns during WW1. In reality, machine guns, artillery bombarding ,and airforce bombarding converted mobilized Prussian-French warfares to trenching statics warfares during WW1.
Contrary to popular belief, the decisive battle which later led to the victory of the Marne did not take place at Mons (August 23) between the British and the Germans but at the Trouée de Charmes (August 24-26) between the French and the Germans. The little-known Battle of the Trouée de Charmes was one of the most brutal of the early war, and by all accounts and testimonies the Germans suffered horrific losses (around 70,000 casualties, compared to 2,000-5,000 German casualties at Mons). As a result, the German General Staff decided to change the disposition of its troops, which gave numerical superiority to the French and British during the Battle of the Marne (September 5-12), allowing them to win the victory.
their names should not be forgotten.
I studied at the University of Mons for a little while and there's a very cool story/legend In the town centre's grand place there's a little metallic monkey that an unknown metalsmith made and attached to the town hall, no-one knew where it came from or who did it so they kept it It became a symbol of luck for Mons and you can still go and pat its head for good luck today. But apparently all the soldiers arrived at Mons and queued to pat its head when they arrived in the hope they'd defend Mons successfully, because they felt they needed a miracle
Did the German Musketeer who swam the canal and opened the bridge get awarded for his bravery ???
My man knew his duty and was determined to fulfill it to the best of his ability. He meant to die there with his buddies. But, fate had a different plans for him.
Total respect for all professional service men or women globally, past present and future. Zero respect for the corrupt politicians who misuse and abuse these brave soldiers.
Any disaster used to be quoted as the "Biggest F%^& UP since Mons"
Dear, bef came also to Antwerpen, not only Bergen/Mons, it was the first contact. But ismostly forgotten. I
BBC .. Our War.. First day I think it's called.. might still be on iPlayer... Good series ofshort films. The Tank fight is good also if still available.
Netflix series "This war of ours/mine" i think, tells this tale.
My great grandfather was a t Mons with the Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry B.E.F.1914
These soldiers deserve all the credit they get... but it was the Kaiser who defeated the Schlieffen Plan by turning it into a two front affair.
If you enjoyed this watch BBC War Walks one episode covers this action and others of the Great Retreat. Has some great comments from my poor memory "they were hard men and quite frankly they enjoyed it" the killing that is.
Where in this sequence of events did the Angels of Mons (allegedly) show up?
Well folks you all met the real British heroes god bless them. We will remember them. LEST WE FORGET 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Known of Godley from childhood. My family, through my mother, is related to him in some way I am not clear about. But hence we children knew of the story.
Onward.
Dease was from drumree county Meath
Did the British not attempt to blow up the railway bridge?
It’s interesting that a German Doctor saved his life when at the end of the War the hate was so great between opposing soldiers that a lot were still being killed days after the end of the War
Not really, the vast majority of POWs returned safely on both sides. However yes POWs were taken less often as the went on
They are at peace now
I'm early! Time to sit back and get absorbed with your awesome story telling! 🫡
Thank you! @JakeTheBear1
Don't let them tell you different, My Grandmother told me Sidney Godley was a large Black Woman
As good, and brave, as the British soldiers of the BEF were, and my great grandfather fought at Mons, joining WWI in 1914 and, above all, raising a mass Army, against all British military tradition, was the original sin of Britain and the Empire.
Contrary to popular belief, the decisive battle which later led to the victory of the Marne did not take place at Mons (August 23) between the British and the Germans but at the Trouée de Charmes (August 24-26) between the French and the Germans. The little-known Battle of the Trouée de Charmes was one of the most brutal of the early war, and by all accounts and testimonies the Germans suffered horrific losses (around 70,000 casualties, compared to 2,000-5,000 German casualties at Mons). As a result, the German General Staff decided to change the disposition of its troops, which gave numerical superiority to the French and British during the Battle of the Marne (September 5-12), allowing them to win the victory.
Feels so weird hearing my surname in a video.... I've only met two other people with it
Last Went to Mons 2002 , very interesting the cemetery is unique one of the 1st , 1st man killed and last man killed are in the cemetery along with Dease VC and German Niemier. .. most interesting of the 100s of war cemeteries... has aura about it especially when alone ... it was started by the Germans , does any one know why Dease vc is on the Wayside Cross memorial Woodchester village Gloucestershire , I know the memorial was started very early in 1916 , maybe one of the 1st in the country.... But still dont know why his name is on this war memorial ?
What does the famous legend of the Angels of Mons have to do with this story?