Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-12
.BR|TON TELLS
HOW AERO BEGAN
MONS BATTLE
While BeIgians Were Feting
English Troops Aviator Lo-
Gated Range for Germans.
BY the Associated Press.


LONDON, Sept. ia British
private who was wounded in the fight
during the retreat from Mons tells
the following story of the battle
there:
1T was Sunday and the British
regiments at Mons were merry max
ing and enjoying themselves In leis-
ure along the streets. Belgian ladies,
returning from church, handed the
soldiers their prayer-books as souve-
Mrs, while the Belgian men gave the
men cigarettes and tobacco, which
was even more welcome.
about noon, when the men were
beginning to think about dinner, a
German aeroplane appeared overhead
and began throwing out a cloud of
black powder. which is one of their
favorite methods of assisting distant
batteries to get the range.
mo sooner had the powder cloud
appeared than shrapnel began to burst
overhead, and in a moment all was
confusion and uproar; but il didn't
take the regiments long to get into
fighting trim and race through the
city to the scene of operations, which
was on the other side of the small
canal in the suburbs.
Here our outposts were engaging
the enemy fercely. The outposts lost
very heavily, most of the damage be-
Ing done by shells. The rifle fire was
ineffective, although at times the lines
of contenders were not more than 800
yards apart.
Hold Position Till NightfalI.
1.-THE first achievements to arrive
were posted in a glass factory. the
walls of which were looped-holed, and
we doggedly held that position until
nightfall when we fixed bayonets and
! lay in wait in case the enemy made
an attempt to rush the position in
! the darkness.
about midnight orders came to re-
tire over the canal and two companies
| were left behind to keep the enemy
in check temporarily. After the main
! body had crossed, the bridge was
blown up, leaving the two outpost
companies to get across as best they
could by boats or swimming. Most
of them managed to reach the main
body again
"The main body retired from the
town, and fell back through open
country, being kept moving all night.
When daylight arrived 1t was APP
p,<s from higher ground that Mons
h. \ H. en- practically blown away by
the .erman artillery.
"ss,oughout the morning We con-
tinued to fight a rear-guard action,
but the steady march In retreat did
not stop until o'clock in the eve-
ming, when the British found them
selves well out of range OF the Ger
| man artillery in quiet valley. Here
all the troops were ordered to rest
and eat. AS they hal been without
food since the previous morning
breakfast, it was rather amusing TO
see the soldiers going into the turnip
fields and eating turnips as though
they were apples.
All Lights Extinsuished.
cat s o'clock all lights were extin-
guished, the soldiers were ordered &c
make no noise and the pickets pushed
a long distance backward. Long be.
fore dawn the troops were hastily
! started again and continued the re-
, tirement.
"By noon the enemy was agar
heard from and a large Detachment
was assigned the task or ngnting u
protect our rear.
During the afternoon both th'
, German and British armies watched
! a duel in the air between French ant
German aeroplanes. The F'renchmai
was wonderfully clever and succeed
ed in maneuvering himself to tn
upper position, which he gained afte
: fifteen minutes of reckless effort
: Then the Frenchman began blazinl
: away at the German with revolver
y Finally he hit him and the wounded
German attempted to glide down int
/ his own lines. The glide, however
. ended in the British lines near m,
detachment. the West Kent Infantry
: We found the aviator dead when W
, reached the machine. We buried hin
I and burned the aeroplane.
I Germans Close ut their Heels.
I AT dusk a halt was made for food
( and as the Germans had fallen behin'
I the English spent a quiet night. A
dawn. however, we found the Ger
I mans close at our heels and sewers
( regiments were ordered to prepar
I entertainments. This is tedious an
tiresome work. especially in the hea
and without proper food, but W
! quickly put up Notifications, whic
l were sufficient to protect us some
! what from the artillery fire.
! cit was not long before the Ger
man gunners found the range and be
! gan tearing up those rough fortified
tions, concentrating their fire on tn
! British batteries, one hof which wa