When I was a boy I spoke with the dear old man who lived next door about angels in WW1. We are in New Zealand, I was 7 or 8 and my neighbour seemed to me as old as God in the late 1960's. He was not a church goer although his wife was. He did not say the year or the battle but he did tell me of a time when all the NZ soldiers were waiting for the signal to attack the Germans and they were all very nervous about how it would go. Then he said they looked up and saw angels and chariots in the sky above them flowing towards the German positions. They all saw it he said. Then they knew they would win the battle. I believed him and subsequent experiences of my own in the years following proved to me that God and angels are real. He was a simple and good man and what he told me was right.
@@beachcomber1ableThank you. I hope I am a simple and straightforward person. And yes, I've seen and experienced far too much in my 62 years to deny the existence of either angels or Jesus. Far too much. All the best.
@@beachcomber1able I don't claim to have supernatural or paranormal powers so it seems that challenge is not for me. Regarding experiencing God & angels though, I have seen far too much to put in this comment: the presence of angels, demons, Jesus; heard the audible voice of God on one occasion. I have also picked up a couple of theological degrees over the years, so if you have a genuine question I will do my best to engage. If you just want to insult me you won't hear from me again though. All the best
@@Liam1304 The significance of you mentioning having theological degrees escapes me. Was it just for your confirmation bias quest? Religion to critical thinking humans in these enlightened times will always be bunkum.
My grandfather fought at Mons in 1914 and claimed to have seen the angelic host. My dad fought in Belgium in 1940 and said that some Brits had seen similar apparitions. Dad worked in gas engineering and said that methane is often given out by badly drained land and this is quite common in the Low Countries. He said that when you are cold, scared, hungry and battle fatigued you often can semi hallucinate. But added that God moves in mysterious ways and whatever gets you through. On a similar note, my great uncle fought the Bolsheviks in the Polish Army at the Battle of the Vistula in 1920. The Poles were outnumbered by a better armed Russian force who threatened to overrun Warsaw. On 15th August 1920, the day marking the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there appeared a vision of the Madonna in the skies outside Warsaw. This rallied the Polish troops and marked the start of a famous victory. Again Poland is flat marshy and methane is not uncommon. Whether its God's work or man's interpretation of nature, possibly both, angelic apparitions have certainly helped the good guys.
No problem. It has always been a family debate/ discussion. My dad always took a rationalist approach towards such matters. Yet as a lad who lied about his age to volunteer for WW1 and a veteran of WW2 with numerous lucky escapes, both in civilian and military life, he always felt something was looking after him. He, like many vets, suffered survivor guilt and trauma from various experiences. It was only when I joined up that he would talk about his experiences.
Interesting this, my mum who was German from Munster had an uncle who fought on the German side at the battle of Mons and she told me that her uncle told her the story about seeing angels over the battlefield at Mons, so interesting to see this here.
I believe the BEF saved its self through the efforts of great leadership and having the most professional proficient and dedicated soldiers in the world and wee bit of help from the Lord
Another excellent episode. I too was a child when I 1st heard about the angels. It’s always fascinated me, I know with modern scepticism we are lead to believe religion to be less important. But in 1914 this was still a very religious country and I like to believe the angels had the BEF’s back
Here's a random story. My great grandad was in the Royal Scots during the Great War, having initially joined the Sherwood Foresters and been remustered after the Scots had taken horrific casualties. He was a good man with many sterling qualities, but he wasn't gifted with great powers of imagination or storytelling. Despite that, he maintained, until his dying day, that he'd seen an angel over one of the battlefields he'd slogged through. My great grandma would say 'Tell them about the angel, Johnny,' and he'd tell the story to anyone who wanted to listen. I like to believe it's true and that the angel was there for everyone, British and German, to gather them safely home, but I know I sound foolish.
When I was in the Legion we were out on exercise in Djibouti, 3 days going without sleep and little food, live fire exercises and night marches, going by night under a full moon it was like being in a black and white film, I noticed guys side stepping and avoiding something, when I asked he said watch out for the hole, nothing was there, later I seen a woman with her daughter, I'm irish they looked like famine victims from the 1840s I stopped to ask if they were ok, I was pushed, asked what ye up to? I looked back and they were gone. when we got to the coast someone asked if anyone seen anything strange. the whole platoon came out with stories, everything from greek columns carved into the rocks to children playing ball, surreal is an understatment.
Great video and history lesson!! As an American, I wasn't familiar with this story and legend, but I am familiar with a 1982 song by the obscure British rock band Shiva. The song is called "Angel Of Mons" It tells the story of a young British soldier and a protecting angel. The lyrics below. >>As darkness came to wash the carbide smell From a day which had seen no peace In muddy trenches, frozen to the bone We lay in our thousands alone Young Tommy groaned as the stones turned red From an Englishman's veins bled dry By a rain of lead dreamt in the General's head Which was never on the line Oh - no survivors Oh - no survivors And there was my Angel On that night when only the stars shone My vision of safety Are you lost to me now? Lost to me now Are you lost to me now? Lost to me now Oh - my Angel My Angel of Mons Now again as the swords are drawn The lion comes in from the cold To lay before the leaders of the kingdom The preophecy's foretold No-one heard me as I shouted at the night The streets were empty but the guns were in sight They watched for shadows that were out of place The silence stiffened lines across my face
My grandfather served with the 1st Battalion the Middlesex regiment with the BEF during WWI. Before that he had served in India and was present at the Dehli Durban when the King was crowned Emperor of India. He was also involved in the retreat from Mons and latter won the Military Medal during the bloody battle of the Somme for delivering ammunition underfire to the forward trenches. He was demombed in 1918 and his first child my father was born in 1919 and only 20 years later he returned with a new BEF in 1939 to continue the fight against the Germans. Lest We Forget ! 🌹🇬🇧
Same my great grandfather. He was in the Liverpool- Scottish, saw action during WWI. Awarded some medals. Then in WWII he joined the Merchant Navy, and went through hell all over again. He got a K.B.E (something B.E, it might not have been the Knight variant, I just forget which) for that.
