In April, my husband Tony and I made a pilgrimage to the Belgian cities of Mons and Ypres, sites of significant battles of World War I. Our interest in these sites is two-fold. First, my great-uncle Henry served in France and Belgium during World War I. I’ve written previously about his service, in Henry’s World War I postcards to Flora. Second, in 1915, my great-grandparents chose “Mons” as the name of their rural property at Rannes, Central Queensland.

A tale of two cities

Mons, current population approximately 91,300, is the capital of Hainaut province in Belgium’s Wallonia Region. It is located near the central western border between Belgium and France. The city’s official language is French. At the Battle of Mons, on 23-24 August 1914, British and German troops faced each other for the first time during World War I (“The First”). In 1914, the city of Mons fell to the German Army and remained under German occupation for the duration of the war. Troops of the 3^rd Canadian Division liberated the city on the last day of the war, 11 November 1918 (“The Last”).

Just 6 kilometres from Mons is the remarkable Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery. The cemetery is special for two reasons. One, the graves of the first and last British soldiers to die in battle during World War I are there. Two, it contains the graves of both German and British soldiers who died in the Battle of Mons (1914).

Ieper (or “Ypres”) is a city in Belgium’s West Flanders province, close to the French border. The population of Ieper and surrounding villages today is approximately 35,000. The official language is Flemish (Ieper, spelt with a capital “i”, is the city’s name in Flemish). The city is still widely known in English by its French name “Ypres”. Interestingly, both names are often used and seen on signage because of the area’s history and proximity to the French border.

Ypres was a symbol of Allied resistance throughout the war.  Except for a brief occupation by the Germans in 1914, it stood defiant. The Ypres Salient was one of the deadliest battlefields of World War I. The “salient” refers to a protruding territorial bulge of the British front line into German-held territory. By the end of the war, after years of German artillery fire, the beautiful Gothic city of Ypres lay in ruins.  

Ypres today is the site of the In Flanders Fields Museum and two great memorials to the fallen of World War I. One is the Menin Gate Memorial. The other is St George’s Memorial Church.

Tyne Cot Cemetery, the world’s largest Commonwealth war cemetery, is located about 10 kilometres northeast of Ieper town centre. It contains the graves of 11,965 British and Commonwealth soldiers, including 1353 Australians, who fought and died there in World War I.

About World War I

World War I (“The Great War”) ranks as one of the deadliest conflicts of human history. Millions of people, soldiers and civilians alike, died or were injured. The total number of deaths is not known but is estimated to be between 15 and 19 million. Around 23 million military personnel were wounded. [1]

Australia’s contribution to World War I was significant and costly in human terms. At a time when our population totalled 4.9 million, 416,809 men enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) after it formed on 15 August 1914. This figure represented 38.7% of the male population aged 18 to 44. Of these willing volunteers, more than 60,000 died and 156,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner. [2]

No conflict since has engaged such a large proportion of the Australian population, incurred such heavy losses or had such a lasting impact on its citizens. [3]

The City of Mons

Tony and I travelled to Mons from Amsterdam, via Brussels, by train. We arrived at the Mons railway station (Gare de Mons) around midday on Tuesday 22 April.

Mons, we discovered, is a city that embraces the new and the old. Take the Mons railway station, for example. It is an architectural marvel, an awe-inspiring “space-age” construction of concrete, steel and glass. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava came up with the design. It features large steel and glass canopies, a skylit central gallery with shops and restaurants, a large footbridge, staircase and escalators. The complex is a hub connecting various modes of transport, with direct access to the bus station, parking and taxi services. 

I’ve since learnt that construction of this railway station, the city’s fourth, commenced in 2001. It opened to the public in December 2024 and was officially opened on 31 January 2025. It is instructional to compare the new railway station with that depicted in the following photograph taken in 1919. The photograph shows the city’s second station building (1874-1952), which was severely damaged by bombing in World War II. After the war, the city demolished the building and replaced it with a third more modern one.

We had plenty of time to spare, so Tony suggested we walk to our hotel. He did so, despite knowing we had immediate access to taxi services. Reluctantly I agreed. According to our Google map, the hotel was within easy walking distance of the railway station. But we soon learnt otherwise.

Once we crossed the main road in front of the railway station, we entered the “old town”. Here we encountered its uneven cobblestone streets and footpaths, and narrow streets. With our suitcases bumping noisily behind us, we began a very slow route march, onwards and upwards, towards our hotel. We coped by taking several rest stops along the way. Needless to say, we felt thoroughly exhausted and frustrated by the time we reached our destination.

