Belgium - Great War Literature

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British volunteers for "Kitchener's Army" waiting for their pay in the churchyard of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London, August 1914.

War – At Last!

Written by Lawrance, W on 29th March, 2009. Posted in Featured Posts, History.

There was a general feeling of relief when war eventually broke out. There had been tension and certainty of conflict for so long, that many people now felt released from this and looked forward to the anticipated ‘adventure’ of war. Most assumed that this would be a short conflict and that it would definitely be over by Christmas. The one dissenter in the British government was the newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, who predicted that the conflict would last a minimum of three years and require a huge army of at least one million men.

The British Army, under the command of Field Marshal Sir John French, was the smallest of all the major European powers, but was mobilised on 4th August, with the first troops landing in France just three days later. Young men, aged between nineteen and thirty were being urged to volunteer for the armed forces and swell the ranks of the regular army, now referred to as the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). The initial response to this call to arms, was enthusiastic, but in an effort to offer even greater encouragement, the government advocated that young men should be allowed to train and serve with people who they already knew in civilian life. It was, therefore, suggested that battalions of ‘Pals’ should be formed – made up of men from the same towns, villages, factories, clubs or even football teams. By the end of September, Kitchener had his expanded army.

Across the Channel in Belgium, the German army was facing far greater resistance from ‘Little Belgium’ than had been anticipated as even civilians unexpectedly joined the defence of their country. The Germans did not really know how to manage this situation and some soldiers began to carry out reprisals against civilians, some of which were violent and occasionally involved women and children. Such atrocities soon led to the portrayal of the German soldiers as the ‘Monstrous Hun’, in newspapers throughout Europe. This propaganda tool was a gift to Great Britain and exaggerated stories and images of the violence encouraged even more men to enlist – not only to protect Belgium, but also to prevent the Germans from having the same opportunities in Britain.

The Final Straw

Written by Lawrance, W on 21st February, 2009. Posted in Featured Posts, History.

Germany’s plan to quickly win the war in the West, before turning her full attention to the Eastern Front, known as the Schlieffen Plan, essentially involved a speedy attack through neutral Belgium and into Northern France. It was then anticipated that the German army would encircle Paris and turn back on itself, trapping the French army on the border between France and Germany. The final straw, however, came with the German invasion of Belgium – a country whose neutrality Great Britain had sworn to protect. Therefore, on 4th August 1914, Great Britain declared war on Germany.

Right until the last minute, the Germans had doubted that Britain really would defend Belgium, but in this instance it was not just a matter of British pride, but also a desire to teach the Germans a lesson. The general populations of each country firmly believed that they had right (and in most cases, God) on their side, so civilian support was strong. Most agitators abandoned, or suspended their campaigns until the end of the conflict, so while war was breaking out all over Europe, internally, many countries were more at peace than they had been for years.