In Marshal Foch's memoirs he said of the extraordinary event that occurred against all expectations of how what was left of the French army and the BEF down to "the last gasp" ( as Churchill called it ) stopped The Germans in 1918 - "God was there."
@@ytxmakThat would be because the gods which made not the heavens shall be utterly destroyed from under these heavens. As for Almighty God.......tremble before Him and enquire respectfully, for the scorner seeks for wisdom and finds it not.
Many years ago I read an article about the bowmen of mons, in it a person tried to explain it away as being the fledgling army air corp dropping fletchetts (like oversized weighted darts dropped from aircraft in the early part of the war) on the advancing german army by the box load, but this was countered by a report from a german field doctor who said he knew the types of wounds the fletchetts caused and these where not the wounds he was treating.
Thanks for this, Chris, I remember hearing about the Angels when I was very young (seventy or so years ago). As a former soldier I don't actually disbelieve it, I came across some pretty wierd things when I was serving... I'd like it to be true... But who knows?
I've never served - not in the forces anyway - but in living I've been what I would call saved from a couple of situations that looked inevitably fatal - like drowning and an accident. I believe someone looked over me so.......I liked your comment.
A while ago I read the book Thuvia, Maid of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the 4th book in the Barsoom series, written in 1916. In this book there is a city of Red Martians who are almost extinct, but they managed to develop the ability to make anything they imagine become reality, and so they conjure up armies of bowmen to defend themselves from the marauding hordes of four-armed Green Martians. A little later I read the story about the Angels of Mons and suddenly I knew were Edgar Rice Burroughs got that idea from.
Hi Chris, well told story as always. And very interesting how the human mind works when under extreme pressure. My ears pricked up when you mentioned the various pals regiments that signed up at the start of the war. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI the names of all the soldiers who signed up in Pompey Pals were sewn into the shirts of the football club. The Pompey Pals, the 14th and 15th battalions of the Hampshire Regiment, recruited heavily at Fratton Park, Portsmouth Football Clubs ground till this date. 1,400 making the ultimate sacrifice. RIP. A great gesture from the club. Have a great weekend!!
"And did those feet in ancient time Walk along England's mountains green? And was the Holy Lamb of God On England's pleasant pastures seen?" A small excerpt from Brother William Blakes 'Jerusalem' that told of where Christ may have traveled during his 'missing years'. England loved it so much, another time and place where miracles may have happened.
Who was the very wise 19th century cleric who said that the answers to the questions in the first verse were No, no, no and no, while the appropriate response to the requests in the second verse was Fetch them yourself! If people want to sing Jerusalem then knock yourselves out Just keep it out of Christian worship
My great grandfather died from wounds received at the Battle of Mons. He was wounded but didn't die until October 31st a few months later. He fought with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
My favorite British actor, Ronald Colman was wounded at Mons. It destroyed his left ankle and he walked with a severe and painful limp, the rest of his life. You should do a series of British actors and poets, who fought in the first World War. Basil Rathbone, Claude Raine and perhaps the poets Wilfred Owen and Rupert Brooke, the later, I greatly admire. Owen, was killed in action one week before the end of the war. What a waste!
Sleep deprivation can play odd tricks on the mind. A friend of mine told me how, while on an arduous exercise and not having slept for 48 hours, he saw a brightly-lit funfair on the Aldershot training area.
My father during his National Service took part in Sleep Deprevation experiments and, when on guard duty, said he saw an Ice Cream van quite clearly come round the corner with the usual music on! Fancying a 99 he reaced for change in his pocket to buy an one, but when he looked up it was gone. He said during these experiments he and some of his mates saw all sorts of things!
I believe it is plausible- my reasoning is: when Israel had their 6 day war there are first hand accounts of Israel's enemies claiming to of seen similar things. There are some interviews that were done with those soldiers. They may still be here on RUclips, it was about 10 years ago when I listened to the interviews. I hope for those interested they can find them. It's fascinating
Good story! When I go to heaven and I fully intend to, this story is one of a number of things I intend to ask God about, see if they are true. I hope to see another in-depth video on Mons as it is one of rare times in that point in history where rifles are used closer to their true ranges.
@@TheHistoryChap as I understood it the smoke above that battle area formed the shape of an angel. Which is probably how the legend started. My grandfather was in the Cornwalls. You would know if they were actually at Mons. Please let me know
The "Angels of Mons" story is one of the very first I read about WW I, some time during the 1970's. It was re-told in Swedish Journalist Jan Olof Olsson's or "JOLOS" books entitled "1914" and "Den Okände Soldaten" ("the unknown soldier") which appeared in 1964 and 1969 respectively - they are now seen as classics, and have influenced the Swedish outlook on WW I history ever since. JOLO himself was also a great Anglophile, and did include many first-hand accounts, newspaper clippings, original illustrations etc from British as well as German sources into his books - I stole my father's copies from his studio, and secretly read them in bed...
My maternal grandfather was there... he was a Yorkshireman who only ever left Sheffield to fight. Re the angels, he said "there are bleedin' softies in every walk of life" :) He would subsequently fight in the Somme - against my other grandfather.
"Divine Intervention" in battles is "per se" a great subject of study, we portuguese have a number of such legends, since the times of our first king Afonso I. Great video sir, I already knew about this particular episode, the "Angels of Mons", come across it in a book, the tittle, I can not recall just now, but nevertheless congratulations for another excellent information video. Thanks for sharing.
Thx a lot Chris, I like it. Some how I think to remember a similar action from the german Ostfront 1917...? Nice idea, archers and of course the best at their time, vs MG ,I 'm your fan...❤ Best regards from Northern Germany Ludwig.
My namesake and paternal uncle Charles was there. Upon return from the War, he related to my dad, that he`d seen the Angels. Many may scoff but I choose to believe a miracle happened out there.
