The Battle for Mons
1914
Photographed while living in Belgium
1996
by M. Couturier
The Battle for Mons

Telling this story for me is a bit of irony. While
being stationed at NATO’s military headquarters,
better known as SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters
Allied Powers Europe), I biked from my house in
Soignies to the base. It was only out of curiosity
(and fatigue) that I stopped to read several
markers along the road. I wonder, how many
people drive down this road never knowing what
had happened here?
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

This is the road looking towards Soignies,
and going a little further you’d be in
Brussels. My back is turned to Mons and a
bit further; France! It was here, that on
August 22nd, 1914, the German army
marched down this road. Note the
restaurant on the right!!!
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

As the unsuspecting Germans marched
down this road, a British unit (Irish
Dragoons) arrived at this point and set up
an ambush. It was here that the first shots
of the war were fired (between Germany
and Britain); the first from Corporal E.
Thomas. Again, note the restaurant on the
right and the white marker on the left!!!
The Battle for Mons
The white marker!!!
The white marker!!!
The Battle for Mons

The ambush on the Germans was short
lived and the British soon withdrew to this
point. Although a new modern bridge has
taken its place here, there was once a
manual draw-bridge. As the British
retreated, they drew the bridge in a parallel
manner with the canal so as to not allow
the Germans to cross over it.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

Musketier August Niemeier climbed the
bridge to draw it perpendicular. He was
shot several times, but still managed to
close the bridge and allow the German
units on the northern side of the canal to
cross making the takeover of Mons
imminent. August Niemeier died and was
the first soldier to be awarded the Iron
Cross on August 23rd, 1914.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

Only a few hundred meters away on this
bridge, Lt. M. J. Dease V.C. and Private
S.F. Godley V.C. set up a position to
prevent the Germans from crossing. For
their efforts, they were both, posthumously,
awarded the first Victoria Crosses of the
First World War.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

Take a second now to see how close the
actions which won the first Iron Cross and
Victoria Crosses were.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

A couple kilometers away is a quite
cemetery in St. Symphorien. It is here that
Musketier August Niemeier, winner of the
first Iron Cross in combat in the First World
War is laid to rest.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

A couple yards away, you can find the
resting place of Lt. M. J. Dease V.C.,
winner of the first Victoria Cross in combat
in the First World War.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

Here is another view of St. Symphorien
Cemetery. The grey tombs are German
soldiers. They are marked only with the
name, city of origin and their function in the
war. The British are much more decorated
and if they won medals, it is noted.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

Note the coat of arms of the soldier's
regiment or nationality on Allied British or
Commonwealth soldiers only. Also notice
the flowers on all the Allied tombs and
compare with the Germans.
The Battle for Mons
GOT TWO MINUTES?

In this same cemetery, we find Private
George Price. As he arrived along the
southern bank of the Mons Canal, he
noticed some young ladies on the northern
side dancing in the centre square of their
small village.
GOT TWO MINUTES?

Price jumped at the opportunity to introduce
himself to them. As he approached the young
ladies, a German sniper ended his life. It was
only 10:58 in the morning of November 11th,
1918. At 11:00, the war ended. Private George
Price was the last soldier of the war killed in
combat (not just Canadian). He too, is buried at
St. Symphorien. Two more minutes and he was
going home!
The Battle for Mons
GOT TWO MINUTES?

Many years later, Private George Price's
comrades came back to the site where he
was killed and left a commemorative
plaque.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

Another short drive and you get to this
memorial. It commemorates the resistance
of some Belgian civilians who dared to
oppose the Germans during the First World
War. Behind these trees, there was a
Prisoner of War camp and a German
military base.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

Behind the trees and inside the base, are
these five pillars. These were the posts
that the resistance and other Allied POWs
were tied to, before being executed.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

Ironically, the German military base has
now been converted … into another military
base!
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

This is now the site of NATO’s military
headquarters known as S.H.A.P.E. What is
perhaps more ironic, is that a short walk
from this gate leads you to a hotel and
restaurant! Note the plaque.
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

Before we look at the next photo, consider
these points: the First World War lasted
four years, the Germans nearly made it to
Paris (about 250 km away) and about 11
million people died …
The Battle for Mons
The Battle for Mons

… and the war on the Western Front
begins and ends within 100 m of each
other.
The Battle for Mons