1914_0823_02s: First Clash at Mons - FWWC 01 France '14

Mons, Belgium, 23rd August 1914: On the morning of August 23rd, the first shots between the BEF and the German Army were fired in a skirmish between cavalry near Mons. German cavalry was probing ahead of the 1.Armee and shortly afterwards German infantry surged forwards in dense waves. The 4/Royal Fusiliers and 4/Middlesex held bridges near Vimy and Obourg until they were completely overwhelmed. Wave after wave of German soldiers in dense Napoleonic style formations came at them and each, in turn, was shot down by superior British marksmanship. This was to be the site where the first two Victoria Crosses of the Great War were given to the defenders at Nimy. There Lt. Maurice Dease manned a machine gun and single handedly held off the Germans whilst the 4/Middlesex withdrew. Dease held the enemy at bay until his death at which point Pvt. Sidney Godley took over his post and manned the gun until he was incapacitated. As a last act of defiance Godley managed to throw the machine gun into the canal before he was captured. This first clash at Mons would demonstrate to the Germans that the BEF was going to be a tough and determined adversary. [Size: small] *See the notes document for information on scenario design decisions and historical notes.