The Third Man phenomenon may be responsible for the origin of the story, this psychological effect is well documented amongst climbers, polar explorers and other adventurers. Exhausted, dehydrated and sleep-deprived men have reported the presence of someone or something urging them on, to keep going, to survive. The phenomena has been reported by Sir Ernest Shackleton, Everest climber Reinhold Messner, Joe Simpson (of Touching the Void fame) and many others. TS Elliot includes it in his epic poem The Waste Land; Who is the third who walks always beside you? When I count, there are only you and I together But when I look ahead up the white road There is always another one walking beside you. At this point in the poem the protagonists are crossing a desert, exhausted and without water. Psychologists think it may be some kind of survival mechanism and being a sceptic, I'm inclined to agree. It's worth pointing out that the Germans also believed that god was on their side. I nonetheless enjoyed your telling of the story, thanks.
Soldiers love a good tall tale, we also like to believe that we are on the side of good. Yes many had marched vast distances in the Boer War but many were older reservists recalled, older and out of shape. Add to this that the saving of the BEF was considered a miracle it builds a whole myth. Is it a story, probably but it's a great one. 🇬🇧
I think it does the British soldiers on the fighting retreat, a great disservice, saying that they were saved by some supernatural event, when in fact, they saved themselves by their own dogged resistance even though they were outgunned, against overwhelming odds, and out flanked.
My Grandad on my mothers side told me (when I was about 14) that he was at Mons in 1914. He smiled when I asked him did he see the angels. All he said after that was it wasn’t a nice time. He would not say any more about the First World War.
I've seen troops so exhausted and hungry after days of sleepless marching that they hallucinated, and no one was shooting us, we were only on training exercises.
I just recently saw video the other day about strange things happening in WW1. In the battle of Ypres, the story goes that soldier saw ghost that closely resembled his friend who had died shortly before, in a trench. The next day or so, the same soldier had another guy with him, the ghost appeared again and pointed at spot in the trench, then disappeared. Soon after a group of soldiers dug in that spot and discovered a tunnel that the Germans had dug, and had bunch of explosives set up.
How haunted are those battlefields? I mean not just world war one but for how many generations were blood spilled on those grounds. That's probably half the reason there's so much discord in the world
At the battle of Mons the British infantry had been trained in a technique of deadly accurate, rapid rifle fire. The Brit soldiers used their little fingers to pull the trigger so they could instantly eject the spent round & fire again. The tightly packed advancing Germans soldiers sometimes as many as three of them struck by the same British bullet piled up high. German soldiers swore that every British soldier at Mons was using a machine gun. The Brits needed to retreat 'cos they were running out of supplies.
Sir, my grandfather was at the battle of Mons. he was part of #13 Ambulance unit responsible for picking up the wounded. He told me in 1965 that many of the soldiers he retrieved kept going on about the angels that defended the British line. He said he did not actually see them himself but heard, not just a few, but many wounded men go on about them. My grandfather was not a religious man but it did make him wonder. Is it by coincidence that the German army, which was winning, suddenly and inexplicably stopped their advance?
This story seems to have influenced the film "Edge Of Tomorrow" , a character was nicknamed "The Angel Of Verdun" : "Losing battle after battle over five years, the NATO-led United Defense Forces finally win a victory at Verdun, France, utilizing new mechanized "jacket" combat suits. UK Special Forces soldier Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) is hailed as "The Angel of Verdun" after killing hundreds of Mimics single-handedly."
The Dunkirk ''Miracle of Deliverance'' in 1940 might be a good topic for you ? There was a national day of prayer and many Christians believe that Dunkirk was a true miracle. What do you think ?
Arthur Machen was a huge influence not only on Stephen King, but on H.P. Lovecraft as well. Lovecraft was a tremendous fan of Machen's novel The Great God Pan, such that he created his own version of the story with The Dunwich Horror. Through his influence on those two writers alone, Machen is arguably the second most important horror writer to ever live, aside from Poe.
If there was a supernatural entity capable of intervening in a battle, then perhaps diverting the course of a bullet in Sarajevo may have been more effective.
I think WW1 would have happened regardless, even people at the time observing events in Europe knew it was on the cards. Something else would have triggered it if the Sarajevo assassination hadn't.
An American vet of WWI, telling the history of the US Army in the post Civil War Indian Wars, compared the Sioux Ghost Dancers to the British at Mons in their desperation for divine intervention.
Maybe something otherworldly happened, maybe it didn't; I do believe in God and His angels so I don't rule it out entirely (the ghostly bowmen seem less likely). One thing is for certain: At the going down of the Sun and in the morning we will remember them.
7:48 this is the proof that it was all not real but came from stories that built up off each other. Memories of smoky battlefields become heavenly visions and such!
From the Theosophy Wiki: "An *egregore* (pronounced egg’ gree gore) is a group thought-form. It can be created either intentionally or unintentionally, and becomes an autonomous entity with the power to influence. A group with a common purpose like a family, a club, a political party, a church, or a country can create an egregore, for better or worse depending upon the type of thought that created it.
Hi sir. Can you cover a story about the Perak War that happened in 1875 in the Malay State of Perak between the British army and the Malay rebels due to the murder of a British administrator named J.W.W. Birch? Thank you sir 😃
My grandfather was in the BEF 2nd Bedfordshire battalion at Mons. He said there were no angels. Sounds a bit like the hysteria that occurred with the radio broadcast War Of The Worlds.
My WWI uncle gave me a German belt buckle. On it was written: Gott mit Uns. The Germans though that God was on their side. History Chap, thanks for an interesting story.
Interesting story, but I doubt it can be confirmed by German sources.... As far as I recall, Thehistorysquad has a similar video on his channel, while Metatron has one on angels in general....
9:13 Curious about what appear to be ear flaps on the caps of several soldiers in this photo. I've never seen them before. Were they a winter time accessory?
