The Old Contemptables

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When Britain declared war on 4/8/14, plans were in place for a Expaditonary force to go onto the French left flank, on the Belguim border, British Expaditionary Force <BEF>. There have been many thearies were the term had come from, but it was supposed to have been the Kaiser, on hearing that the british had landed said "That contemptable little army" and so the original BEF, which by tthe end of november 1914 would be vertualy wiped out, have always been knowen as "The Old Contemptables" and they wore there very own medal. The Mons Star as it has become to be known. Which is the 1914 Star with clasp which bears the date 4/8/14-24/11/14, which means that all those who came into the range of German field artillary were intiteled to it. (If you come across one gaurd it, as it was earned with blood and guts) there were a few exceptions. I will post a few URLs when I look them up.
By the 14/8/14 the BEF, were in France and began to move towards Mons, 120.000 strong, 4 infantry Div 1 cavalary, in 2 Corps 1 (Haig) + 2(Smith Dorean), that is 80,000 out of that figure as fighting men.
The British Army at this time operated the regimental, divided into battalions, which normaly consisted of 2 regular battalions, (in the big inner citys with big catchment areas some reginments had more regular batt) Using my old Regiment The Welch regiment (www.regiments.org) as a guide. The 1st batt was in Chakrata India, the 2nd which was used as a feeder to the first was in bordon, UK , this battalion was about 40% strenth, with new recrutes who would be sent to the first and old soldiers who were near completion of service, they then had a special reserve battalion, which were men who had come out of the army and could be recalled up to 8 years after leaving the army and the terrortorial (part time) batt. So untill all the Reg Batts could be brought back from the 4 corners of the globe, the BEF was made up of over 60% of reservists, many who had been out of the army for many years, and in the next 3 weeks they would march 100s of miles, many of them in a fighting retreat., So on the 23rd Aug, they took up postions in a little industrial town called mons along its canal, little realising the french were in full retreat, and were 8 miles behind them on there right flank and was wide open, and to there left a french cavalary brigade that was out patrolling, and more importante, that the German 2nd Army was coming straight at them (the Germans did'nt know the BEF were there ether), as sunday morning broke 24th, and the Belguins started to go to church bemused to find soldiers digging in there gardens, and whos world was about to be turned upside down. The Old Contemptables were about to book there place in history with pride!!!

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von Klucks troops were moving fast, they were close to the end of the swinging door (the schlieffen plan), which was to pass west of paris and then attack the french army in the rear, they had marched140 miles in 11 days, and on the morning of 23rd Aug they were approaching the mons-conde canel, just after first light the german cavalary were tapping on the forward 11 corps posions that had been pushed out east of the canal, both sides still did not have a clue of what was in front of them. at 1030hrs IX corp german artillary opened up in the area of Obourg, and together with the III corp artillary quickly dominated the british line through Nimy along the canel towards Jemappes in the west, at 1100hrs a massed infantry attack was made towards the bridges at Nimey, held by the 4th royal fusiliers and at Oberg held by the diehards 4th middlesex. At this time the british army was the only fully proffesional army in the field, both germany and france used mass conscription. The Tommys were use to making 18 aimed shots a minute with there SMLE (short magazine lee enfield(i got 1 of them:) ) fritz advanced in tight packed masses, shoulder to shoulder at the trot, with there rifles held low in one hand, this was the last time the german army carried there colours into battle, they were massacerd in there 1000 s , T ommy didnt even have to aim! but the attacks continued and a flanking movement by the Ger 17th Div to the south, and a crossing at a undefended spot east of Obourg forced a british withdrawel to begin at around 1300hrs, to prepared positions in and around the town of mons. The british tryed to blo all the bridges, some failed and some still inabled infantry to get across, some extraordinary storys of reargaurd engagements took place at these bridges and at the train station at Oberg, and the first victoria crosses were awarded most postumosly. to the west the Ger made mulitiple crossings and by mid-afternoon another major attack developed, forcing the whole britishline to with dray. It was the begining of "The Retreat from Mons" As night fell, german bugles sounded all along the line, telling there troops to stop fighting and return to camp, a moment from the past and not heared again. The german commanders were shocked at there devistated div and regiments, and claimed the british had machine guns every where, they did not, the british high command at this time thought the machine gun over rated, and allotted only 2 to each batt, to the german 7 (the germans unlike the british used the regiment, and not batt), in the ger history it states, over everything were the british were dug in, there hung a cloud, close to the ground on the rocks and walls, like what you get from a machine gun position that has been using a rapid fire over a lond period, but it was Tommy and his SMLE that tore the germans apart, and this was only the begining

