Mons
23rd-24th August 1914
WW1 - Battle of Mons
The opening shots of the war on the Western Front for the British Army, the men of the British regular army – the Old Contemptibles – fought here on the 23rd-24th August 1914.
The Facts
- Date: 23 August 1914
- Location: Mons, Belgium
| Countries Involved | |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | German Empire |
| Countries Commanders | |
| Sir John French Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien |
Alexander von Kluck |
| Army size | |
| Over 80,000 | 160,000 |
| Number of Casualties | |
| Over 1600 | Approx 2000 |
Battle result: German Empire Victory
At Nimy Bridge, Lieutenant Maurice Dease and Pte Sid Godley of the Royal Fusiliers became the first men to be awarded the Victoria Cross in WW1, and to the west of Mons on 24th August the 4th Dragoon Guards and 9th Lancers charged the German positions at Audregnies. Mons was a battle won, but it could not be held so the famous Retreat From Mons began which took the Old Contemptibles over two hundred miles to the Marne, near Paris.
Nimy Bridge
Lieutenant Maurice Dease
Pte Sid Godley
