Explaining The Angelic Intervention In The Battle of Mons 1914

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  • čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
  • The Angels of Mons - A First World War Story
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    In August 1914, as the British Expeditionary Force conducted a fighting retreat from the Germans following the Battle of Mons, a strange story began to circulate.
    Outnumbered and in danger of being overrun by the Kaiser’s army, the British were saved by a supernatural army that descended on the advancing Germans.
    Some said this army consisted of English bowmen from Agincourt, others claimed that it was winged angels led by St. George or the Archangel Michael.
    But what was the truth?
    This is the story of the Angels of Mons.
    Chapters
    0:00 Intro
    1:15 The battle of Mons
    2:05 Retreat from Mons
    2:51 Ghostly Archers
    5:12 Angels of Mons
    6:43 Fact v Fiction
    9:38 God as Propaganda
    12:03 Maybe God did smile
    #angelsofmons #battleofmons #ww1
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    / thehistorychap
    My name is Chris Green and I love to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.
    History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
    So rather than lectures or CZcams animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.
    My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"
    Just for the record, I do have a history degree in Medieval & Modern history from the University of Birmingham.
    Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.

Komentáře • 451

  • @ropeburnsrussell
    @ropeburnsrussell Před 9 měsíci +137

    The British army has always been saved by angels.
    They are called noncommisioned officers.

    • @kenattwood8060
      @kenattwood8060 Před 9 měsíci +19

      Thanks for the compliment: I've never been called an 'angel' before... It was usually something more pointed.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 9 měsíci +9

      Good shout!

    • @mebymyself2816
      @mebymyself2816 Před 9 měsíci +9

      @@kenattwood8060 it was normally beginning with B and ending in D said when they thought you might not hear or get away with it.

    • @ThePiratemachine
      @ThePiratemachine Před 9 měsíci +7

      My Dad would have found that quite amusing.

    • @aaropajari7058
      @aaropajari7058 Před 9 měsíci +6

      I couldn't agree more if I tried a thousand years. Superb!

  • @adrianwoodward6781
    @adrianwoodward6781 Před 8 měsíci +28

    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.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Thanks for sharing

    • @adrianwoodward6781
      @adrianwoodward6781 Před 8 měsíci

      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.

  • @Liam1304
    @Liam1304 Před 9 měsíci +59

    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.

    • @beachcomber1able
      @beachcomber1able Před 8 měsíci +1

      You must be simple if you believe in deities and angels.

    • @Liam1304
      @Liam1304 Před 8 měsíci +9

      @@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
      @beachcomber1able Před 8 měsíci +1

      @@Liam1304 What exactly have you seen and will you be taking the James Randi challenge?

    • @Liam1304
      @Liam1304 Před 8 měsíci +7

      @@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

    • @beachcomber1able
      @beachcomber1able Před 8 měsíci +1

      @@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.

  • @robertbarfoot741
    @robertbarfoot741 Před 9 měsíci +14

    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.

  • @johnbrereton5229
    @johnbrereton5229 Před 8 měsíci +3

    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 ! 🌹🇬🇧

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci +1

      What incredible service

    • @mikeycraig8970
      @mikeycraig8970 Před 22 dny +1

      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.

  • @davidrudd9846
    @davidrudd9846 Před 9 měsíci +23

    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

  • @jhnshep
    @jhnshep Před 9 měsíci +11

    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.

  • @rextucker3184
    @rextucker3184 Před 9 měsíci +7

    "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.

    • @mauricefrost8900
      @mauricefrost8900 Před 9 měsíci +2

      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

    • @rextucker3184
      @rextucker3184 Před 9 měsíci

      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.

    • @anthonyeaton5153
      @anthonyeaton5153 Před 8 měsíci +1

      There are four questions in that hymn and the answer to all 4 is No!😅

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci +1

      Another possible story for my production list.

  • @crunch4308
    @crunch4308 Před 9 měsíci +22

    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

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 9 měsíci +2

      French soldiers claim to have seen similar ghosts led by Joan of Arc.

    • @Hartley_Hare
      @Hartley_Hare Před 9 měsíci +4

      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.

    • @olwens1368
      @olwens1368 Před 9 měsíci +2

      Not at all. And its a good story.

