The Retreat from Mons By one who shared in it — Background and Themes

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In Category - World Events

Authors: Corbett-Smith, Arthur, 1879-1945 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2017 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 57,069

Reading time 249 min

Text sections 6

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Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #55048

A first-hand account of the British retreat from Mons in 1914, focusing on the human side of war through trivial incidents and acts of devotion, with a dedication to General Smith-Dorrien and a vivid depiction of a night battle at Landrecies.

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1. Mobilisation 2. The Sailing of the Force 3. The Landing of the Force 4. Up Country 5. The Marshalling of the Armies 6. Mons 7. Mons (_continued_) 8. The Retreat Begins 9. The Second Day 10. An Interlude 11. Wednesday, the 26th of August 12. Wednesday, the 26th of August (_continued_) 13. The Retreat Continues 14. Past Compiègne 15. The Final Stages

General Sir H. Smith-Dorrien . . . _Frontispiece_

Field-Marshal Viscount French

General Sir Douglas Haig

Map of Country from Mons to Paris

FIRST EXPEDITIONARY FORGE

_General Officer Commanding-in-Chief the British Forces:_ FIELD-MARSHAL SIR J. D. P. FRENCH.

_Chief of the General Staff:_ LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR A. J. MURRAY.

_Adjutant-General:_ MAJOR-GENERAL SIR C. F. N. MACREADY.

_Quartermaster-General:_ MAJOR-GENERAL SIR W. R. ROBERTSON.

_General Officer Commanding-in-Chief_-- LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR DOUGLAS HAIG.

_General Officer Commanding_--MAJOR-GENERAL S. H. LOMAX.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL F. I. MAXSE. 1st Batt. Coldstream Guards. 1st Batt. R. Highlanders. 1st Batt. Scots Guards. 2nd Batt. R. Munster Fusiliers.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL E. S. BULFIN. 2nd Batt. R. Sussex Regt. 1st Batt. Northampton Regt. 1st Batt. N. Lancs. Regt. 2nd Batt. K. R. Rifle Corps

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL H. J. S. LANDON. 1st Batt. R. W. Surrey Regt. 1st Batt. Gloucester Regt. 1st Batt. S. Wales Borderers. 2nd Batt. Welsh Regt.

CAVALRY (attached) C Squadron 15th Hussars.

ROYAL ENGINEERS 23rd and 26th Field Companies.

ROYAL ARTILLERY R.F.A. Batteries--113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 46, 51, 54; (Howitzer) 30, 40, 57. _Heavy Battery R.G.A._--26. An Ammunition Column and an Ammunition Park.

_General Officer Commanding_--MAJOR-GENERAL C. C. MONRO.

_Brigade-Commander_--GENERAL R. SCOTT-KERR. 2nd Batt. Grenadier Guards 3rd Batt. Coldstream Guards 2nd Batt. Coldstream Guards lst Batt. Irish Guards.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL R. C. B. HAKING.

2nd Batt. Worcester Regt. 2nd Batt. Highland L.I. 2nd Batt. Oxford and Bucks L.I. 2nd Batt. Connaught Rangers

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL R. H. DAVIES. 1st Batt. Liverpool Regt. 1st Batt. R. Berks Regt. 2nd Batt. S. Staffs. Regt. lst Batt. K. R. Rifle

CAVALRY (attached) B Squadron 15th Hussars.

ROYAL ENGINEERS 5th and 11th Field Companies.

_R.F.A. Batteries_--22, 50, 70, 15, 48, 71, 9, 16, 17; (Howitzer) 47, 56, 60. _Heavy Battery R.G.A._--35. An Ammunition Column and an Ammunition Park.

_A Division_ (_Four Brigades_)

General Officer Commanding--MAJOR-GENERAL E. H. H. ALLENBY.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL C. J. BRIGGS.

2nd Dragoon Guards. 5th Dragoon Guards. 11th Hussars.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL H. DE B. DE LISLE.

4th Dragoon Guards. 9th Lancers. 18th Hussars.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL H. DE LA POER GOUGH.

4th Hussars. 5th Lancers. 16th Lancers.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL HON. C. E. BINGHAM.

Household Cavalry (composite Regiment). 6th Dragoon Guards. 3rd Hussars.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL SIR P. W. CHETWODE. 12th Lancers. 20th Hussars. 2nd Dragoons.

ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY _Batteries_ "D," "E," "I," "J," "L."

_General Officer Commanding-in-Chief_-- GENERAL SIR H. L. SMITH-DORRIEN.

_General Officer Commanding_--MAJOR-GENERAL H. I. W. HAMILTON.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL F. W. N. McCRACHEN.

3rd Batt. Worcester Regt. 1st Batt. Wilts Regt. 2nd Batt. S. Lancs. Regt. 2nd Batt. R. Irish Rifles.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL B. J. C. DORAN.

2nd Batt. R. Scots. 4th Batt. Middlesex Regt. 2nd Batt. R. Irish Regt. 1st Batt. Gordon Highlanders.

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL F. C. SHAW. 1st Batt. Northumberland Fusiliers. 1st Batt. Lincolnshire Regt. 1st Batt. R. Scots Fusiliers. 4th Batt. R. Fusiliers.

CAVALRY (attached) A Squadron 15th Hussars.

ROYAL ENGINEERS 56th and 57th Field Companies.

_R.F.A. Batteries_--107, 108, 109, 6, 23, 49, 29, 41, 45; (Howitzer) 128, 129, 130. _Heavy Battery R. G. A._--48. An Ammunition Column and an Ammunition Park.