If it was fatigue inspired hallucinations that spread through hungry tired soldiers at the time and not suggestions in the newspapers that played on faulty memories of troop exhausted at the time it was supposed to take place by soldiers probably exhausted while reading the stories. I would say yes these angels and archers did save the army , morale is a funny thing , it can break an well equipped superior force or can make a small almost broken unit fight to the last man and last bullet. Of course maybe it was a supernatural army things can only be proven by physical existence not disproven by a lack of that evidence
@@TheHistoryChap well don’t know if you ever have seen the tv show M*A*S*H but in one episode they are under friendly artillery fire ( by mistake obviously) and they need something that is in another area , Captain Pierce uncharacteristically goes out and gets it and his response when told ‘ that’s really not like you ‘ is , ‘ sometimes a hero is someone that is tired enough, hungry enough and scared enough, that they just don’t care anymore. ‘ Sometimes the mind will grasp at anything to keep from giving up , it doesn’t devalue the soldier if they get help from unconventional sources whether that source it the almighty or the brain lying to itself.
I believe such stories were the result of wishful thinking AND the need to establish the moral high ground in what was becoming a very nasty war. But I do consider those men themselves angels... as rugged as they were. The Great War Tommy is a sanctified being in my book.
Reminiscent of the story of the crucified Canadian. In the last days of the war, it was alleged that German troops had captured a Canadian soldier and nailed him to the side of a barn and left him to die. This was in Belgium. So incensed was the Canadian government that they sent investigators. Everywhere they went, every soldier they interviewed, every farmer, all swore it was true. No, they hadn't seen it themselves, it was always one farm over. But so complete was the believe in this story that even German prisoners of war swore it was true. Conclusion of the invesitgators: no body, no first hand evidence, not true. Some kind of mass hysteria.
It was an intriguing story, a question without an answer, and now relegated to be whispers of history. I think this will be just like the JFK assassination oh, we will never really know the truth and those who really do know have long since departed our company. Well done my friend another triumph!
The angel of Mons says more about the christian faith of the soldiers and the public from before the war that would shatter the beliefs of many in it's horrific aftermath.
When I was a boy I spoke with the dear old man who lived next door about angels in WW1. We are in New Zealand, I was 7 or 8 and my neighbour seemed to me as old as God in the late 1960's. He was not a church goer although his wife was. He did not say the year or the battle but he did tell me of a time when all the NZ soldiers were waiting for the signal to attack the Germans and they were all very nervous about how it would go. Then he said they looked up and saw angels and chariots in the sky above them flowing towards the German positions. They all saw it he said. Then they knew they would win the battle. I believed him and subsequent experiences of my own in the years following proved to me that God and angels are real. He was a simple and good man and what he told me was right.
You must be simple if you believe in deities and angels.
@@beachcomber1ableThank you. I hope I am a simple and straightforward person. And yes, I've seen and experienced far too much in my 62 years to deny the existence of either angels or Jesus. Far too much. All the best.
@@Liam1304 What exactly have you seen and will you be taking the James Randi challenge?
@@beachcomber1able I don't claim to have supernatural or paranormal powers so it seems that challenge is not for me. Regarding experiencing God & angels though, I have seen far too much to put in this comment: the presence of angels, demons, Jesus; heard the audible voice of God on one occasion. I have also picked up a couple of theological degrees over the years, so if you have a genuine question I will do my best to engage. If you just want to insult me you won't hear from me again though. All the best
@@Liam1304 The significance of you mentioning having theological degrees escapes me. Was it just for your confirmation bias quest?
Religion to critical thinking humans in these enlightened times will always be bunkum.
My grandfather fought at Mons in 1914 and claimed to have seen the angelic host. My dad fought in Belgium in 1940 and said that some Brits had seen similar apparitions. Dad worked in gas engineering and said that methane is often given out by badly drained land and this is quite common in the Low Countries. He said that when you are cold, scared, hungry and battle fatigued you often can semi hallucinate. But added that God moves in mysterious ways and whatever gets you through. On a similar note, my great uncle fought the Bolsheviks in the Polish Army at the Battle of the Vistula in 1920. The Poles were outnumbered by a better armed Russian force who threatened to overrun Warsaw. On 15th August 1920, the day marking the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there appeared a vision of the Madonna in the skies outside Warsaw. This rallied the Polish troops and marked the start of a famous victory. Again Poland is flat marshy and methane is not uncommon. Whether its God's work or man's interpretation of nature, possibly both, angelic apparitions have certainly helped the good guys.
Thanks for sharing
No problem. It has always been a family debate/ discussion. My dad always took a rationalist approach towards such matters. Yet as a lad who lied about his age to volunteer for WW1 and a veteran of WW2 with numerous lucky escapes, both in civilian and military life, he always felt something was looking after him. He, like many vets, suffered survivor guilt and trauma from various experiences. It was only when I joined up that he would talk about his experiences.
@@adrianwoodward6781fantastic story. Thank you for sharing!
The British army has always been saved by angels.
They are called noncommisioned officers.
Thanks for the compliment: I've never been called an 'angel' before... It was usually something more pointed.
Good shout!
@@kenattwood8060 it was normally beginning with B and ending in D said when they thought you might not hear or get away with it.
My Dad would have found that quite amusing.
I couldn't agree more if I tried a thousand years. Superb!
Interesting this, my mum who was German from Munster had an uncle who fought on the German side at the battle of Mons and she told me that her uncle told her the story about seeing angels over the battlefield at Mons, so interesting to see this here.
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing
Truth is stranger than fiction The Allies cause was just, God intervened! St.George!!!!
I believe the BEF saved its self through the efforts of great leadership and having the most professional proficient and dedicated soldiers in the world and wee bit of help from the Lord
Amen!
Thanks for taking the time to comment
Another excellent episode. I too was a child when I 1st heard about the angels. It’s always fascinated me, I know with modern scepticism we are lead to believe religion to be less important. But in 1914 this was still a very religious country and I like to believe the angels had the BEF’s back
French soldiers claim to have seen similar ghosts led by Joan of Arc.
Here's a random story.