    • @stephenbaker7079
      @stephenbaker7079 Před 8 měsíci +1

      @@Hartley_Hare I don't find it hard to believe!

  • @isengard1500
    @isengard1500 Před 9 měsíci +29

    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?

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 9 měsíci +3

      Interesting thought. Possible novel there.

    • @SafavidAfsharid3197
      @SafavidAfsharid3197 Před 9 měsíci +1

      ​@@TheHistoryChaphope you cover anglo-marathas or anglo-mysore wars.

  • @ThePiratemachine
    @ThePiratemachine Před 9 měsíci +15

    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."

    • @ytxmak
      @ytxmak Před 9 měsíci +2

      Pity 'god' didn't lift a divine finger to help those 6 millions murdered in the Holocaust, right?

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Thanks for sharing

    • @matthewstott1661
      @matthewstott1661 Před 8 měsíci +1

      ​@@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.

  • @mebymyself2816
    @mebymyself2816 Před 9 měsíci +10

    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.

  • @kenattwood8060
    @kenattwood8060 Před 9 měsíci +16

    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?

    • @KopperNeoman
      @KopperNeoman Před 9 měsíci +1

      The Lord knows. 😀

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 9 měsíci +1

      Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment.

    • @ThePiratemachine
      @ThePiratemachine Před 9 měsíci +1

      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.

  • @aBRUSHforCONFUCIUS
    @aBRUSHforCONFUCIUS Před 9 měsíci +8

    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!

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci +1

      Thanks for sharing

    • @davidreid8075
      @davidreid8075 Před 8 měsíci +1

      Dont forget Edward Thomas..

    • @vixtex
      @vixtex Před 8 měsíci +1

      Basil Rathbone’s younger brother is buried in France.

  • @dougearnest7590
    @dougearnest7590 Před 9 měsíci +4

    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.

  • @Johnny-Thunder
    @Johnny-Thunder Před 9 měsíci +12

    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.

  • @wilsontheconqueror8101
    @wilsontheconqueror8101 Před 9 měsíci +4

    Filmaker John Ford once said "When presented with a story of Legend or truth,print the Legend!" Well done as always sir!

    • @greggweber9967
      @greggweber9967 Před 9 měsíci +1

      The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance starring John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin as Liberty Valance.

    • @greggweber9967
      @greggweber9967 Před 9 měsíci

      But in the Babylon 5 TV show, Londo Molari saw nothing.

    • @ThePiratemachine
      @ThePiratemachine Před 9 měsíci

      @@greggweber9967 And the beautiful Vera Miles as Halley. My favourite actress.

    • @greggweber9967
      @greggweber9967 Před 9 měsíci

      @@ThePiratemachine I couldn't think of the name, had to draw the line somewhere, and felt constrained of time. Thanks.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Thanks for watching

  • @Frank_nwobhm
    @Frank_nwobhm Před 9 měsíci +3

    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

  • @BoerChris
    @BoerChris Před 9 měsíci +2

    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.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci +1

      Thanks for sharing

    • @BradBrassman
      @BradBrassman Před 8 měsíci +1

      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!

  • @sobieski478
    @sobieski478 Před 9 měsíci +7

    Fantastic content.
    A part of me really wants the "Angels/Archers of Mons" were real.
    Keep up the good work. 👍

  • @davidberlanny3308
    @davidberlanny3308 Před 9 měsíci +3

    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!!

  • @georgegeyer3431
    @georgegeyer3431 Před 9 měsíci +4

    As someone who studies the Great War, I have never heard this story. You gave an excellent 👏 lesson on the First World War.😊

  • @AlbertComelles1970
    @AlbertComelles1970 Před 9 měsíci +4

    Beautifully explained as usual, thank you very much Chris!

  • @martinhogg5337
    @martinhogg5337 Před 9 měsíci +2

    Great story! Thanks for retelling it. Lest we forget!

  • @peterbarker3433
    @peterbarker3433 Před 9 měsíci +2

    Once again, excellent work, Chris.