We stayed at Apart-Hotel Saint Georges, 32 Place du Parc, about 5 minutes’ walk from the historic Grand-Place. The Grand-Place is a huge cobblestone square in the heart of the city. Hotels and cafes, and buildings in a mix of architectural styles, line the square. The grand Gothic-style Town Hall stands prominently on the northern side of the square, and is central to it. In contrast to the 21^st century Mons railway station, the Town Hall dates from the 15^th century. It was built between 1458 and 1477. The city added the bell tower in 1717-1718.  

Significant nearby sites

Next door to our hotel, at 34 Place du Parc, we discovered the building that housed the Headquarters of the 3^rd Canadian Division from 1918. Under the command of Major General Frederick Loomis, CMG DSO, the Canadians took over the building after they liberated Mons on 11 November 1918. A plaque on the building testifies to this. The Black Watch of Canada, a reserve infantry regiment, presented the plaque to the City of Mons on 11 November 2018 to mark the 100^th Anniversary of the Canadian liberation of Mons.

At the end of our street and across a busy road, we encountered a small but picturesque leafy city park, the Place du Parc. Here we found the city’s “Monument to the Dead of the Place du Parc”. It is the work of Belgian sculptor Leon Gobert and architect Edmond Bertiaux of Mons. The central 2.3 metre high bronze figure symbolizes victory and glory.

The city fathers built the monument after World War I to honour 133 soldiers and 30 civilian victims from Mons who died defending their nation and whose names were engraved on the stone. These names represent only a fraction of the military and civilian victims of the Mons region in World War I. After World War II they added the names of the victims of this conflict to the monument.

Having only two days to find out first-hand about the part Mons played during World War I, Tony and I chose to visit just two sites of significance in and around Mons. One, the Mons Memorial Museum. Two, the Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery.

Mons Memorial Museum

The Mons Memorial Museum is located in the city’s former water pumping station. The museum opened in 2015 after the original 1871 building had been modernised and extended. It provides a good example of the old aesthetically repurposed as new.

The museum is aptly named. It’s a place of sombre remembrance. It represents the military history of a region steeped in memory and scarred by two world wars. By use of testimonies and interactive displays, the museum aims to immerse visitors in the experiences of the soldiers and civilians who lived through the tragic events of World War I and World War II.

The museum boasts a permanent collection of 5000 items. World War I is the source of a large proportion of these items. After all, Mons played a central role in the conflict, both as a combat zone and occupied territory. The German Army took over the city of Mons for the duration of the war, subjecting the people of Mons to four years of occupation and suffering.

After World War I, veterans donated personal items to the city of Mons. Many of these items are on display. Other historical items in the collection came from the region’s towns and villages, and the battlefields. They include items that belonged to the Germans as well as British and Canadian soldiers.

WWI battles: The First & The Last

Mons is the site of “The First” and one of “The Last” encounters between the German Army and British and Allied forces during World War I. At the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914 the British (British Expeditionary Force, BEF) fought against the Germans for the first time.

Neither side was prepared for the battle that ensued, on a battlefield described as the worst that can be imagined. Both sides experienced heavy losses. On the British side, losses amounted to approximately 4,200 (dead, wounded, missing, taken prisoner). On the German side, losses totalled as many as 7,500 (dead, wounded, missing).

At the time, reports about the Battle of Mons and Britain’s role in it flooded the Australian newspapers. As an example, I’m including the following extract from an article published in The Sydney Morning Herald on 1 September 1914. [4]

The “Times” correspondent, telegraphing from Amiens, states that the British troops who were in action at Mons on Sunday last had a terrible experience. A whole division was flung into the fight after a long march without sufficient time to entrench. French supports, which were expected on the immediate right, failed to arrive. …

The Germans did not give the retreating army a moment’s rest. They were relentless and unresting. Aeroplanes, a Zeppelin, armed motors, and cavalry harassed the retiring columns. …

The British army fought desperately with many fine stands, but were continually forced back by the massed number of Germans. The enemy were prepared to lose three or four men for every British life. In scattered units, with the enemy ever on their heels, the Fourth division – all that was left of 20,000 troops – streamed southwards. “Our losses were very heavy,” says the writer. “I have seen broken bits of regiments, but there was no failure of discipline, no panic, and no throwing up of the sponge. The men were battered by marching but were steady and cheerful.”

A second “Battle of Mons” took place on 11 November 1918 when troops of the Canadian 3^rd Division liberated Mons from the Germans. The Liberation of Mons came at the end of the Hundred Days Offensive (from 8 August to 11 November 1918), a series of massive Allied offensives that led to the end of World War I. Sadly, Canadian troops paid a heavy price for their participation in the offensive: 45,000 casualties (dead, wounded and missing).

Mons under German Army occupation

A number of exhibits in the Mons Memorial Museum aim to show visitors how four years of German Army occupation (1914-1918) affected the civilians of Mons.