My great grandad was in the Royal Scots during the Great War, having initially joined the Sherwood Foresters and been remustered after the Scots had taken horrific casualties. He was a good man with many sterling qualities, but he wasn't gifted with great powers of imagination or storytelling. Despite that, he maintained, until his dying day, that he'd seen an angel over one of the battlefields he'd slogged through. My great grandma would say 'Tell them about the angel, Johnny,' and he'd tell the story to anyone who wanted to listen. I like to believe it's true and that the angel was there for everyone, British and German, to gather them safely home, but I know I sound foolish.
Not at all. And its a good story.
@@Hartley_Hare I don't find it hard to believe!
When I was in the Legion we were out on exercise in Djibouti, 3 days going without sleep and little food, live fire exercises and night marches, going by night under a full moon it was like being in a black and white film, I noticed guys side stepping and avoiding something, when I asked he said watch out for the hole, nothing was there, later I seen a woman with her daughter, I'm irish they looked like famine victims from the 1840s I stopped to ask if they were ok, I was pushed, asked what ye up to? I looked back and they were gone. when we got to the coast someone asked if anyone seen anything strange. the whole platoon came out with stories, everything from greek columns carved into the rocks to children playing ball, surreal is an understatment.
That’s interesting.
Thanks from r sharing
Halucniations
@@vincenthigginbotham8729 hallucinations yup due to fatigue and hunger
Great video and history lesson!!
As an American, I wasn't familiar with this story and legend, but I am familiar with a 1982 song by the obscure British rock band Shiva. The song is called "Angel Of Mons" It tells the story of a young British soldier and a protecting angel.
The lyrics below.
>>As darkness came to wash the carbide smell
From a day which had seen no peace
In muddy trenches, frozen to the bone
We lay in our thousands alone
Young Tommy groaned as the stones turned red
From an Englishman's veins bled dry
By a rain of lead dreamt in the General's head
Which was never on the line
Oh - no survivors
Oh - no survivors
And there was my Angel
On that night when only the stars shone
My vision of safety
Are you lost to me now?
Lost to me now
Are you lost to me now?
Lost to me now
Oh - my Angel
My Angel of Mons
Now again as the swords are drawn
The lion comes in from the cold
To lay before the leaders of the kingdom
The preophecy's foretold
No-one heard me as I shouted at the night
The streets were empty but the guns were in sight
They watched for shadows that were out of place
The silence stiffened lines across my face
Glad you enjoyed it
My grandfather served with the 1st Battalion the Middlesex regiment with the BEF during WWI. Before that he had served in India and was present at the Dehli Durban when the King was crowned Emperor of India.
He was also involved in the retreat from Mons and latter won the Military Medal during the bloody battle of the Somme for delivering ammunition underfire to the forward trenches. He was demombed in 1918 and his first child my father was born in 1919 and only 20 years later he returned with a new BEF in 1939 to continue the fight against the Germans. Lest We Forget ! 🌹🇬🇧
What incredible service
Same my great grandfather. He was in the Liverpool- Scottish, saw action during WWI. Awarded some medals. Then in WWII he joined the Merchant Navy, and went through hell all over again. He got a K.B.E (something B.E, it might not have been the Knight variant, I just forget which) for that.
In Marshal Foch's memoirs he said of the extraordinary event that occurred against all expectations of how what was left of the French army and the BEF down to "the last gasp" ( as Churchill called it ) stopped The Germans in 1918 - "God was there."
Pity 'god' didn't lift a divine finger to help those 6 millions murdered in the Holocaust, right?
Thanks for sharing
@@ytxmakThat would be because the gods which made not the heavens shall be utterly destroyed from under these heavens. As for Almighty God.......tremble before Him and enquire respectfully, for the scorner seeks for wisdom and finds it not.
Many years ago I read an article about the bowmen of mons, in it a person tried to explain it away as being the fledgling army air corp dropping fletchetts (like oversized weighted darts dropped from aircraft in the early part of the war) on the advancing german army by the box load, but this was countered by a report from a german field doctor who said he knew the types of wounds the fletchetts caused and these where not the wounds he was treating.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic content.
A part of me really wants the "Angels/Archers of Mons" were real.
Keep up the good work. 👍
Thanks for watching
Thanks for this, Chris, I remember hearing about the Angels when I was very young (seventy or so years ago). As a former soldier I don't actually disbelieve it, I came across some pretty wierd things when I was serving... I'd like it to be true... But who knows?
The Lord knows. 😀
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment.
I've never served - not in the forces anyway - but in living I've been what I would call saved from a couple of situations that looked inevitably fatal - like drowning and an accident. I believe someone looked over me so.......I liked your comment.
A while ago I read the book Thuvia, Maid of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the 4th book in the Barsoom series, written in 1916. In this book there is a city of Red Martians who are almost extinct, but they managed to develop the ability to make anything they imagine become reality, and so they conjure up armies of bowmen to defend themselves from the marauding hordes of four-armed Green Martians. A little later I read the story about the Angels of Mons and suddenly I knew were Edgar Rice Burroughs got that idea from.
Thank you for sharing
Filmaker John Ford once said "When presented with a story of Legend or truth,print the Legend!" Well done as always sir!
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance starring John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin as Liberty Valance.
But in the Babylon 5 TV show, Londo Molari saw nothing.
@@greggweber9967 And the beautiful Vera Miles as Halley. My favourite actress.
@@ThePiratemachine I couldn't think of the name, had to draw the line somewhere, and felt constrained of time. Thanks.
Thanks for watching
Great story! Thanks for retelling it. Lest we forget!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Chris, well told story as always. And very interesting how the human mind works when under extreme pressure.
My ears pricked up when you mentioned the various pals regiments that signed up at the start of the war. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI the names of all the soldiers who signed up in Pompey Pals were sewn into the shirts of the football club. The Pompey Pals, the 14th and 15th battalions of the Hampshire Regiment, recruited heavily at Fratton Park, Portsmouth Football Clubs ground till this date. 1,400 making the ultimate sacrifice. RIP.
A great gesture from the club.
Have a great weekend!!
Great comment. Thanks for posting
Imagine the BEF are the new incarnation of the Angels of Mons, ready to aid a British unit at their dying moment in some far off land?
Interesting thought. Possible novel there.
