The Royal Engineers Journal
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Nieuwpoort, Belgium [email protected]
A Kingdom Saved by the Sea Guido Demerre Nieuwpoort, Belgium [email protected] The Belgian Army had been fighting a defensive war since the German invasion of Belgium on 4 August 1914. In quick succession the fortified position of Liège fell, and the Belgians withdrew to the outer fortifications of Antwerp. As commander in chief of the armed forces, Belgium’s King Albert intended to maintain his nation’s independence during this essentially Franco-Prussian conflict. Bound by a pledge of neutrality, he aimed to expell the Germans without favouring the French; he knew to fear post-war French dominance as much as German victory. Although Article VII of the Treaty of London (1839) promised European aid to protect Belgian neutrality, the king did not know when help would arrive, as the Anglo-French forces had troubles of their own in northern France. To show his support, the king launched 2 sorties from Antwerp,1 which succeeded in diverting 60,000 German soldiers destined for France. Despite the valiant efforts of little Belgium, foreign military assistance was not forthcoming. First Lord of the Admiralty Winston S. Churchill suggested that the Dutch hold the River Scheldt open to allow supplies to reach Antwerp, but the Dutch insisted on maintaining their neutrality. The British, with much more at stake in the defence of Antwerp, began sending guns and ammunition. Unfortunately, German artillery bombardments began in late September. Just as at Liège and Namur, Antwerp’s defences were no match for German guns. The Belgian clearance of the suburbs looked even worse than the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake. -
1 Left Or Right
1 Left or Right “No One Slept throughout the Night” Before the August 1914 start of World War I, the Belgian village of Virton was a thriving administrative and commercial center in Luxembourg Province. A Walloon, or French-speaking, municipality of 3,500 residents, Virton was known for its hilly streets, massive St. Lawrence’s Catholic Church, and remnants of medieval walls. Located just south of the better-known Ardennes region and less than five miles north of the French border, Virton was the principal town of the small Belgian region known as Gaume, which boasted a warmer microclimate than those around it. Gently rolling green hills and lush pockets of forest were peaceful dividers between picturesque ancient towns and villages. When the war came, it did not pass lightly over Virton and the surrounding vil- lages. During the invasion, more than 200 men, women, and children were dragged from their homes and executed in one of the worst massacres of the time. Many houses were partially or completely destroyed. Across Belgium the Germans out- lawed all movement outside a person’s neighborhood without a properly autho- rized Passierschein (safe conduct pass). A constant barrage of affiches commanded Belgians in all matters of life. These placards came from either the local German commander or from Belgium’s German governor general, Baron von Bissing. Any disobedience was met with harsh fines and sometimes imprisonment. Nearly two and a half years of occupation had passed when the stories of the “slave raids” crept into Virton long before the German affiche was posted. -
1815, WW1 and WW2
Episode 2 : 1815, WW1 and WW2 ‘The Cockpit of Europe’ is how Belgium has understatement is an inalienable national often been described - the stage upon which characteristic, and fame is by no means a other competing nations have come to fight reliable measure of bravery. out their differences. A crossroads and Here we look at more than 50 such heroes trading hub falling between power blocks, from Brussels and Wallonia, where the Battle Belgium has been the scene of countless of Waterloo took place, and the scene of colossal clashes - Ramillies, Oudenarde, some of the most bitter fighting in the two Jemappes, Waterloo, Ypres, to name but a World Wars - and of some of Belgium’s most few. Ruled successively by the Romans, heroic acts of resistance. Franks, French, Holy Roman Empire, Burgundians, Spanish, Austrians and Dutch, Waterloo, 1815 the idea of an independent Belgium nation only floated into view in the 18th century. The concept of an independent Belgian nation, in the shape that we know it today, It is easy to forget that Belgian people have had little meaning until the 18th century. been living in these lands all the while. The However, the high-handed rule of the Austrian name goes back at least 2,000 years, when Empire provoked a rebellion called the the Belgae people inspired the name of the Brabant Revolution in 1789–90, in which Roman province Gallia Belgica. Julius Caesar independence was proclaimed. It was brutally was in no doubt about their bravery: ‘Of all crushed, and quickly overtaken by events in these people [the Gauls],’ he wrote, ‘the the wake of the French Revolution of 1789. -
The Flooding Ofthe Yser Plain
