“While the bulk of the brigade swerved to the right the others held on and rode full tilt into wire entanglements buried in the grass thirty yards in front of the machine guns, and were made prisoners.  Three regiments of the best cavalry in the British went into the charge, and suffered severely.  The 18th Hussars and the 4th Dragoons also suffered, but not to the same extent as the others.

“A happy feature of the charge was the gallant conduct of Captain Grenfell, who, though twice wounded, called for volunteers and saved the guns.  It is said that he has been recommended for the Victoria Cross.

“After this terrible ordeal the British brigade was harassed for fourteen days of retreat, the enemy giving them rest neither day nor night.  At 2 o’clock each morning they were roused by artillery fire, and every day they fought a retiring action, pursued relentlessly by the guns.

“It was a wonderful retreat.  Daily the cavalry begged to be allowed to go for the enemy in force to recover lost ground, but only once were they permitted to taste that joy, at the village of Lassigny, which they passed and repassed three times.

“The Germans made repeated efforts, which were always foiled, to capture the retreating transport.  It had, however, many narrow escapes.  At one point it escaped by a furious gallop which enabled the wagons to cross a bridge less than an hour ahead of the enemy.  The engineers had mined the bridge and were waiting to blow it up.  They sent a hurry-up call to the transport, and the latter responded with alacrity.  The bridge was blown up just in time to separate the two forces.  “At Compiegne the brigade for the first time saw and welcomed their French brothers-in-arms.”

BOY SCOUT HERO OF THE WAR

One of the popular heroes of Belgium is Boy Scout Leysen, who has been decorated by King Albert for his valor and devotion to his country.

This young man, who was born at Liege, is described as of almost uncanny sharpness, with senses and perceptions as keen as an Indian.  He was able to find his way through the woods and pass the German sentinels with unerring accuracy.

Leysen made his way through the German lines from Antwerp for the tenth time on Sunday, September 6, carrying dispatches to secret representatives of the Belgian government in Brussels.  He discovered and denounced eleven German spies in Belgium, and performed a variety of other services, and all without impairing his boyish simplicity.

KAISER ASKS FOR PRAYERS

After the first three weeks of war, Emperor William requested the supreme council of the Evangelical Church throughout the German empire to include the following prayer in the liturgy at all public services during the war: 

“Almighty and most merciful God, God of the armies, we beseech Thee in humility for Thy almighty aid for German Fatherland.  Bless our forces of war; lead us to victory and give us grace that we may show ourselves to be Christians toward our enemies as well.  Let us soon arrive at a peace which will everlastingly safeguard our free and independent Germany.”