@@TheHistoryChaphope you cover anglo-marathas or anglo-mysore wars.
Beautifully explained as usual, thank you very much Chris!
My pleasure
"And did those feet in ancient time
Walk along England's mountains green?
And was the Holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?"
A small excerpt from Brother William Blakes 'Jerusalem' that told of where Christ may have traveled during his 'missing years'. England loved it so much, another time and place where miracles may have happened.
Who was the very wise 19th century cleric who said that the answers to the questions in the first verse were No, no, no and no, while the appropriate response to the requests in the second verse was Fetch them yourself!
If people want to sing Jerusalem then knock yourselves out
Just keep it out of Christian worship
He's very lazy in general, you've made that obvious, and good show, but it's hard to make any connection other than that, old trout.
There are four questions in that hymn and the answer to all 4 is No!😅
Another possible story for my production list.
@@mauricefrost8900 it's actually a very important exercise in universal history. Have a little think about Chesterton's Fence
Once again, excellent work, Chris.
Thanks for your support.
Amazing story. Thanks Chris.
Glad you enjoyed it
Fascinating story Chris. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
My great grandfather died from wounds received at the Battle of Mons. He was wounded but didn't die until October 31st a few months later. He fought with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share a little piece of your family History
As someone who studies the Great War, I have never heard this story. You gave an excellent 👏 lesson on the First World War.😊
Glad you enjoyed ot
My favorite British actor, Ronald Colman was wounded at Mons. It destroyed his left ankle and he walked with a severe and painful limp, the rest of his life. You should do a series of British actors and poets, who fought in the first World War. Basil Rathbone, Claude Raine and perhaps the poets Wilfred Owen and Rupert Brooke, the later, I greatly admire. Owen, was killed in action one week before the end of the war. What a waste!
Thanks for sharing
Dont forget Edward Thomas..
Basil Rathbone’s younger brother is buried in France.
Sleep deprivation can play odd tricks on the mind. A friend of mine told me how, while on an arduous exercise and not having slept for 48 hours, he saw a brightly-lit funfair on the Aldershot training area.
Thanks for sharing
My father during his National Service took part in Sleep Deprevation experiments and, when on guard duty, said he saw an Ice Cream van quite clearly come round the corner with the usual music on! Fancying a 99 he reaced for change in his pocket to buy an one, but when he looked up it was gone. He said during these experiments he and some of his mates saw all sorts of things!
There's more to Heaven and Earth, Horatio ...
On the other hand, I've never thought of the First World War as a fight between good and evil.
Thank you for taking the time to comment
Brilliant Chris (yet again!)
Thanks so much!
Gary B
My pleasure. Thank you for watching
A good story to boost morale, all tricks work. 👍👍👍Chris
Absolutely
I believe it is plausible- my reasoning is: when Israel had their 6 day war there are first hand accounts of Israel's enemies claiming to of seen similar things. There are some interviews that were done with those soldiers. They may still be here on RUclips, it was about 10 years ago when I listened to the interviews. I hope for those interested they can find them. It's fascinating
Might be, but I think bad disipline and drugs may have caused that explanation....
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts
Another superb story, thank you and stay well.
Glad you enjoy it. Thanks for watching.
Good story! When I go to heaven and I fully intend to, this story is one of a number of things I intend to ask God about, see if they are true. I hope to see another in-depth video on Mons as it is one of rare times in that point in history where rifles are used closer to their true ranges.
Thanks for watching, Nathan.
@@TheHistoryChap You're Welcome!
I believe anything is possible. Anything. God save us all 😔
My grandfather saw the angel of Mons.He told my grandma about his experience. As he died before I was born I could never ask him about it
Fascinating. I bet you would’ve loved to have heard the story from the man himself.
@@TheHistoryChap as I understood it the smoke above that battle area formed the shape of an angel. Which is probably how the legend started.
My grandfather was in the Cornwalls.
You would know if they were actually at Mons. Please let me know
The "Angels of Mons" story is one of the very first I read about WW I, some time during the 1970's. It was re-told in Swedish Journalist Jan Olof Olsson's or "JOLOS" books entitled "1914" and "Den Okände Soldaten" ("the unknown soldier") which appeared in 1964 and 1969 respectively - they are now seen as classics, and have influenced the Swedish outlook on WW I history ever since. JOLO himself was also a great Anglophile, and did include many first-hand accounts, newspaper clippings, original illustrations etc from British as well as German sources into his books - I stole my father's copies from his studio, and secretly read them in bed...
What a great story. Thanks for sharing.
My maternal grandfather was there... he was a Yorkshireman who only ever left Sheffield to fight. Re the angels, he said "there are bleedin' softies in every walk of life" :)
He would subsequently fight in the Somme - against my other grandfather.
That last bit of your comment is a fascinating little story in its own right.
"Divine Intervention" in battles is "per se" a great subject of study, we portuguese have a number of such legends, since the times of our first king Afonso I. Great video sir, I already knew about this particular episode, the "Angels of Mons", come across it in a book, the tittle, I can not recall just now, but nevertheless congratulations for another excellent information video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing
My grandfather was awarded the Mons Medal. He always asserted that the legend was true and that the army had supernatural support.
Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to share your family story.
I think that's the most diplomatic conclusion I've read! :)
Thank you for watching
That story would make a brilliant film
Interesting idea.
Thx a lot Chris, I like it. Some how I think to remember a similar action from the german Ostfront 1917...? Nice idea, archers and of course the best at their time, vs MG ,I 'm your fan...❤ Best regards from Northern Germany Ludwig.
Thanks for watching Ludwig.
Definitely one of those funny old stories of divine/ghostly interventions but as a moral boast was what the tools needed.
As always great episode
Thanks for watching
My namesake and paternal uncle Charles was there. Upon return from the War, he related to my dad, that he`d seen the Angels. Many may scoff but I choose to believe a miracle happened out there.
Thanks for sharing. Shame some of the comments are so damning in f soldiers like your relative.