The flooding ofthe Yser plain Guido Demerre & Johan Termote The northwesternmost part of Belgium played an important part in the First World War, as it was there, on the plains of the river Yser, that the advance of the German Fourth Army came to a halt. This was thanks to a tried and tested method: flooding or inundation. The flat Flemish polders, situated below sea level at high tide, were ideally suited for such a scheme. It was sufficient to manipulate the Ganzepoot sluice complex at Nieuwpoort, which controlled the inflow of seawater and the drainage ofthe polders in the hinterland. In those dramatic days of October 1914 the flooding of the Yser valley did not go smoothly at all, however. But after the war, these early setbacks were soon forgotten and the actual events were embellished. This inspired many romanticised patriotic stories, reinforced by all sorts of vanity documents written by those involved. What follows is an as objective as possible representation of the facts. Nieuwpoort viewed from the east. Aerial photograph made by a German scout on 19 August 1917. (Bundesarchiv, Koblenzj 1 Sluice at Nieuwendamme creek through which the inundation of Nieuwendamme polder took Water as a means of defence place in the night o f 21 to 22 October 1914 2 Oude Veurnesas sluice, through which the first inundation attempt was made in the night o f 26 Inundation is a means of defence that has to 27 October 1914 been used frequently in the Low Countries 3 Spillway of the Noordvaart canal, through which the flooding was carried out on 29 October at least since the end of the 16th century. -
2021 (67) Aug.Pdf
The Spire Sentinel The Newsletter & Magazine of The Chesterfield Branch of The Western Front Association ISSUE 67 – August 2021 Our aims are 'Remembrance and Sharing the History of the Great War'. - 1 - Issue 67 – list of contents 2 – Contents Page + WFA Webinars 3 –Notes from the Chair + August Speaker 4 Secretary`s Scribbles 5 - 6 Garrison Library 7 Branded Goods 8 – 10 Asquith and Lloyd George 11 – 12 To leave it all behind….. 12 – 18 Chivalry – last Farewell 19 – 29 The Great War and the Fundamental Problem of Breaking Though the Front 30 – 32 Barnsley Pals Colours are Home again ! 33 Yorkshire Trench Appeal August 2021 WFA Webinar (Planned Presentations) WFA ZOOM MEETINGS For August but please keep an eye on the Website and Facebook pages as sometimes there are amendments during the month Follow these links for registering (please note dates and times) 02 AUG 2021 A fine feat of War: The taking of Mont St Quentin 1918 by JulianWhippy http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/events/online-a-fine-feat- of-war-the-taking-of-mont-st-quentin-1918-by-julian-whippy/ 14 AUG 2021 HYBRID ONLINE/LIVE MEETING: The U Boat Campaign and Experiences 1914-18 by Graham Kemp http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/events/hybrid- onlinelive-meeting-the-u-boat-campaign-and-experiences-1914-18-by-graham-kemp/ 16 AUG 2021 The Battle that Saved the BEF: Le Cateau, 26 August 1914 by Dr Spencer Jones http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/events/online-the-battle-that-saved- the-bef-le-cateau-26-august-1914-by-dr-spencer-jones/ 30 AUG 2021 ONLINE: Secrets and Lies: Operation Llandovery Castle. -
The Development of Weaponry During the War Years
THE DEVELOPMENT OF WEAPONRY DURING THE WAR YEARS The Development of Weaponry during the War Years – Contents 1 The Great war arsenal of weapons 3 1.1 Guns and grenades 3 1.2 Heavy artillery 3 1.3 Mines 4 1.4 Gas 4 1.5 Tanks 5 1.6 War in the air 5 2 individuaL stories 6 2.1 Georges Guynemer 6 2.2 Extracts from the letters of Frank Vans Agnew, British soldier 6 2.3 First-hand accounts of tank warfare 7 3 Things to see 8 3.1 Memorial Museum Passchendaele 8 3.2 Guynemer Pavilion 9 3.3 Lange Max Museum 9 3.4 Langemark-Poelcapelle tank memorial 9 4 More information 9 4.1 Websites 10 4.2 Pictures 10 4.3 Interviews 10 4.4 Visit Flanders contacts 11 4.5 Sources 11 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Pagina 2 van 11 In 1914, the technical, technological, and scientific advances of the 19th century were co-opted for military purposes and applied in the pursuit of military strategy. This led to major tactical changes, industrialised the conflict, and profoundly transformed the way war was conducted and combat engaged in. The first major change was in relation to weaponry. The war of position characterised by the trenches froze the front line, with two armies facing each other across no-man’s-land. In this situation, reminiscent of siege warfare, defence was the central focus of the struggle. Artillery came to dominate the battlefields, employed with the aim of punching holes in the enemy lines and saving the lives of one’s own soldiers. -
Tanja Collet
