The angel of Mons : phantom soldiers and ghostly guardians / David Clarke.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clarke, David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Apparitions.

Mons, 1st Battle of, Mons, Belgium, 1914.

Physical Description:

x, 278 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Chichester ; Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2004.

Summary:

In August 1914, as the British Expeditionary Force marched through Belgium to meet up with French forces, they suddenly and unexpectedly found themselves confronted by the main thrust of the advancing German army. Although they were vastly outnumbered, this highly-trained force of army regulars held off the attack so effectively that the Germans remained unaware of the tiny size of the force that opposed them. It was in these extreme circumstances that the wounded and dying soldiers were said to have seen strange angelic forms in the sky that protected them from slaughter. In the years that followed, tales of 'angels at Mons' were widely reported in the press and quickly spread throughout the Empire. The story entered popular culture with amazing speed and lives on today in folklore and legend. Many veterans of the war and thousands on the Home Front continued to believe in the Angel of Mons for the rest of their lives.

In this fascinating investigation David Clarke examines the history of such wartime legends and explores the likely truth behind the myth.

Contents:

1 The unseen host 16

2 The Battle of Mons 37

3 Rumours of war 67

4 The sinister genius 90

5 The birth of a legend 107

6 Ministering angels 135

7 Angels that refuse to die 157

8 Phantoms of No Man's Land 176

9 The hidden hand 206

10 Myth or miracle? 229

Appendix 'The Bowmen' / Arthur Machen 247.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [251]-266) and index.

ISBN:

0470862777

OCLC:

55587826