The Imperial German flag flew above the city. The German Army took over many public and private buildings for its administration and staff. It set up supply depots, censorship offices, military courts, communication offices, officers’ mess, military police, brothels, hospitals and other institutions in the city. The occupation changed every aspect of city life. Belgian traders even had to accept German currency.

The German authorities increasingly dictated the daily lives of the occupied population. They introduced curfews and rationing. Each day brought its share of posters announcing requisitions, regulations or prohibitions. And woe to those who did not comply. Offenders faced heavy fines or prison sentences if caught by the German military police, secret police, territorial troops, even the Belgian police.

The “Angels of Mons”

At the time of our visit to the Mons Memorial Museum, we were among the last visitors to view a special exhibition entitled The Angels of Mons. Beliefs and Apparitions in 14-18. The exhibition, from 6 July 2024 to 11 May 2025, formed part of the commemorations of the 110^th anniversary of the Battle of Mons (23-24 August,1914).

The exhibition explored one of the most sensational stories of World War I – the alleged appearance of the “Angels of Mons”. It aimed to help visitors understand the popularity of the legend by examining the phenomenon of miracles and apparitions that occurred during the war. Why angels? And why, in the unique context of war, did people need to believe – in God, in the supernatural?

Just like the Battle of Mons, the Australian media of the day gave a lot of publicity to the story of the “Angels of Mons”. Here is an example. It’s an extract from an article that appeared in The Argus (Melbourne), on 9 October 1915. [5]

Mr Arthur Machen, a journalist of the florid school, has afforded the country an illustration of the marvellous growth of a baseless superstition (writes our London correspondent).

Some months ago, Mr Machen penned an interesting chapter of fiction on the British retreat from Mons. He introduced into his story a powerful description of a vision of angels clad as bowmen on horseback who intervened between pursuers and pursued, threw the German cavalry into disorder and permitted the British to escape.

It was a good story and when men like the Rev Dr Holton and preachers of smaller weight made the incident a pulpit subject hundreds of people were disposed to sink their incredulity. They had some justification for their belief when news went round that several persons had actually seen the vision. This week there have been two or three such confirmations, one from a colonel, who was said to have “seen it himself”. But the colonel’s record is really not first hand. …

In this instance Mr Madden makes no claim that his story is anything more than fiction, but the ball goes on rolling, and Mr Machen’s volume of writings obtains a daily advertisement.

Mons, our second day

On our second day at Mons, it rained. The rain didn’t bother us too much to begin with, as we spent the morning indoors, at the Mons Memorial Museum, examining the vast number of items on display.

In the afternoon, we visited the Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery. On the advice of the friendly museum staff, and with their assistance, we hired a taxi to take us to and from the cemetery. We didn’t have a car, there was no public transport available and we didn’t speak the language (French), so we were really grateful for their help.

It was windy and still raining lightly when we arrived at the cemetery, which made things rather difficult. For the first 20 minutes or so I battled the wind and rain, trying to take photographs and, at the same time, keep my Canon digital camera (and my clothes) dry. The ground, although well grassed, was soggy under foot. By the end of our visit, my leather boots were soaked through and I had very wet feet.

Eventually the rain stopped, and the sun peeped through the clouds. After that, Tony and I spent an hour or so wandering through the cemetery, reading the inscriptions on the gravestones, and appreciating the natural beauty and tranquility of this sacred space. It was a deeply moving experience.

Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery

The Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery is located in a secluded spot in the countryside, about 6 kilometres drive from Mons. Maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), visitors rate it as one of Belgium’s most magnificent cemeteries.

The cemetery is a UNESCO world heritage site, one of a group of 139 World War I funerary and memory sites across the Western Front. It is unique in that it was created by the German Army and contains the graves of German, British and Canadian soldiers. It’s a powerful symbol of peace and reconciliation, as it contains the graves of those on both sides who died in the first battle and the last days of the war.

The cemetery holds the graves of 284 German and 229 Commonwealth servicemen of World War I, 105 of whom remain unidentified. 

The occupying German Army established the cemetery in 1916-1917. A renowned naturalist and local landowner, Jean Houzeau de Lehaie, gifted the site, a former quarry and mining dump, to the Germans. In gifting the land, he made one demand. The German authorities had to treat the dead of both sides equally, with respect.

Thus, the Germans exhumed and reinterred the bodies of the German and British soldiers who died in the Battle of Mons and who had been buried in fields, churchyards and civilian cemeteries in Mons and surrounding villages.

The cemetery’s designer, a Captain Bäumer, arranged the German and British graves according to the soldiers’ military units in thirteen plots, separated visually and physically by thickly planted trees and shrubs. This layout, which resembled a forest with clearings, was popular in Germany at the time.

