Delphi Complete Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Illustrated)

by SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

  The French plans had in truth been somewhat disarranged by the Belgian resistance, for the chivalrous spirit of the nation would not permit that their gallant friends be unsupported. Fresh dispositions had been made, but the sudden fall of Namur brought them to naught. Before that untoward event the French had won a small but indubitable victory at Dinant, and had advanced their line from Namur on the right to Charleroi on the left. With the fall of Namur their long wall had lost its corner bastion, and they were at once vigorously attacked by all the German armies, who forced the Sambre on August 22, carried Charleroi, and pushed the French back with considerable loss of guns and prisoners along the whole line. There was defeat, but there was nothing in the nature of a rout or of an envelopment. The line fell back fighting tooth and nail, but none the less Northern France was thrown open to the invaders. In this general movement the British forces were involved, and we now turn to a more particular and detailed account of what befell them during these most momentous days.

  * * *

  III. THE BATTLE OF MONS

  The landing of the British in France — The British leaders — The advance to Mons — The defence of the bridges of Nimy — The holding of the canal — The fateful telegram — The rearguard actions of Frameries, Wasmes, and Dour — The charge of the Lancers — The fate of the Cheshires — The 7th Brigade at Solesmes — The Guards in action — The Germans’ rude awakening — The Connaughts at Pont-sur-Sambre

  THE bulk of the British Expeditionary Force passed over to France under cover of darkness on the nights of August 12 and 13, 1914. The movement, which included four infantry divisions and a cavalry division, necessitated the transportation of approximately 90,000 men, 15,000 horses, and 400 guns, It is doubtful if so large a host has ever been moved by water in so short a time in all the annals of military history. There was drama in the secrecy and celerity of the affair. Two canvas walls converging into a funnel screened the approaches to Southampton Dock. All beyond was darkness and mystery. Down this fatal funnel passed the flower of the youth of Britain, and their folk saw them no more. They had embarked upon the great adventure of the German War. The crowds in the streets saw the last serried files vanish into the darkness of the docks, heard the measured tramp upon the stone quays dying farther away in the silence of the night, until at last all was still and the great steamers were pushing out into the darkness.

  No finer force for technical efficiency, and no body of men more hot-hearted in their keen desire to serve their country, have ever left the shores of Britain. It is a conservative estimate to say that within four months a half of their number were either dead or in the hospitals. They were destined for great glory, and for that great loss which is the measure of their glory.

  Belated pedestrians upon the beach of the southern towns have recorded their impression of that amazing spectacle. In the clear summer night the wall of transports seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon. Guardian warships flanked the mighty column, while swift shadows shooting across the surface of the sea showed where the torpedo-boats and scouts were nosing and ferreting for any possible enemy. But far away, hundreds of miles to the north, lay the real protection of the flotilla, where the smooth waters of the Heligoland Bight were broken by the sudden rise and dip of the blockading periscopes.

  It is well to state, once for all, the composition of this force, so that in the succeeding pages, when a brigade or division is under discussion, the diligent reader may ascertain its composition. This, then, is the First Army which set forth to France. Others will be chronicled as they appeared upon the scene of action. It may be remarked that the formation of units was greatly altered with the progress of the campaign, so that it has been possible without indiscretion to raise the veil of secrecy which was once so essential.

  THE FIRST ARMY CORPS — GENERAL HAIG.

  DIVISION I — General Lomax.

  1st Infantry Brigade — General Maxse.

  1st Coldstream Guards.

  1st Scots Guards.

  1st Black Watch.

  2nd Munster Fusiliers.

  2nd Infantry Brigade — General Bulfin.

  2nd Sussex.

  1st N. Lancs.

  1st Northampton.

  2nd K.R. Rifles.

  3rd Infantry Brigade — General Landon.

  1st West Surrey (Queen’s).

  1st S. Wales Borderers.

  1st Gloucester.

  2nd Welsh.

  Artillery — Colonel Findlay.

  25th Brig. R.F.A. 113, 114, 115.

  26th Brig. R.F.A. 116, 117, 118.

  39th Brig. R.F.A. 46, 51, 54.

  43rd (How.) Brig. R.F.A. 30, 40, 57.

  Engineers — Colonel Schreiber.

  23 F. Co.

  26 F. Co.

  1 Signal Co.

  DIVISION II — General Munro.

  4th Infantry Brigade — General Scott-Kerr.

  2nd Grenadier Guards.

  2nd Coldstream Guards.

  3rd Coldstream Guards.

  1st Irish.

  5th Infantry Brigade — General Haking

  2nd Worcester.

  2nd Ox. and Bucks. L.I.

  2nd Highland L.I.

  2nd Connaught Rangers

  6th Infantry Brigade — General Davies.

  1st Liverpool (King’s).

  2nd S. Stafford.

  1st Berks.

  1st K.R. Rifles.

  Artillery — General Perceval.

  34th Brig. R.F.A. 22, 50,70.

  36th Brig. R.F.A. 15, 48, 71.

  41st Brig. R.F.A. 9, 16, 17.

  How. Brig. R.F.A. 47, 56, 60.