  • @heinzh5687
    @heinzh5687 Před 9 měsíci +5

    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 CZcams, it was about 10 years ago when I listened to the interviews. I hope for those interested they can find them. It's fascinating

    • @Lassisvulgaris
      @Lassisvulgaris Před 9 měsíci

      Might be, but I think bad disipline and drugs may have caused that explanation....

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts

  • @minuteman4199
    @minuteman4199 Před 9 měsíci +3

    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.

  • @Thomo2461
    @Thomo2461 Před 9 měsíci +2

    Amazing story. Thanks Chris.

  • @Katmando376
    @Katmando376 Před 9 měsíci +2

    Fascinating story Chris. Thank you

  • @bensalfield397
    @bensalfield397 Před 8 měsíci +1

    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.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      That last bit of your comment is a fascinating little story in its own right.

  • @gabrielrousseau958
    @gabrielrousseau958 Před 9 měsíci

    Fascinating as always Chris.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Thanks for watching. I appreciate your support.

  • @richardshowers
    @richardshowers Před 9 měsíci +2

    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.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 9 měsíci

      Interesting perspective.

    • @simonh6371
      @simonh6371 Před 9 měsíci

      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.

  • @garybroad4092
    @garybroad4092 Před 9 měsíci

    Brilliant Chris (yet again!)
    Thanks so much!
    Gary B

  • @peterwilson5528
    @peterwilson5528 Před 9 měsíci +4

    My Irish Guard grandfather had the Mons Star.

  • @williamtraynor-kean7214
    @williamtraynor-kean7214 Před 9 měsíci +3

    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.

  • @stigg333
    @stigg333 Před 9 měsíci +1

    Another superb story, thank you and stay well.

  • @paulwilson7234
    @paulwilson7234 Před 9 měsíci +2

    An excellent video.

  • @FilipDePreter
    @FilipDePreter Před 9 měsíci

    Never heard that story. Thanks, great episode.

  • @joeritchie4554
    @joeritchie4554 Před 9 měsíci +2

    Another very interesting story of British military history. Another story that I have heard for the first time.

  • @icecoffee1361
    @icecoffee1361 Před 9 měsíci +1

    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

  • @janlindtner305
    @janlindtner305 Před 9 měsíci +1

    A good story to boost morale, all tricks work. 👍👍👍Chris

  • @chrisoffer3074
    @chrisoffer3074 Před 9 měsíci +2

    That story would make a brilliant film

  • @ColonelBummleigh
    @ColonelBummleigh Před 6 měsíci

    Cor,another sizzler!
    Nice work as always.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 6 měsíci

      Very kind of you. If you haven’t already, please make sure you subscribe to my channel, so you don’t miss future videos

  • @carlospagi
    @carlospagi Před 9 měsíci

    Excellent, thanks very much!

  • @vonsprague7913
    @vonsprague7913 Před 9 měsíci +2

    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. 🇬🇧

  • @Ro6entX
    @Ro6entX Před 8 měsíci +1

    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.

  • @philiphughes2780
    @philiphughes2780 Před 2 měsíci

    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.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 2 měsíci

      Thank you so much for taking the time to share a little piece of your family History

  • @formwiz7096
    @formwiz7096 Před 9 měsíci +2

    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.

    • @tonysmith2721
      @tonysmith2721 Před 9 měsíci

      “An American vet of WW1”. How long was he in France? Four months.

    • @Frank_nwobhm
      @Frank_nwobhm Před 9 měsíci

      ​@@tonysmith2721
      Read again what be posted. You'll see.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Thanks for sharing

  • @erikM64
    @erikM64 Před 8 měsíci +1

    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...

  • @josephforrest9472
    @josephforrest9472 Před 9 měsíci +2

    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.

  • @charlesarmstrong5292
    @charlesarmstrong5292 Před 8 měsíci +1

    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.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Thanks for sharing. Shame some of the comments are so damning in f soldiers like your relative.

  • @markdonovan500
    @markdonovan500 Před 9 měsíci +5

    Think this is a great story, the British army saving itself against the odds. Would make a great film.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Probably not PC to make a film like that now🙄

  • @awedgewood
    @awedgewood Před 9 měsíci +2

    I think that's the most diplomatic conclusion I've read! :)

  • @brucekinghorn4961
    @brucekinghorn4961 Před 4 měsíci

    My grandfather was awarded the Mons Medal. He always asserted that the legend was true and that the army had supernatural support.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 2 měsíci

      Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to share your family story.

