"The shrapnel was bursting all round us terribly. We retired as best we could but the losses were enormous"

A private in the Wilts. wounded at Mons, said his regiment had lost nearly half its men.

"The 7th Brigade which includes the Worcestershires, Lancashires Irish Rifles and Wilts, were in the hottest part of the fight and suffered the worse of any. Their ranks had been cut to pieces by shrapnel.

"We were fighting for four days" he said " with about a couple of hours rest each day.

"We started about dinner time on Sunday when, as we were marching along they began to let shrapnel at us. It lasted up till late at night and then we had a couple of hours rest and marched again and as soon as it was light the fighting began again. It was like that each day.

They were too many for us; more than ten to one I should say. They were like a flock of sheep coming on us. They don’t hesitate to keep pushing forward until they come right on top of you. They get along rapidly too. You never know when you are going to fall up against them. They march like blazes.

When their artillery got at us at the short range of 3300 yards the shrapnel was bursting all round us terribly. We retired as best we could but the losses were enormous, One regiment go captured.

"They don't like the bayonet. The sight of it almost makes them take to their heels."