British and Belgian soldiers retreating from the defense of Antwerp. The Belgian Army and the British forces that had come to defend the city evacuated on October 7 and 8, 1914.
Cliché Chasseau-Flaviens1914.. Blessés Anglais à la défense d'Anvers1914.. English wounded from Attwerp's defense16me Série16th SeriesLogo: ELD
"At Moerbeke-Waes we saw a train full of wounded soldiers and refugees of all ages and conditions. They were everywhere — on the roofs of the carriages, on the engine, on the tender. Despite my wounds, I preferred to continue on foot.I learned later that this train was attacked; a British battalion, which had already distinguished itself at Lierre, was in this engagement, and behaved heroically.On the 9th, about 5 o'clock in the evening, we finally reached Ghent, where we were able to rest in the house of some friends. I was covered with mud and blood, and exhausted after this march of 34 miles."
Excerpt from a description of the defense and fall of Antwerp, Belgium by Commandant de Gerlache de Gommery. The Belgian King, Government, and Army retreated to the fortified city after German forces reduced the country's other fortresses. During the Battle of the Marne and the German retreat to the Aisne River, the Belgians had sortied from the city to harry German troops, tying them down. At the end of September, 1914, as the Allies and Germans tried to outflank each other during the Race to the Sea, the Germans began besieging the city, using heavy howitzers starting on September 28. The Belgian Army and the British forces that had come to defend the city evacuated on October 7 and 8, 1914.
The Great Events of the Great War in Seven Volumes by Charles F. Horne, Vol. II, 1914, p. 308, copyright © 1920 by The National Alumnia, publisher: The National Alumni, publication date: 1920
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