Vossenberg, from Zondereigen to Blenheim and Detroit Tanja Collet 1. Introduction In the fall of 1927, not quite 10 years after the end of the Great War, Father Ladislas Segers left Belgium for Canada to work with Flemish (but also Dutch) immigrants in southwestern Ontario.1 On August 29, 1927, he set sail from Antwerp, accompanied by fellow Capuchin, Father Willibrord Pennincx, and arrived in Blenheim (Ontario), where he was to found the first Canadian settlement of the Belgian province of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (O. F. M. Cap.), on September 17, 1927. Later he would recall his departure for the New World as follows: The waving handkerchiefs on the wharf are now nearly invisible […]. Night falls. On the deck, together with other immigrants, I silently stare at the far- away lights that outline the country, for which we fought so ferociously in hundreds of battles. A painful, lonely dream in the night.2 (Gazette van Detroit, September 6, 1929, 9) Nearly a decade earlier, on August 1, 1914, just days before the German invasion, a mobilised Father Ladislas, then a young seminarist, had, like many other seminarists of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, volunteered for active participation as stretcher-bearer. After the fall of the port city of Antwerp, he was sent to the Yser Front where, from October 1914 until Armistice Day 1918, he had the grim task of clearing the wounded piotten (‘soldiers’) from the battlefield, without the protection of a weapon, all the while braving enemy bullets and shell 1 This is the text of a presentation delivered to the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Netherlandic Studies/Association canadienne pour l’avancement des études néerlandaises (CAANS-ACAÉN) held at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 1-2, 2019. -
La Grande Guerre De 1914-1918
RADIOLOGY IN A TRENCH COAT A TRENCH IN RADIOLOGY René Van Tiggelen - Translated by Jan Dirckx A year from now we commemorate the centenary of The Great War, gone RADIOLOGY down in history as the fi rst industrial war, a brutal slaughter on a scale never experienced before. NEW EDITION In Flanders' Fields and on the French and German front lines an adolescent FULLY REVISED medical discipline, barely nineteen years old, reaches full adulthood: and EXPANDED IN A TRENCH COAT RADIOLOGY. This diagnostic specialty's unique signifi cance is recognized by all other medical specialties from the fi rst days of its existence. The circumstances of the war propel radiology's development in ultra-fast- forward. In addition to the diagnosis of fracture and disease, the localization MILITARY RADIOLOGY ON THE WESTERN FRONT of projectiles is its outstanding priority. Antibiotics are not yet in existence; thus the immediate removal of a foreign body is extremely critical since DURING THE GREAT WAR preventing infection is practically the sole guarantee for the healing, if not the survival of the wounded soldier. Amidst the desperation of a stalemate in the war the pioneer-radiologists labor like true heroes and fi ght their way to their patients' salvation, often at the peril of their own health. The “ray of X” becomes a ray of hope. We also remember that radiologists and their assistants are amongst the fi rst THE ON MILITARY WESTERN FRONT RADIOLOGY DURING THE GREAT WAR “nuclear victims” due to the radiation exposure during their work. Despite (or thanks to?) this chaotic theatre, radiology takes a big leap forward. -
The First World War Commemorations in the Brussels-Capital Region 2014-18Brussels.Be
The First World War commemorations in the Brussels-Capital Region 2014-18brussels.be 1 Brussels and the First World War During the First World War, Brussels was the sole European capital that was made to endure the long years of the occupation. Unlike other parts of the country, Brussels did not suffer any major battles or ravages. But that did not make the impact of the war any less on the Brussels residents: the rationing and the goods and properties that were commandee- red made their mark on people’s everyday lives. Ci- tizens got involved in the war effort, by tending to the wounded, but some also took up arms against the occupier by joining the resistance. As such, some of these men and women went down in history as he- roes. With the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the ca- pital of Brussels is the only location where national homage is paid to the victims of the First World War. It is important that we keep alive the memory of what the war entailed: how was life in a town under mili- tary occupation and what kind of impact did the war have on society in the early part of the 20th century? The commemorations of the First World War in the Brussels Capital Region are a good opportunity to draw attention to the timeless nature of values such as free- dom, solidarity, social cohesion, fatherland, indepen- dence and democracy, which were central to this first worldwide conflict. This is why the Great War should forever remain a foundation of tomorrow’s democracy. -
The Flanders Fields Post the Flanders Fields
