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Born-Shoreditch

The Battle of Mons  August 23, 1914

This was the first battle fought by the British Army (BEF) in the war. Since landing in France ten days earlier the four infantry divisions and five cavalry brigades of the BEF had advanced to a position on the left flank of the French Armies only to find themselves directly in the line of the advance of the German First Army as they swept through Belgium and headed for Paris.

With orders to hold the German advance for 24hours and outnumbered two to one, the BEF dug in along the Mons-Conde canal. The battle commenced at 9am and lasted all day. By nightfall the BEF had withdrawn to a position along the Valenciennes-Maubeuge road, a position from which the Great Retreat began the next day. British casualties, killed, wounded or missing, amounted to 1600 for the battle. German casualties were higher.

14th Brigade of 5th Division which included the 1st Cornwall Light Infantry battalion, held a two and a half mile front along the canal from the railway bridge at Les Herbières, west to the road bridge at Pommeroeul.  1st Cornwall held the line from the footbridge south of La Hamaide to the Pommeroeul bridge where they had a platoon and a machine gun section pushed across the canal. 1st Cornwall had orders to hold the canal as an advanced position only and to retire when necessary to a second position, being prepared by 15 Brigade, behind the Haine. At 4.45pm they drove off German cavalry approaching from Ville Pommeroeul after which they withdrew their advance party south of the canal and 59 Field Company of the Royal Engineers blew the bridge. Among the casualties suffered by 1st Cornwall during this action was William Gow, who was killed in action.