With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great WarSellers, William E.
History
With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great War
Sellers, William E.
Great Britain. Army -- Military life; World War, 1914-1918 -- Religious aspects
"In trying to get an extra man officer for our party we were still in
Brussels on Thursday, and by twelve o'clock found ourselves German
prisoners. Every house in the better part of the town was closed and
the windows shuttered. The empty streets at twelve o'clock gave one a
horrid chill, but by four o'clock dense masses of people watched the
German Army pass. Old men, young men, bare-headed women, women with
hobble skirts, but one and all holding tiny dogs in their arms!
Behind, the cafés were in full swing.
"Hour after hour the 4th German army corps rolled along the cobble
streets, a solid grey line of burly men and magnificent horses. I
turned from watching and saw a boy in the act of throwing a
heavily-weighted belt dragged away by two policemen. In the cafés men
were drinking the inevitable beer and playing cards. I turned again.
Still on they came, cavalry, artillery, and infantry--a man to my
right in French said, 'One of these men told me they knew they were
going to their death.' Just then a cavalry man, catching sight of my
uniform, very courteously and gravely saluted me, saying, 'Heils
Armee' (Salvation Army).
"The next day--still the army passing through,--a gunner, bending
down, said, 'Heils Armee--Hallelujah!' Wild rumours throughout the
town; atmosphere electric, a single act of violence, and one felt the
Germans would have opened fire. Notices were posted all over the town
imploring the people to be calm; every day, often all day, we tried
for a way to get out, but without a ray of hope; day after day
refugees arrived with tales of misery and horror.
"My diary runs: 'All cafés to be closed early. Germans send for
quicklime to cover their dead. 7000 wounded arrive--all Germans.
Germans posted notices to-day: "English badly beaten; French
retreated." Threatened to sack Brussels. No milk, no bread, no eggs,
no butter. We were mobbed to-day, as the rumour had spread that
Brussels had been betrayed by the English. Notice out not to touch
water, as German dead were lying in great numbers unburied near
Mallien.'"
From Brussels Brigadier Murray made her way to Le Havre. The scenes
she witnessed among the flying Belgians were terrible. One picture
will ever live in her memory--and ours.
"A woman who had to fly at night from her village had to do so with
three tiny children; the baby she put into her apron with some
clothing, the other two she carried. Through the darkness she had to
walk to the junction, where ensued a wild scramble for seats. When the
train had started the distracted woman discovered that the baby had
dropped from her apron, when and where no one could discover."
Later Brigadier Murray has had charge of the first ambulance sent out
by the Salvation Army.
The bravery of these women Salvation Army officers is past
description.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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