  • @mishadeschreider8267
    @mishadeschreider8267 Před 4 měsíci

    Thank you very much! (from Belgium)

  • @georgebailey98
    @georgebailey98 Před 9 měsíci +3

    Perhaps it was an Army of the Dead raised by Aragorn?

  • @FranciscoPreira
    @FranciscoPreira Před 9 měsíci +1

    "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.

  • @davymckeown4577
    @davymckeown4577 Před 9 měsíci +4

    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.

  • @davidwoods7720
    @davidwoods7720 Před 9 měsíci

    Thanks Chris

  • @xvdd1
    @xvdd1 Před 9 měsíci +2

    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."

  • @ludwigderzanker9767
    @ludwigderzanker9767 Před 9 měsíci +2

    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.

  • @nathanappleby5342
    @nathanappleby5342 Před 9 měsíci +7

    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
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 9 měsíci

      Thanks for watching, Nathan.

    • @nathanappleby5342
      @nathanappleby5342 Před 9 měsíci

      @@TheHistoryChap You're Welcome!

    • @krupadrum
      @krupadrum Před 8 měsíci +1

      I believe anything is possible. Anything. God save us all 😔

  • @malcolmboyd3503
    @malcolmboyd3503 Před 7 měsíci

    Wonderful

  • @caractacusbrittania7442
    @caractacusbrittania7442 Před 8 měsíci +1

    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.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      So I wonder why the British population embraced it with such enthusiasm?

  • @user-yx6ry5ow2r
    @user-yx6ry5ow2r Před 8 měsíci

    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.

  • @deeperry8341
    @deeperry8341 Před 7 měsíci

    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

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 7 měsíci

      Fascinating. I bet you would’ve loved to have heard the story from the man himself.

    • @deeperry8341
      @deeperry8341 Před 7 měsíci

      @@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

  • @NigelDeForrest-Pearce-cv6ek
    @NigelDeForrest-Pearce-cv6ek Před 9 měsíci

    A Fascinating Story!!!

  • @casperdog777
    @casperdog777 Před 9 měsíci +2

    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 ?

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Someone else has also suggested. I will add to my list.

  • @aa64912
    @aa64912 Před 9 měsíci +7

    I believe it

  • @michael5265
    @michael5265 Před 9 měsíci +3

    The Angels of Mons where the SMLE MK 1 & .303 MK VII SAA Ball plus better rifle training.

  • @LeslieDevoe
    @LeslieDevoe Před 3 měsíci

    I also had a book on the tales of "le fantastique". Quite enjoyable.

  • @alanelliott3608
    @alanelliott3608 Před 5 měsíci

    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?

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 5 měsíci

      Thank you so much for sharing your family story.

  • @nehemiahmathews8683
    @nehemiahmathews8683 Před 9 měsíci +1

    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

  • @sasapetrovic1084
    @sasapetrovic1084 Před 9 měsíci

    Well done. We have something similar

  • @billydonaldson6483
    @billydonaldson6483 Před 8 měsíci +1

    The DLI club in Sunderland has a large painting of a single Angel over the battlefield.

  • @claykennedy6790
    @claykennedy6790 Před měsícem

    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.

  • @philipnorris6542
    @philipnorris6542 Před 9 měsíci +4

    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.

  • @Mriss10
    @Mriss10 Před 9 měsíci +2

    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 😃

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      I will add to my never-ending list of requests

  • @Al-iv3mb
    @Al-iv3mb Před 4 měsíci

    Thank you for clarifying a story of which I knew nothing other than the name

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 3 měsíci +1

      Thanks for watching my video. If you haven't already, please subscribe to my channel so you don't miss future videos.

  • @SSGTStryker
    @SSGTStryker Před 8 měsíci

    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.

  • @lindafox5612
    @lindafox5612 Před 3 měsíci

    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.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 3 měsíci +1

      Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to share your family story

  • @nairbvel
    @nairbvel Před 9 měsíci +1

    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.

  • @jona.scholt4362
    @jona.scholt4362 Před 8 měsíci

    When I think of a ghostly, supernatural army, I immediately think of the ghostly army in Return of the King.

