On Tuesday, August 18, the German troops surged down upon Tirlemont, a town twenty miles southeast of Louvain, around which they had been massing for some days, presumably by rail and motor cars.  The stories which had reached the inhabitants of Tirlemont of the happenings at surrounding towns and villages had not added to their peace of mind, and soon the moment for flight arrived.  All kinds of civilians set out towards Brussels and Ghent for refuge.  At times the road was full of carts bearing entire families, with pots and pans swaying and banging against the sides as the vehicles bumped over the roadway.  The younger women, boys and menfolk who had been left in the towns and villages fled on foot.  Priests, officials and Red Cross helpers mingled with the crowd.  This stream of unfortunates uprooted from their homes was thus described by an eyewitness: 

“These masses of broken-hearted people moved silently along, many weeping, few talking.  With them they brought a few of their possessions, as pathetically miscellaneous as the effects one might seize in the panic haste of a hotel fire.  Ox wagons, bundles and babies on dog-drawn carts or on men’s backs, bicycles and handcarts laden with kitchen utensils, all mingled with the human stream.  Here were to be seen sewing machines, beds, bedding, food, and there a little girl or boy with some toy clasped uncomprehendingly in a dirty hand; they also knew that danger threatened and that they must save what they held most dear.  And even among these unhappy people there were some more unfortunate than the others—­men and women who had no bundle, children who had no doll.  All the way to Louvain there flowed this human stream of misery.  Back along the Tirlemont road rifle firing could be heard and entrenchments were to be seen in the town itself.”

These scenes between Tirlemont and Louvain were typical of those on every road leading to the larger cities of Belgium as the inhabitants fled before the approach of the dreaded Uhlans.

FALL OF NAMUR

On the afternoon of Sunday, August 23, the fortress of Namur was evacuated by the Belgians, and the town was later occupied by the Germans.

The fortress was said to be as strong as Liege and it owed its importance in the present war to the fact that it was the apex of the two French flanks.  One ran from Namur to Charleroi and the other by Givet to Mezieres.

Warned by their experiences at Liege, the Germans made most determined efforts against Namur.  From the north, south and east they were able to bring up their big guns unhindered, and by assaults at Charleroi and Dinant they endeavored to break the sides of the French triangle.  Namur finally collapsed but clever strategy enabled the French to fall back upon their main lines.

The fall of Namur, nevertheless, was a decided blow to the allies.  This was admitted by the French minister of war, who said at midnight Monday, August 24, of the failure of the “Namur triangle”: