Liege—Twenty Years After
THE YPRES TIMES
106
ROLLAND
Fysden/
Argenteau
£ftde barchon
0-tVt6N"
AT 10 p.m. on Friday, July 31st, 1914, the churches all over Belgium suddenly
started ringing alarm through the stillness of the dark night. The population'
already under the influence of disquieting news of the past few days imme
diately understood that something of importance was happening. Neighbours gathered
on the door-steps. Soon, biigle calls were sounded, inviting people (according to a very
old custom) to listen to an official proclamationin this case, the general mobilisation
order, whilst the gendarmes started knocking at the doors to hand written orders to.
the reservists. But we still
believed ourselves safe
behind what we thought
the surest protection of
allthe signature of the
Great Powers.
On Sunday, August
2nd at 7 p.m., the German
Minister at Brussels handed
over the ultimatum to the
Belgian Minister for
Foreign Affairs. This
document had been pre
pared on July 26th by the
German G.H.Q., and the
answer was requested
within twelve hours. What
happened that night at the
Crown Council held by
King Albert has been
described often enough and
so needs no repetition here.
On Monday, August
3rd at 7 a.m. the ultima
tum expired and the
Belgian refusal to give
passage to the German
Army was delivered at the Legation. The wording of this proud answer was
immediately wired to Berlin, and the original document was conveyed to Aix-la-Chapelle
by the German Military Attaché in a very powerful car which had been kept in readiness.
At 4.15 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4th, the first of the millions of Germans to invade
Belgium crossed the border at Henri-Chapelle, and at 10.15 a.m., the first Belgian soldier
Lancer Fonck, was killed at Thimisterhe had attacked single handed, a mounted
German patrol.
The Germans now began their atrocities against harmless civilians. At 1 p.m.,
Madame Nhignensse who stood at the road-side was killed by a soldier at Petit-Rechain
near Verviers, and at about the same hour, at Herve, German officers in a motor car
shot Dieudonné Duchene, aged sixteen years, who did not understand their ques
tions. From now, and for the next four years, floods of innocent Belgian blood and
tears were shed as a result of this inexcusable and savage invasion.
Liége, situated on the river Meuse, is the junction of the roads following the valley
of the Meuse (North-South) and the international highroads and railways from the
countries East of the Rhine. The twelve forts, divided into two sectors by the river
A-FrÓC FLERON
chauofontaine
emSourg
FT0EBO'
DISPOSITION OF THE LIEGE FORTS—1914