  35th Batt. R.G.A.

  R.E. 5, 11, Field Cos.

  THE SECOND ARMY CORPS — GENERAL SMITH-DORRIEN.

  DIVISION III — General Hamilton

  7th Infantry Brigade — General McCracken.

  3rd Worcester.

  2nd S. Lancs.

  1st Wilts.

  2nd Irish Rifles.

  8th Infantry Brigade — General B. Doran.

  2nd Royal Scots.

  2nd Royal Irish.

  4th Middlesex.

  1st Gordon Highlanders.

  9th Infantry Brigade — General Shaw.

  1st North. Fusiliers.

  4th Royal Fusiliers.

  1st Lincoln.

  1st Scots Fusiliers.

  Artillery — General Wing.

  23rd Brigade 107, 108,109.

  30th Brigade (How.) 128, 129, 130.

  40th Brigade 6, 23, 49.

  42nd Brigade 29, 41, 45.

  48th Batt. R.G.A.

  R.E. — Colonel Wilson.

  56, 57 F. Corps.

  3 Signal Co.

  DIVISION V — General Ferguson.

  13th Infantry Brigade — General Cuthbert.

  2nd K.O. Scot. Bord.

  2nd West Riding.

  1st West Kent.

  2nd Yorks. Light Infantry.

  l4th Infantry Brigade — General Bolt.

  2nd Suffolk.

  1st East Surrey.

  1st D. of Cornwall’s L.I.

  2nd Manchester.

  15th Infantry Brigade — General Gleichen.

  1st Norfolk.

  1st Bedford.

  1st Cheshire.

  1st Dorset.

  Artillery — General Headlam.

  15th Brig. R.F.A. 11, 52, 80.

  27th Brig. R.F.A. 119,120,121.

  28th Brig. R.F.A. 122,123,124.

  8 How. Brig. 37, 61, 65.

  Heavy G.A. 108 Battery.

  R.E. — Colonel Tulloch.

  17th and 59th Field Cos.

  5 Signal Co.

  The Cavalry consisted of four Brigades forming the first cavalry division, and of one extra Brigade.

  They were made up thus:

  1st Cavalry Brigade (Briggs). — 2nd and 5th Dragoon Guards; 11th Hussars.

  2nd Cavalry Brigade (De Lisle). — 4th Dragoon Guards; 9th Lancers; 18th Hussars.

  3rd Cavalry Briga
de (Gough). — 4th. Hussars; 5th Lancers; 16th Lancers.

  4th Cavalry Brigade (Bingham). — 3rd Hussars; 6th Dragoon Guards; Comp. Guards Regt.

  5th Cavalry Brigade (Chetwode). — Scots Greys; 12th Lancers; 20th Hussars.

  D, E, I, J, and L batteries of Horse Artillery were attached to these Brigades.

  Such, was the Army which first set forth to measure itself against the soldiers of Germany. Prussian bravery, capacity, and organising power had a high reputation among us, and yet we awaited the result with every confidence, if the odds of numbers were not overwhelming. It was generally known that during the period since the last war the training of the troops had greatly progressed, and many of the men, with nearly all the senior officers, had had experience in the arduous campaign of South Africa. They could also claim those advantages which volunteer troops may hope to have over conscripts. At the same time there was no tendency to underrate the earnest patriotism of our opponents, and we were well aware that even the numerous Socialists who filled their ranks were persuaded, incredible as it may seem, that the Fatherland was really attacked, and were whole-hearted in its defence.

  The crossing was safely effected. It has always been the traditional privilege of the British public to grumble at their public servants and to speak of “muddling through” to victory. No doubt the criticism has often been deserved. But on this occasion the supervising General in command, the British War Office, and the Naval Transport Department all rose to a supreme degree of excellence in their arrangements. So too did the Railway Companies concerned. The details were meticulously correct. Without the loss of man, horse, or gun, the soldiers who had seen the sun set in Hampshire saw it rise in Picardy or in Normandy. Boulogne and Havre were the chief ports of disembarkation, but many, including the cavalry, went up the Seine and came ashore at Rouen. The soldiers everywhere received a rapturous welcome from the populace, which they returned by a cheerful sobriety of behaviour. The admirable precepts as to wine and women set forth in Lord Kitchener’s parting orders to the Army seem to have been most scrupulously observed. It is no slight upon the gallantry of France — the very home of gallantry — if it be said that she profited greatly at this strained, over-anxious time by the arrival of these boisterous over-sea Allies. The tradition of British solemnity has been for ever killed by these jovial invaders. It is probable that the beautiful tune, and even the paltry words of “Tipperary,” will pass into history as the marching song, and often the death-dirge, of that gallant host. The dusty, poplar-lined roads resounded with their choruses, and the quiet Picardy villages re-echoed their thunderous and superfluous assurances as to the state of their hearts. All France broke into a smile at the sight of them, and it was at a moment when a smile meant much to France.