  • @michaelmalone9062
    @michaelmalone9062 Před 3 měsíci

    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.

  • @johna1160
    @johna1160 Před 9 měsíci

    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?

  • @jon9021
    @jon9021 Před 9 měsíci

    Up there with the “missing battalion” at Gallipoli.

  • @recusantpiper
    @recusantpiper Před 9 měsíci +1

    I wonder if Arthur Machen had 2 Kings 6: 8-17 in mind when he wrote that story.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Interesting thought

    • @recusantpiper
      @recusantpiper Před 8 měsíci

      @@TheHistoryChap It would explain, perhaps, why so many clergy of the day jumped on the story. It had precedent, of a sort.

  • @user-xh3lz9xt4l
    @user-xh3lz9xt4l Před 9 měsíci +1

    I heard about the Angels of Mons and have a copy of the Warriors Prayer to Archangel Michael on my office wall

  • @davidcollins2648
    @davidcollins2648 Před 9 měsíci +2

    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.

    • @Lassisvulgaris
      @Lassisvulgaris Před 9 měsíci

      Espescially since the Germans had "Gott mit uns" on their beltbuckles....

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Thanks for posting

  • @jimmyoconnell6167
    @jimmyoconnell6167 Před 9 měsíci +1

    Remember reading about it

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 9 měsíci +2

      It has fascinated me since I was about 10 years old.

    • @jimmyoconnell6167
      @jimmyoconnell6167 Před 9 měsíci

      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

  • @Tim67620
    @Tim67620 Před 9 měsíci

    "All the little Angels rise up high!" Sing!

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci +1

      Thank you for taking the time to comment

    • @Tim67620
      @Tim67620 Před 8 měsíci

      @@TheHistoryChap A soldiers song from 'Night Watch' by Terry Pratchett.

  • @carausiuscaesar5672
    @carausiuscaesar5672 Před 9 měsíci +1

    I wonder if the Germans had a similar story of ghosts helping to stop the brutal British war machine.

  • @simon112
    @simon112 Před 9 měsíci +2

    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.

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci +1

      Rather like the Loch Ness monster, it’s probably not true, but a little bit of us wants to believe it is

  • @Lassisvulgaris
    @Lassisvulgaris Před 9 měsíci +1

    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....

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Thanks for taking the time to share your comment

  • @ebf5026
    @ebf5026 Před 7 měsíci

    Bedknobs and broomsticks!!

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 7 měsíci

      Great film, especially when the Germans are defeated by the ghostly army at the end. Also enjoyed seeing Bruce Forsyth as the gangster

  • @70galaxie
    @70galaxie Před 7 měsíci

    ah remember a song Ghost Writers in the Sky

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 7 měsíci

      I wonder if the story inspired them, even slightly?

    • @70galaxie
      @70galaxie Před 7 měsíci

      ​@@TheHistoryChap inspiration is a bit of an inverted pyramid. Rudolph the
      red-nosed reindeer,1948 for example.
      I adore good acts of faith. I loathe
      falsehood. Really became greatly
      interested in the true & discovery of
      the not true,in about 1973(Roe vs
      Wade),I was 12

  • @jackpayne5101
    @jackpayne5101 Před 8 měsíci +1

    I would so love this to be true and I do believe in Angel's as it happens.😇

  • @pjmoseley243
    @pjmoseley243 Před 8 měsíci

    My comrade in arms in the 1960s believes it to be true, He claims his grandfather witnessed the angels of mons and they fired arrows at the enemy, but why should this be so?

  • @the.parks.of.no.return
    @the.parks.of.no.return Před 8 měsíci

    The story ive read years ago was that the smoke of guns rose above the battlefield to form two large angels

    • @TheHistoryChap
      @TheHistoryChap  Před 8 měsíci

      Might be true, who knows?

    • @the.parks.of.no.return
      @the.parks.of.no.return Před 8 měsíci

      @TheHistoryChap I think I might have read it in a letters section of a newspaper 30 years ago

  • @timgodderis1918
    @timgodderis1918 Před 9 měsíci

    "When the Winged Husars arrived" --- dixit Sabaton