Near the entrance to the cemetery, at its highest point, the Germans installed a seven-metre (23 feet) high bluestone obelisk commemorating the fallen of both sides. The inscription on the obelisk reads:“Zum Gedächtnis der am 23. und 24. August 1914 in den Kämpfen bei Mons gefallenen deutschen und englischen Soldaten.“ In English, this translates to: “In memory of the German and English soldiers who fell in the actions near Mons on the 23^rd  and 24^th August 1914.”

The Germans authorities inaugurated the cemetery on 6 September 1917 with a ceremony attended by local dignitaries and senior German army commanders and regimental representatives.  

After the Armistice, the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the CWGC) took over maintenance of the cemetery. In 1930, after gaining full control of the cemetery, the commission appointed British architect William Cowlishaw to redesign it.

Cowlishaw left the plot layout the same but chopped down many trees and removed vegetation to create a more open, garden style cemetery. He placed uniform white marble headstones on the Commonwealth graves but retained the original German headstones. Finally, he added a Cross of Sacrifice, erected on a specially created “hill”, a second hillock in the garden.    

Deaths: The First & The Last

The Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery is notable for yet another reason. It is the resting place of “The First” and “The Last” British soldiers killed in World War I, Private John Parr and Private George Ellison respectively. It also contains the grave of “The Last” soldier to die in combat in World War I, Private George Price, a Canadian.

Private John Henry Parr, of the 4^th Middlesex Regiment, a cyclist scout, died as a result of an enemy gunshot while on a reconnaissance mission on 21 August 1914. He was 17 years old.

Private George Edwin Ellison, of the 5^th Royal Irish Lancers Regiment, with his regiment participated in all of the conflict (1914-1918) and all types of battles. He first saw action at the Battle of Mons in August 1914. Incredibly, after remaining unharmed in four years of combat, Private Ellison was shot and killed on 11 November 1918, the last day of the war. He was 40.

Private George Lawrence Price, 25, of the 28^th Canadian Infantry Battalion, was shot by a sniper at 10.57 am on 11 November 1918. He died one minute later, at 10:58 am, just 2 minutes before the armistice took effect, at 11.00 am on 11 November 1918.

The Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery also contains the grave of Irish-born Lieutenant Maurice James Dease VC, of the 4^th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. Dease was one of two recipients of the Victoria Cross, the first of World War I, for acts of bravery on Mons soil.

Mons: An Australian connection

The Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery contains the grave of “The First” Australian-born soldier to die in combat during World War I. Lieutenant Leslie Richmond, 26, of Scotland’s 1^st Gordon Highlanders, died at the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914. He was born at Armadale (Victoria) in June 1888 and spent his early years in Australia before his Scottish-born parents returned to Scotland and took Leslie with them. [6]

While the overwhelming majority of Australians who volunteered to serve in the war effort enlisted in the AIF, in 1914-1918 a small number of Australians enlisted in the British Army. Some of these Australians were among the first casualties (dead, wounded or missing) of World War I.

According to Commonwealth War Graves records, as many as 1500 of the men who died in World War I had some connection with Australia. [7] The Australian War Memorial (AWM)’s Commemorative Roll includes records of Australians who died serving in foreign armies. Lieutenant Leslie Richmond’s record (name, unit, conflict, rank, and dates of birth and death) can be found there.

Pilgrimage to Mons, the highlight

Without doubt, the highlight of our pilgrimage to Mons was our visit to the Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery. It’s a remarkable place, a huge maze-like garden, with graves and headstones set in semicircles, small groups or in neat rows in wide expanses of luscious green turf.

Trees and low growing shrubs border the plots, the winding pathways and the stairs that lead to the main elevated monuments. Its rural setting is the perfect backdrop for a place of remembrance and quiet reflection. One could easily get lost there – both physically and metaphorically.

Clearly, during our visit to Mons, Tony and I learnt a lot about the role Mons played in the First World War. We continued to learn more in the following months as we researched the people and places we read and heard about during our visit. This story is testament to that.

Off to Ypres

Our short stopover at Mons was over. Early in the morning of Thursday 24 April, Tony and I took a taxi from our hotel to the Mons railway station. (We agreed not to walk this time!) From there we began our train trip north to Ieper (Ypres), the second destination in our pilgrimage to the World War I battlefields of Belgium.  

While we were sad to be leaving Mons, we were looking forward eagerly to our stay at Ypres. We planned our visit there to coincide with Anzac Day, a national day of commemoration in Australia and New Zealand. During the planning of our trip, I checked where and when, in Belgium, Anzac Day is commemorated: At Ypres, at the Menin Gate Memorial, on Friday 25 April 2025, commencing at 11.15 am.

REFERENCES

MAIN SOURCE OF INFORMATION

Mons 14-18: Mons Battlefields Guide. (2015). (n.p.): VisitMons.

SPECIFIC REFERENCES

YOU MAY LIKE TO READ…