The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-08-31
BRITISH LOSSES ABOUT 5000
Lord Kitchener Makes Report of the
Four Days Battle


of desperate fighting the British
army in France is rested, reftted and
REINFORCED for the next great battle,
according to an announcement today
by Lord Kitchener, secretary of state
for war.
in a statement based on reports
from Sir John French, commander of
the British expeditionary forces, the
secretary says that the British, after
struggling against tremendous odds
retired to a new line OF defense
where they have not been molested
since Thursday. Their casualties
are between 5000 and 5000.
Since this fighting ceased the
French on the right and left have
brought the German attack to stand
still, it is declared
Lord Kitchener's statement, which
was issued through the medium Of
the official information bureau, fol
lows:
Although the dispatches of Sir
John French as to the recent battle
have. not yet been received it is pos
sible now to state what has been the
British share in the recent opera
tons.
There has, in fact, been four
days battle-on the 23d, oath, 25th
and 26th of August. During the whole
OF this period the British in conform
| ity with a general movement of the
French armies, We're occupied in re-
sisting and checking the German ad-
vance and in Withdrawing to new
lines of defense.
The battle began at Mons on Sun
day, during which day and part of
the night the German attack which
was stubbornly pressed and repeated
was completely checked by the Brit
ish front. On Monday, the oath, the
Germans made vigorous efforts in
superior numbers to prevent the safe
| withdrawal of the British army and
20 dive it into the fortress of Mau.
beuge.
This effort was frustrated by the
steadiness and skill with which the
British retirement was conducted and
as on the previous day very heavy
losses far in excess of anything suf-
fered by us were inflicted on the enc
my who, in dense formation and in
Ieno-mous masses, marched forward
again and yet again to storm the
British lines
The British retirement proceeded
on the 25th with continuous fighting,
though not on the scale of the prew.
Gus two days and by the night of the
25th the British army occupied the
line of Cambria Landrecies and lie
Cateau Cambria is "a fortified town
in the department of the north, 80
miles southeast of Lille on the river
Scheldt lie Cateau is 16 miles south
east of Camrai.
1T had been intended to resume
the battle at daybreak on the 26th
but the German attack, in which no
less than five army corps were en-
gagged, was so close and fierce that il
was not possible to carry out this in
tention until the afternoon.
"The battle ON this day, the 26th,
was of most severe and desperate
character. The troops offered a su
perb and most stubborn resistance TO
the Tremendous odds with which they
were confronted and at length extri-
Gated themselves in good order.
though with serious loss and under
the heaviest artillery fire. No guns
were taken by the enemy except
where the horses had all been killed
or which were shattered by high ex-
plosive shells.
Gen. French estimates that during
the whole of the operations from the
23d to the 26th, inclusive. his losses
amounted to 5000 or 5000 men. On
the other hand, the losses suffered by
the Germans in their attacks across
the open and through their dense for
nation are out of all proportion to
those which we have suffered.