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By the end of the day as the british began there long retreat the germans returned to there camps. the british II Corp had born the brunt of the fighting 1200 killed, to 70 of the I corp, Smith Doreean, the CO of II corp had saw his frontline on the canal was not a good one and had prepared a line to the west of mons, and as his men fell back, first in the town house to house fighting, then to this prepared line they had been able to stop the german advance, for the day, now strung out coverd by the ranging calvary the began the long retreat to the Marne which would take just over 2 weeks of hard marching and fighting, the legend of the Old Contemptables was created.

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www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/1914star.htm

and this is a very good one the Long Long Trail
1914-1918.net/index.htm

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In the early hours of the 23-24 Aug the retreat began, the BEF began to fall back south pursued by Von Klucks Army. There are many fantastic storeys of stands engagements and reargaurd actions, L battery at nery, the Gaurds at mormel, I corp at larmorges, but one stands out, Genral ship at it highest standerd.

After 3 days of confusion Smith Dorriens tired II corp were just west of Le Cateau, and at 300Hrs on the morn of the 26th, with the last of his tired and wornout battalions coming into camp, with the germans close behind he made a desision to stand and fight!
Genaral Allenby (cavalry) arives at Smith Doreins HQ and states, the High ground I planned to hold to cover your retreat has been taken by the enemy!, I cannot Genaral french and in my opinion the Germans will attack you at first light, I also cannot contact GHQ which has moved to St Quinton. Dorriens calls in his div commanders, and hears many men are separated from there units, and many are to tired to move in the morning.
smith Dorrien decided to disobey his orders, and told his men, deploy your men we stand and fight.

Shortly after dawn the left hand column of the ger III corp enterd le cateau and came up against elements of 5th Div, The Duke cornwalls light infantry (my grand mothers brothers regiment) and the east surrys, after a short fight in the town the british withdrew to the high ground behind the town, realising the british ment to stand and fight Kluck did what dorrien hoped he would do, deployed his army!! In doing this in the late afternoon after bitter fighting II corp where able to conduct a fighting retreat, which because of the deployment of the germans they were unable to follow them up. This battle is well worth looking up, espec if you are interested in artillary, this was one of the last occcasions when the field arttilary galloped up into the infantry lines. and unlimbered in full view of the attacking germans and opened up over open sights. I will look up the url when I get back, been away a lot lately, off again 1600hrs today.

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On the 3rd of September the BEF crossed the Marne, and the retreat ended on the 5th, S/E of paris Melun, after 200 miles, there left flank now protected by Paris, and there right by the retreating french. It was now clear what the Germans intended to do, Von Kluks 1st army was to go west of paris, then South then the allied armys would be surrounded. The french had suffered terrable loss'es, the plan 17, La outrage, was based on no defending force could withstand a massed determined bayonet charge, and the french infantry, in the uniforms from a long gone age, bright red caps and trousers and bright blue jackets, with there officers with bright white gloves which said "here I am" where mown down in there thousands, but as they retreared there resistance stiffend as the nearer to paris they got, this caused an alarming gap of 40miles to appear between there 1st and Bulows 2nd armys, Bulow called on Von Kluck for help, and 1st Army turned South in front of Paris, leaving there right flank open facing paris, as the reports came in that this was happing the french acted quickly, the Paris garrison, pouring out of paris in Taxis, and reinforcements joining the french 6th Army was created, and this smashed into this exposed Flank, at the same moment the BEF stormed into the Gap, and the French attacked to the south, now the boot was on the other foot. The 1st battle of the Marne began. It has been said that as soon as the German 1st army turned in front of paris instead of sticking strictly to the Shleifen plan, that is the moment that Germany lost the war!! But what ever, they were in big trouble, and a genral retreat all along the front was sounded, as the allies advanced they entered villages full of drunk asleep german troops, who had looted the villages, but the allies were not robust enough and the germans were able to dig in on the high ground on the east of the Aisne, and the trenches started here. The battle of the Aisne took place now, but stalemate was the outcome as the Allies also dug in, and the so called race to the sea began. on the1/2 of October under great secret'cy the BEF headed north, and the Immortal Saliant was about to be born.