_General Officer Commanding_--MAJOR-GENERAL SIR C. FERGUSSON.

13th Infantry Brigade

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL G. J. CUTHBERT. 2nd Batt. K. O. Scottish Borderers. 1st Batt. R.W. Kent Regt. 2nd Batt. Yorks L.I. 2nd Batt. W. Riding Regt.

14th Infantry Brigade

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL S. P. ROLT. 2nd Batt. Suffolk Regt. 1st Batt. Duke of Cornwall's L.I. 1st Batt. East Surrey Regt. 2nd Batt. Manchester Regt.

15th Infantry Brigade

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL COUNT A. E. W. GLEICHEN.

1st Batt. Norfolk Regt. 1st Batt. Cheshire Regt. 1st Batt. Bedford Regt. 1st Batt. Dorset Regt.

CAVALRY (attached) A Squadron 19th Hussars.

ROYAL ENGINEERS 17th and 59th Field Companies.

ROYAL ARTILLERY _R.F.A. Batteries_--11, 52, 80, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124; (Howitzer) 37, 61, 65. _Heavy Battery R.G.A._--108. An Ammunition Column and an Ammunition Park.

19th Infantry Brigade

_Brigade Commander_--MAJOR-GENERAL L. G. DRUMMOND. 2nd Batt. R. Welsh Fusiliers. 1st Batt. Middlesex Regt. 1st Batt. Scottish Rifles. 2nd Batt. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Aeroplane Squadrons Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Horsed and Mechanical Transport.

ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS

There came into line at Le Cateau on August 25th the--

_General Officer Commanding_--MAJOR-GENERAL T. D. O. SNOW.

10th Infantry Brigade

Brigade Commander--BRIGADIER-GENERAL J. A. L. HALDANE. 1st Batt. R. Warwickshire Regt. 1st Batt. R. Irish Fusiliers. 2nd Batt. Seaforth Highlanders. 2nd Batt. R. Dublin Fusiliers.

11th Infantry Brigade

_Brigade Commander_--BRIGADIER-GENERAL A. G. HUNTER-WESTON. 1st Batt. Somersetshire L.I. 1st Batt. Hampshire Regt. 1st Batt. E. Lancs. Regt. 1st Batt. Rifle Brigade.

12th Infantry Brigade

Continue Reading →

The author, a major in the Royal Field Artillery who shared in the retreat, dedicates this work to General Sir H. L. Smith-Dorrien, acknowledging the public's fascination with the retreat from Mons. Corbett-Smith admits the story can never be fully told by those who endured it, as the nightmare blurs facts, yet he attempts to capture the big, human side through trivial, homely incidents and stories of noble devotion. The narrative includes a dramatic account of a night attack at Landrecies, where a Coldstream Guards colonel shoots a spy using an electric torch, triggering a German assault. The fighting is described as a series of desperate, scattered engagements by exhausted men, culminating in a successful counterattack that drives the Germans out, leaving nearly 1,000 dead.

The Dedication and the Author's Intent

The book opens with a dedication letter to General Smith-Dorrien, revealing Corbett-Smith's original plan to cover the war from Mons to Ypres. He narrows the focus to the retreat, noting how little the public knows of it and how strongly they respond to the story. The author emphasizes the difficulty of telling the tale accurately, as survivors' memories are distorted by the nightmare. He aims to write of the big, human side, highlighting trivial, homely incidents and acts of chivalry by men like Francis Grenfell and Bradbury. This framing sets the tone for a personal, anecdotal account rather than a strategic analysis.

The Night Battle at Landrecies

The excerpt describes a German night attack on Landrecies, triggered when a Coldstream Guards colonel shoots a spy flashing an electric torch. The attack is likened to a smith's hammer on an anvil, with massed columns pouring into the town. British troops, exhausted and scattered, fight in small groups—three privates and a corporal here, a dozen men and a sergeant there—using only rifle flashes for light. The Guards rally for a supreme effort, breaking the German line and driving them out, leaving close upon 1,000 dead. The author notes that von Kluck staked heavily on this throw, pushing guns to point-blank range, but the British held.

The Human Scale of Combat

Corbett-Smith repeatedly emphasizes the fragmented, desperate nature of the fighting. Men tumbled out of houses in small groups, with no idea of forming ranks. The only light came from rifle flashes. The author uses vivid metaphors: the German column as a great mammoth, the Guards as tigers springing at head and flanks. The narrative stresses the bravery of both sides, but the British are portrayed as fighting for their lives against overwhelming numbers. The account of the night battle at Landrecies illustrates the chaos and heroism of the retreat, with the author's personal perspective as a participant lending authenticity to the description of exhaustion and improvisation.

Readers should approach this account as a participant's attempt to convey the human experience of a harrowing campaign, rather than a comprehensive military history. Corbett-Smith's focus on small incidents and individual acts of courage offers a ground-level view of the retreat, but his acknowledgment of blurred memories invites caution. The dedication and author's note provide context for his perspective, making this a valuable primary source for understanding how soldiers processed and narrated their experiences.

Reading about the quiet acts of devotion during that long retreat, I remembered my grandfather’s map case, worn smooth at the edges. He never spoke of Mons, only of the men who carried each other’s packs. That same weight of shared burden surfaced in The Story of Our Submarines — Background and Themes, where the dark water felt less like an enemy than a held breath between comrades.