Tuesday 4 August 1914 THE FLANDERS FIELDS POST THE FLANDERS FIELDS EXTRA SPECIAL EDITION POST14-18 WWI BROKE OUT! Who would have thought that a murder in Sarajevo would turn into a worldwide conflict, involving dozens of countries? The war to end all wars, was supposed to be over by Christmas 1914. Yet four years and millions of casualties later, the world looked back in horror. Home by Christmas n hindsight it seems improbable but, at the actual onset of the war in August 1914, both allies and central states were convinced that they would fight a short war battle - just a quick confrontation to straighten out matters, settle accounts and then go back home to celebrate Christmas. The men who went to the front, whistling, believed it and said to their wives, I’ll be home by Christmas! They would Isoon find out how wrong they were. Did each party have its justifications for going to war at the start? As the war went on, the initial reasons for being involved seemed to become less clear. The great powers battled it out to see who would be left standing at the end. In his book ‘The War that will end War’ (1914), H.G. Wells says, “This is already the How did it all start? The murder of Austro-Hungarian vastest war in history. It is war not of nations but of mankind. It is a war to exorcise a world-madness and Archduke Franz-Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo by Serbian end an age.” nationalist Gavrilo Princip was the spark that triggered it all. -
Brian GH Ditcham on the Rape of Belgium: the Untold Story of World War I
Larry Zuckerman. The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War I. New York: New York University Press, 2004. xi + 337 pp. $29.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-8147-9704-4. Reviewed by Brian G.H. Ditcham Published on H-War (December, 2004) "Plucky Little Belgium" Revisited contemporary participation of British forces in Within the last decade or so, the historiogra‐ the recent Iraq war has been. As Zuckerman ex‐ phy of World War I has begun to examine the fate plains, however, Belgium was in an anomalous of the substantial populations who found them‐ situation. Obliged by international law to be neu‐ selves under enemy occupation. It has also begun tral, it was unable to make any plans for coordi‐ to re-examine the whole issue of "Hunnish beastli‐ nating its defenses with any of the guaranteeing ness," long dismissed in intellectual circles as a Powers should that neutrality be breached. Fur‐ rather embarrassing bit of wartime propaganda. thermore, Belgian governments had kept defense The recent work of John Horne and Alan Kramer spending low. War planners in Berlin were in‐ has shown that conclusion to be wrong, however. creasingly inclined to view Belgian neutrality-- German forces in France and Belgium did commit and ultimately Belgium itself--as a nuisance, but deeds, during the autumn of 1914, which now one which was unlikely to prove a major hin‐ would be labeled war crimes, and successive post- drance to their plans if they invaded. This was a war German governments (with the effective massive miscalculation. complicity of many in the intellectual and political Zuckerman follows the course of the fghting elites of the Allied powers) systematically lied and in Belgium during August and September 1914 in obscured this fact.[1] Larry Zuckerman's book some detail. -
Belgian Laces
Belgian Laces “Diederik van Elzas, Count of Flanders” carrying the H. Blood Relic in the Holy Blood Procession in Brugge Volume 20#75 June 1998 BELGIAN LACES ISSN 1046-0462 Official Quarterly Bulletin of THE BELGIAN RESEARCHERS Belgian American Heritage Association Founded in 1976 Our principal objective is: Keep the Belgian Heritage alive in our hearts and in the hearts of our posterity President Pierre Inghels Vice-President Micheline Gaudette Assistant VP Leen Inghels Newsletter editor Leen Inghels Treasurer Marlena Bellavia Secretary Patricia Robinson All subscriptions are for the calendar year. New subscribers receive the four issues of the current year, regardless when paid. Opinions expressed in Belgian Laces are not necessarily those of The Belgian Researchers or of the staff. TABLE OF CONTENTS Tchantches, Donald BARBEZAT 2 Belgian-American Heritage Society of WV, Vickie ZABEAU-BOWDEN 2 DEBISSCHOP Family Reunion, Howard DeBISSCHOP 2 Processions and Pilgrimages, Leen INGHELS 3 L'Homme de Porquerolles, Micheline GAUDETTE 7 Belgian Residents in New Orleans, LA, Howard THOMAS 9 Wisconsin Corner, Mary Ann Defnet, 11 The Titanic Revisited, Pierre INGHELS 13 Northwest news, Leen INGHELS 14 Belgian Embassy News 15 In Search of Constant FORTEMPS, subm by Regine BRINDLE 17 The made America, transl. Pierre INGHELS 20 Grandma and the Family Tree, subm by Regine BRINDLE 21 Emigrants from Florenville and Herbeumont, Micheline GAUDETTE 22 Dear Members, SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!! the spring bulbs are blooming, even here with our 3500’ elevation, and the late spring snowstorms have not been able to discourage the flowers nor the birds, that both display their beautitul spring colors! The Belgian Embassy in Washington, DC sent us valuable information for all of you who will be traveling to Belgium this summer.