The German Fury in Belgium: Experiences of a Netherland Journalist during four months with the German Army in BelgiumMokveld, L. (Lambertus)
History
The German Fury in Belgium: Experiences of a Netherland Journalist during four months with the German Army in Belgium
Mokveld, L. (Lambertus)
Belgium -- History -- German occupation, 1914-1918; World War, 1914-1918 -- Atrocities
In this grand old monastery, both inside and out a jewel of
architecture, about five hundred people had found shelter. They were
lodged in halls, rooms, and kitchens. The fathers gave them everything
in the way of food they might require, but they had to do their own
cooking. As not one of these people had a home left, which they could
call their own, no wonder that they greatly admired the fathers. Often
when I strolled about with one of these, one or other of the refugees
came to him to press his hand and express gratitude for the hospitality
offered.
In this way I got into conversation with a middle-aged lady. Her
husband had been shot, and she got a bullet in her arm, which had to be
amputated in consequence. The poor creature had lost all courage, and
lived on her nerves only. It was remarkable to hear this father find
the right words, and succeed in making her calm and resigned. Before
she left us, she had promised that for her children's sake she would do
all in her power to control herself.
During the week of my compulsory stay in Louvain I had also the
privilege of making the acquaintance of two brave compatriots; I mean
Professor Noyons and his wife.
They never left Louvain. On August 25th information was sent to the Leo
XIII Institution for Philosophy, a building turned into a hospital,
that a hundred wounded men might be expected towards evening. That
evening began the wild shooting and burning of houses by the Germans,
and soon a large number of wounded was taken to the Institution.
Suddenly Professor Noyons recognised one of his servants among the
wounded who were brought to him for treatment. She had three bullets
in her side. After having bandaged her wounds, he hurried away to his
house, in order to see what had happened.
He thought that it was sufficiently protected by the immense Red Cross
flag, and the words written on the door by the Germans themselves:
"Professor Noyons, Netherland physician, to be spared." But he had been
mistaken. The soldiers did not respect anything, and had forced an
entry into the house, wounded that servant, and then wrecked everything
in the most scandalous manner. Beautiful large Japanese jars had been
smashed to pieces, valuable furniture damaged by knocking and breaking
large pieces out of it with rifles and bayonets. A fine carpet was
burned, as well as many pieces of furniture. A hole was burned even in
the floor.
Professor Noyons took me over the house and showed me the destruction.
Bullets had been lodged in the inner walls after piercing the windows
and on a level with the windows. By lengthening the line of trajection
one found that the bullets must have been fired at a distance of nearly
six hundred yards, which proves that the Germans simply fired at random.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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