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Born-Battersea

The Battle of Mons  August 23, 1914

This was the first battle fought by the British Army (BEF) in the war. Since landing in France ten days earlier the four infantry divisions and five cavalry brigades of the BEF had advanced to a position on the left flank of the French Armies only to find themselves directly in the line of the advance of the German First Army as they swept through Belgium and headed for Paris.

With orders to hold the German advance for 24 hours and outnumbered two to one, the BEF dug in along the Mons-Conde canal. The battle commenced at 9 am and lasted all day. By nightfall the BEF had withdrawn to the Valenciennes-Maubeuge road, a position from which the Great Retreat began the next day. British casualties, killed, wounded or missing, amounted to 1600 for the battle. German casualties were higher.

The 1st Cornwall Light Infantry battalion of 14 Brigade, 5th Division, had been involved in the fighting during the Battle of Mons when they held the line from the footbridge south of La Hamaide to the Pommereroeul bridge.  They also had a platoon and a machine gun section pushed across the canal.   Their orders were to hold the canal as an advanced position only and to retire when necessary to a second position, being prepared by 15 Brigade, behind the Haine. At 4.45pm they repelled German cavalry approaching from Ville Pommeroeul and then withdrew. On 25th August, the day when Albert Robinson was killed, they fell back to Le Cateau.