The Third Man phenomenon may be responsible for the origin of the story, this psychological effect is well documented amongst climbers, polar explorers and other adventurers. Exhausted, dehydrated and sleep-deprived men have reported the presence of someone or something urging them on, to keep going, to survive. The phenomena has been reported by Sir Ernest Shackleton, Everest climber Reinhold Messner, Joe Simpson (of Touching the Void fame) and many others. TS Elliot includes it in his epic poem The Waste Land;
Who is the third who walks always beside you?
When I count, there are only you and I together
But when I look ahead up the white road
There is always another one walking beside you.
At this point in the poem the protagonists are crossing a desert, exhausted and without water. Psychologists think it may be some kind of survival mechanism and being a sceptic, I'm inclined to agree. It's worth pointing out that the Germans also believed that god was on their side. I nonetheless enjoyed your telling of the story, thanks.
Thanks for commenting
My Irish Guard grandfather had the Mons Star.
Thanks for sharing
Serving with L(Nery) Battery RHA in the 70s it was thought that if there had been an Angel at Mons it was definitely a Gunner Angel.
Chuckling
Soldiers love a good tall tale, we also like to believe that we are on the side of good. Yes many had marched vast distances in the Boer War but many were older reservists recalled, older and out of shape. Add to this that the saving of the BEF was considered a miracle it builds a whole myth. Is it a story, probably but it's a great one. 🇬🇧
Thanks for sharing your thoughts
Fascinating as always Chris.
Thanks for watching. I appreciate your support.
Another very interesting story of British military history. Another story that I have heard for the first time.
Glad you enjoyed it
An excellent video.
Many thanks.
I think it does the British soldiers on the fighting retreat, a great disservice, saying that they were saved by some supernatural event, when in fact, they saved themselves by their own dogged resistance even though they were outgunned, against overwhelming odds, and out flanked.
So I wonder why the British population embraced it with such enthusiasm?
My Grandad on my mothers side told me (when I was about 14) that he was at Mons in 1914. He smiled when I asked him did he see the angels. All he said after that was it wasn’t a nice time. He would not say any more about the First World War.
Never heard that story. Thanks, great episode.
Glad you enjoyed it
I've seen troops so exhausted and hungry after days of sleepless marching that they hallucinated, and no one was shooting us, we were only on training exercises.
Thanks for taking the time to comment
Thank you very much! (from Belgium)
Glad you enjoyed it.
Cor,another sizzler!
Nice work as always.
Very kind of you. If you haven’t already, please make sure you subscribe to my channel, so you don’t miss future videos
I just recently saw video the other day about strange things happening in WW1. In the battle of Ypres, the story goes that soldier saw ghost that closely resembled his friend who had died shortly before, in a trench. The next day or so, the same soldier had another guy with him, the ghost appeared again and pointed at spot in the trench, then disappeared. Soon after a group of soldiers dug in that spot and discovered a tunnel that the Germans had dug, and had bunch of explosives set up.
Thanks for sharing
How haunted are those battlefields?
I mean not just world war one but for how many generations were blood spilled on those grounds.
That's probably half the reason there's so much discord in the world
Interesting thought
My Grandad fought at Mons and wads awarded the Crois de Guerra. He said he was awarded it ( for running away). He was in the R E ,s
Thanks so much for sharing.
The Angels of Mons where the SMLE MK 1 & .303 MK VII SAA Ball plus better rifle training.
Thanks for sharing
At the battle of Mons the British infantry had been trained in a technique of deadly accurate, rapid rifle fire. The Brit soldiers used their little fingers to pull the trigger so they could instantly eject the spent round & fire again. The tightly packed advancing Germans soldiers sometimes as many as three of them struck by the same British bullet piled up high. German soldiers swore that every British soldier at Mons was using a machine gun. The Brits needed to retreat 'cos they were running out of supplies.
Thanks for commenting
The DLI club in Sunderland has a large painting of a single Angel over the battlefield.
Thanks for sharing.
Think this is a great story, the British army saving itself against the odds. Would make a great film.
Probably not PC to make a film like that now🙄
I also had a book on the tales of "le fantastique". Quite enjoyable.
Thanks for watching my video.
Excellent, thanks very much!
My pleasure
Sir, my grandfather was at the battle of Mons. he was part of #13 Ambulance unit responsible for picking up the wounded. He told me in 1965 that many of the soldiers he retrieved kept going on about the angels that defended the British line. He said he did not actually see them himself but heard, not just a few, but many wounded men go on about them. My grandfather was not a religious man but it did make him wonder. Is it by coincidence that the German army, which was winning, suddenly and inexplicably stopped their advance?
Thank you so much for sharing your family story.
This story seems to have influenced the film "Edge Of Tomorrow" , a character was nicknamed "The Angel Of Verdun" :
"Losing battle after battle over five years, the NATO-led United Defense Forces finally win a victory at Verdun, France, utilizing new mechanized "jacket" combat suits. UK Special Forces soldier Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) is hailed as "The Angel of Verdun" after killing hundreds of Mimics single-handedly."
Thanks for taking the time to write
I believe it
Thanks for sharing.
The Dunkirk ''Miracle of Deliverance'' in 1940 might be a good topic for you ? There was a national day of prayer and many Christians believe that Dunkirk was a true miracle. What do you think ?
Someone else has also suggested. I will add to my list.
Arthur Machen was a huge influence not only on Stephen King, but on H.P. Lovecraft as well. Lovecraft was a tremendous fan of Machen's novel The Great God Pan, such that he created his own version of the story with The Dunwich Horror. Through his influence on those two writers alone, Machen is arguably the second most important horror writer to ever live, aside from Poe.
Thanks for watching my video, & your comment.
A Fascinating Story!!!
Thank you.
If there was a supernatural entity capable of intervening in a battle, then perhaps diverting the course of a bullet in Sarajevo may have been more effective.
Interesting perspective.
I think WW1 would have happened regardless, even people at the time observing events in Europe knew it was on the cards. Something else would have triggered it if the Sarajevo assassination hadn't.