  Whilst the various brigades were with some deliberation preparing for an advance up-country, there arrived at the Gare du Nord in Paris a single traveller who may be said to have been the most welcome British visitor who ever set foot in the city. He was a short, thick man, tanned by an outdoor life, a solid, impassive personality with a strong, good-humoured face, the forehead of a thinker above it, and the jaw of an obstinate fighter below. Overhung brows shaded a pair of keen grey eyes, while the strong, set mouth was partly concealed by a grizzled moustache. Such was John French, leader of cavalry in Africa and now Field-Marshal commanding the Expeditionary Forces of Britain. His defence of Colesberg at a critical period when he bluffed the superior Boer forces, his dashing relief of Kimberley, and especially the gallant way in which he had thrown his exhausted cavalry across the path of Cronje’s army in order to hold it while Roberts pinned it down at Paardeberg, were all exploits which were fresh in the public mind, and gave the soldiers confidence in their leader.

  French might well appreciate the qualities of his immediate subordinates. Both of his army corps and his cavalry division were in good hands. Haig, like his leader, was a cavalry man by education, though now entrusted with the command of the First Army Corps, and destined for an ever-increasing European reputation. Fifty-four years of age, he still preserved all his natural energies, whilst he had behind him long years of varied military experience, including both the Soudanese and the South African campaigns, in both of which he had gained high distinction. He had the advantage of thoroughly understanding the mind of his commander, as he had worked under him as Chief of the Staff in his remarkable operations round Colesberg in those gloomy days which opened the Boer War.

  The Second Army Corps sustained a severe loss before ever it reached the field of action, for its commander, General Grierson, died suddenly of heart failure in the train between Havre and Rouen upon August 18. Grierson had been for many years Military Attaché in Berlin, and one can well imagine how often he had longed to measure British soldiers against the self-sufficient critics around him. At the very last moment the ambition of his lifetime was denied him. His place, however, was worthily filled by General Smith-Dorrien, another South African veteran whose brigade in that difficult campaign had been recognised as one of the very best. Smith-Dorrien was a typical Imperial soldier in the world-wide character of his service, for he had followed the flag, and occasionally preceded it, in Zululand, Egypt, the Soudan, Chitral, and the Tirah before the campaign against the Boers. A sportsman as well as a soldier, he had very particularly won the affections of the Aldershot division by his system of trusting to their honour rather than to compulsion in matters of discipline. It was seldom indeed that his confidence was abused.

  Haig and Smith-Dorrien were the two generals upon whom the immediate operations were to devolve, for the Third Army Corps was late, through no fault of its own, in coming into line. There remained the Cavalry Division commanded by General Allenby, who was a column leader in that great class for mounted tactics held in South Africa a dozen years before. It is remarkable that of the four leaders in the initial operations of the German War — French, Smith-Dorrien, Haig, and Allenby — three belonged to the cavalry, an arm which has usually been regarded as active and ornamental rather than intellectual. Pulteney, the commander of the Third Army Corps, was a product of the Guards, a veteran of much service and a well-known heavy-game shot. Thus, neither of the more learned corps were represented among the higher commanders upon the actual field of battle, but brooding over the whole operations was the steadfast, untiring brain of Joffre, whilst across the water the silent Kitchener, remorseless as Destiny, moved the forces of the Empire to the front. The last word in each case lay with the sappers.

  The general plan of campaign was naturally in the hands of General Joffre, since he was in command of far the greater portion of the Allied Force. It has been admitted in France that the original dispositions might be open to criticism, since a number of the French troops had engaged themselves in Alsace and Lorraine, to the weakening of the line of battle in the north, where the fate of Paris was to be decided. It is small profit to a nation to injure its rival ever so grievously in the toe when it is itself in imminent danger of being stabbed to the heart. A further change in plan had been caused by the intense sympathy felt both by the French and the British for the gallant Belgians, who had done so much and gained so many valuable days for the Allies. It was felt that it would be unchivalrous not to advance and do what was possible to relieve the intolerable pressure which was crushing them. It was resolved, therefore, to abandon the plan which had been formed, by which the Germans should be led as far as possible from their base, and to attack them at once. For this purpose the French Army changed its whole dispositions, which had been formed on the idea of an attack from the east, and advanced over the Belgian frontier, getting into touch with the enemy at Namur and Charleroi, so as to secure the passages of the Sambre. It was in fulfilling its part as the left of the Allied line that on August 18 and 19 the British troops began to move northwards into Belgium. The First Army Corps advanced through Le Nouvion, St. Remy, and Maubeuge to Kouveroy, which is a village upon the Mons-Chimay road. There it linked on to the right of the Second Co
rps, which had moved up to the line of the Condé-Mons Canal. On the morning of Sunday, August 23, all these troops were in position. The 5th Brigade of Cavalry (Chetwode’s) lay out upon the right front at Binche, but the remainder of the cavalry was brought to a point about five miles behind the centre of the line, so as to be able to reinforce either flank. The first blood of the land campaign had been drawn upon August 22 outside Soignies, when a reconnoitring squadron of the 4th Dragoon Guards under Captain Hornby charged and overthrew a body of the 4th German Cuirassiers, bringing back some prisoners. The 20th Hussars had enjoyed a similar experience. It was a small but happy omen.