112 AWARDED FOR VALOUR
and the long retreat from Mons was a different arena for the British regular,
but the heroism displayed had direct counterparts in the imperial campaigns
of the previous century.
The initial German assault on Mons consisted of five divisions attacking
the British II Corps of two divisions commanded by Lieutenant General
Horace Smith-Dorrien, an old India hand. The German attack must have
seemed quite familiar to him; they advanced in tight ranks across open
ground, as ignorant of the effect of concentrated firepower as any tribesman
he had faced on the Northwest Frontier. Von Kluck’s men suffered heavy
casualties and the first assault was thrown back. They regrouped and a more
extended order of attack advanced on the British line a half-hour later. This
probe managed to find and dislodge the exposed flank of the British 3rd
Division and turn the previously defensible perimeter of the British force
into a dangerous salient.^8
Despite the tremendous casualties inflicted by the defenders, the sheer
weight of numbers worked against them; what had initially resembled
Omdurman was rapidly turning into something more akin to Isandlwana.
The point companies holding the bridge approaches suffered what for this
early stage of the war were heavy losses, but still managed to hold on. There
at the Nimy Bridge Lieutenant Maurice Dease, machine gun officer of the
Royal Fusiliers, won the first Great War Victoria Cross. ‘The gun fire was
intense, and the casualties very heavy, but the lieutenant went on firing
despite his wounds, until he was hit the fifth time and was carried away to
a place of safety where he died.’^9 The second VC followed in short order,
as Private Sidney Frank Godley took Dease’s place at the gun and kept it
firing until the position was overrun. In a final gesture of defiance, Godley
smashed the firing mechanism and tipped the gun into the canal just before
retiring:^10
We carried on until towards evening when the order was given for the
line to retire. I was asked by Lieut. Steele to remain and hold the position
while the retirement took place, which I did do, although I was very badly
wounded several times, but I managed to carry on. I was on my own at
the latter end of the action. Of course, Lieut. Dease lay dead by the side
of me, and Lieut. Steele, he retired with his platoon. I remained on the
bridge and held the position, but when it was time for me to get away
I smashed the machine gun up, threw it in the Canal, and then crawled
back on the main road where I was picked up by a couple of Belgian
civilians and was then taken to hospital in MonsI was being attended
by the doctorswhen the Germans came in and took the hospital.^11
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