Thanks Chris
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
Wonderful
Thank you
Perhaps it was an Army of the Dead raised by Aragorn?
Maybe?
An American vet of WWI, telling the history of the US Army in the post Civil War Indian Wars, compared the Sioux Ghost Dancers to the British at Mons in their desperation for divine intervention.
“An American vet of WW1”. How long was he in France? Four months.
@@tonysmith2721
Read again what be posted. You'll see.
Thanks for sharing
Maybe something otherworldly happened, maybe it didn't; I do believe in God and His angels so I don't rule it out entirely (the ghostly bowmen seem less likely). One thing is for certain: At the going down of the Sun and in the morning we will remember them.
Thanks for taking the time to comment
7:48 this is the proof that it was all not real but came from stories that built up off each other. Memories of smoky battlefields become heavenly visions and such!
From the Theosophy Wiki: "An *egregore* (pronounced egg’ gree gore) is a group thought-form. It can be created either intentionally or unintentionally, and becomes an autonomous entity with the power to influence. A group with a common purpose like a family, a club, a political party, a church, or a country can create an egregore, for better or worse depending upon the type of thought that created it.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Hi sir. Can you cover a story about the Perak War that happened in 1875 in the Malay State of Perak between the British army and the Malay rebels due to the murder of a British administrator named J.W.W. Birch? Thank you sir 😃
I will add to my never-ending list of requests
Thank you for clarifying a story of which I knew nothing other than the name
Thanks for watching my video. If you haven't already, please subscribe to my channel so you don't miss future videos.
I would so love this to be true and I do believe in Angel's as it happens.😇
I hope you enjoyed the video
I heard about the Angels of Mons and have a copy of the Warriors Prayer to Archangel Michael on my office wall
Thanks for sharing
I immediately researched to see if a film or tv series has ever been produced about the Angels of Mons. Looks like one is in preproduction.
Thank you for sharing
My grandfather was in the BEF 2nd Bedfordshire battalion at Mons. He said there were no angels. Sounds a bit like the hysteria that occurred with the radio broadcast War Of The Worlds.
Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to share your family story
Remember reading about it
It has fascinated me since I was about 10 years old.
Same here I read lots kept to myself I do believe something happened I am a former soldier myself paras been out long time now
My WWI uncle gave me a German belt buckle. On it was written: Gott mit Uns. The Germans though that God was on their side. History Chap, thanks for an interesting story.
Glad you enjoyed my video
Don't forget the Protestant Wind for the Armada.
Thanks for your comment & for watching my video.
Angels of mons I think we would all like to belive this story, maybe just maybe it could be true, I'd like to think so but sadly we will never know.
Rather like the Loch Ness monster, it’s probably not true, but a little bit of us wants to believe it is
I wonder if Arthur Machen had 2 Kings 6: 8-17 in mind when he wrote that story.
Interesting thought
@@TheHistoryChap It would explain, perhaps, why so many clergy of the day jumped on the story. It had precedent, of a sort.
Well done. We have something similar
Thanks for commenting
Up there with the “missing battalion” at Gallipoli.
Would that have been the Sandringham Company?
@@chrisholland7367 yes it is.
Another great story.
Interesting story, but I doubt it can be confirmed by German sources....
As far as I recall, Thehistorysquad has a similar video on his channel, while Metatron has one on angels in general....
Thanks for taking the time to share your comment
9:13 Curious about what appear to be ear flaps on the caps of several soldiers in this photo. I've never seen them before. Were they a winter time accessory?
Not sure.
If it was fatigue inspired hallucinations that spread through hungry tired soldiers at the time and not suggestions in the newspapers that played on faulty memories of troop exhausted at the time it was supposed to take place by soldiers probably exhausted while reading the stories. I would say yes these angels and archers did save the army , morale is a funny thing , it can break an well equipped superior force or can make a small almost broken unit fight to the last man and last bullet. Of course maybe it was a supernatural army things can only be proven by physical existence not disproven by a lack of that evidence
I like your take that hallucinations in themselves can raise morale and save an army. Thanks for commenting.
@@TheHistoryChap well don’t know if you ever have seen the tv show M*A*S*H but in one episode they are under friendly artillery fire ( by mistake obviously) and they need something that is in another area , Captain Pierce uncharacteristically goes out and gets it and his response when told ‘ that’s really not like you ‘ is , ‘ sometimes a hero is someone that is tired enough, hungry enough and scared enough, that they just don’t care anymore. ‘
Sometimes the mind will grasp at anything to keep from giving up , it doesn’t devalue the soldier if they get help from unconventional sources whether that source it the almighty or the brain lying to itself.
I believe such stories were the result of wishful thinking AND the need to establish the moral high ground in what was becoming a very nasty war.
But I do consider those men themselves angels... as rugged as they were. The Great War Tommy is a sanctified being in my book.
Thank you for taking the time to comment
Reminiscent of the story of the crucified Canadian. In the last days of the war, it was alleged that German troops had captured a Canadian soldier and nailed him to the side of a barn and left him to die. This was in Belgium. So incensed was the Canadian government that they sent investigators. Everywhere they went, every soldier they interviewed, every farmer, all swore it was true. No, they hadn't seen it themselves, it was always one farm over. But so complete was the believe in this story that even German prisoners of war swore it was true. Conclusion of the invesitgators: no body, no first hand evidence, not true. Some kind of mass hysteria.
It’s amazing how powerful myths and legends can become, even without very much evidence. Loch Ness monster?
"All the little Angels rise up high!" Sing!
Thank you for taking the time to comment
@@TheHistoryChap A soldiers song from 'Night Watch' by Terry Pratchett.
It was an intriguing story, a question without an answer, and now relegated to be whispers of history. I think this will be just like the JFK assassination oh, we will never really know the truth and those who really do know have long since departed our company. Well done my friend another triumph!
Many thanks Harry.
The angel of Mons says more about the christian faith of the soldiers and the public from before the war that would shatter the beliefs of many in it's horrific aftermath.
Espescially since the Germans had "Gott mit uns" on their beltbuckles....
Thanks for posting