34
THE YPRES TIMES
The stranger who violates our territory will find all the Belgians gathered
round their Sovereign, who will never betray his constitutional oath. I have faith
in our destiny. A country which takes up arms to defend itself wins the respect
of all, and we cannot perish. God be with us
Within nineteen hours mobilisation was complete, and King Albert joined
his Army, never to leave it until the Armistice in November, 1918.
Little Belgium.
I am afraid that people in this country are prone to see both the Sovereign
of the Belgians and his nation in a false perspective. The epithet little trips
off our tongue when we refer to Belgium, and we ignore its politics as if they were
those of an English parish. In actual fact, however, it is a country of over
8,000,000 inhabitantsthat is, a good deal more than Scotland and the Irish Free
State put togetherand they are among the most intelligent, industrious and enter
prising in Europe. Moreover, in their Congo dependency they govern an empire
twice the size of the Union of South Africa, and of a very much higher average
fertility.
Again, above all else, Belgium has always been a country of soldiers. From
the time of Julius Caesar, who found a tough proposition on that day he over
came the Nervii to the era of William of Hohetizollern, the Belgian soldiers have
always been men to count with. Belgian neutrality never for a moment meant that
her army was like that of Monaco or the Vaticana mere Sovereign's bodyguard,
accoutred and attired for purposes of parade.
The War Cloud Bursts.
The war strength in 1914 was 320,000 men, composed of twelve classes, and
King Albert immediately placed himself at the head of that force. Its magnificent
defence of Liége and its gallant actions at Namur were blazed throughout the
world. But alas unsupported at the time by his allies, the King was compelled to
fall back before superior numbers and withdraw to Antwerp. The Belgians did
not retreat easily, and disputed every inch of the way. None the less, the retreat
was heart-rendering. They retired on a tranquil and smiling land, rich in the
promise of harvest and the products of a long peace. As they went backwards they
saw the land behind them made desolate and bare by the ravages of warthe
harvest trampled under foot, houses destroyed, spires toppled to the ground, altars
overturned.
The last stand before Antwerp was made about Louvain, and on 14th of
August a momentary junction was made at Charleroi between the French and
Belgian armies; but the French had brought up insufficient men and guns and
event rally the Germans broke the connexion. King Albert was obliged to retreat
into Louvain during the night of 17th of August; but, in order to avoid drawing
the enemy's fire on its ancient churches, its magnificent town hall and its venerated
University, he wisely decided forthwith to evacuate the city and permit the Germans
to enter without opposition. For a like cause the Belgian Government withdrew
from Brussels to Antwerp on the same day.
Antwerp, 1914.
The King, at the head of his Army, retired within the fortifications of
Antwerp, where he joined the Queen and their children, who had taken up their
residence at the palace in the Place de Meir. I am betraying no secret in stating
that at the time he felt his brave soldiers had not been seconded in the manner they
should have been. He thought the Allies, who praised the Belgians so much for
their stubborn resistance to the Germans, should have come more speedily and in
greater numbers to their aid.
