The Angel of Mons | A Supernatural World War One Story

[@chrisryan3770]

My Great Grandfather was at Mons and he told my father that he never saw any angels, he only saw Hell before him. He went on to also take part in the Battle of Jaffa in 1917 with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. He apparently wouldn’t say anything about that but he never ate another orange as long as he lived. It wasn’t until a few years ago when researching the battle that we learned why. His unit had crossed the river with the rest of the Scots regiments in darkness and silence before putting several hundred Ottoman Turks to the bayonet in the orange groves without a single shot fired so as not to alert the Turkish artillery above them. Apparently the orange trees and ground around them was soaked in blood. He spent the rest of his life as a labourer and carter in Dundee. It’s astonishing what such ordinary people can do when they’re called upon to serve.

[@thehistorysquad]

What a lovely story of your Great Grandfather Chris, thank you.

[@bobwishart8780]

Chris….your great grandfather was no ordinary man….we owe our lives to such men….thank you!

[@valerieenglish1003]

@@thehistorysquad I wouldn't call that A "Lovely" story..... but that's war for you!! Let's not forget that the Turks were warned to get out of God's allotment before 1914.... Within the 50th Year Jubilee of 1917-1918 TE Laurence and our Arabian brotherhood had managed to clear the Jordan and take Aqaba: this cleared the way to Jerusalem and freed the Holy Land of 400 years of Islamic rule! A SIGN of the end of the 1st WORLD WAR and begining of the FIG TREE NATION of Jews!

[@anthonyfrancisco7860]

@@valerieenglish1003 thank you for your service

[@kateorwell7203]

Now you know why your grandfather never talked about it. Many men went mad, or became skocking alcoholics trying to forget what they were forced to do (by protected generals), to other human beings. The horror of it, and memories was too much for them. Still happening to most soldiers today. Mind you a percentage thrive on killing and torturing, they are psychopathic and join up in hopes of having opportunity. All common soldiers today have a choice. Say NO, or kill and be killed, and for what, so that Klaus Schwab and his friends can get richer, own more property and totally control populations. What the police and soldiers don't understand, is that "control" includes them, their wives, children and extended families.

[@elainewalker4740]

My grandfather fought in the battle of Mons and saw the angels. He said that the fighting stopped while they passed over. After a few minutes the firing started again.

[@breakablehandlewithcare]

" the fighting stopped while they passed over " ......i am so moved by this image. Thank you 🌹

[@michaelhayman2549]

Hi, yeah that sounds right. I can just imagine everything going quiet as it happened, then everyone going that was weird now back to the job at hand.😂

[@michaelhayman2549]

Wow. Glad your grandad survived to tell the tale Elaine.

[@catherinewilliams3850]

I remember my mum telling me her dad said the same, I never knew my grandad as he passed away when I was about 6 months old.

[@devonbradley4372]

Wow! I wish I could have spoken to your grandfather about the battle of Mons and the angels. How blessed you were to hear his story. Take care.

[@wolfgangholtzclaw2637]

Good one Kevin, I am former Infantryman US Army, Vietnam Era.. you are right a 25 mile march in uniform with your kit is horrible!!! You never want to do it, and having done it, I hope I never do it again, but these guys had to pull out, it was march or die. So glad you said it... back against the wall but we aren't finished. I have seen an Angel too in Korea in 1977 on the DMZ... It is true, God loves the soldiers.

[@thehistorysquad]

Great comment Wolfgang, thanks 👍🏻

[@sgtbender1335]

Former Infantryman here as well, but I have seen angels and demons along the way. It started when I was very young. The angel I saw was the most spectacular thing I've ever seen. He stood an average height around six feet. He and his clothes seemed to be made solely of an intensely bright golden light, but that light did not emanate outward at all. The light was contained within the defined features of his body and clothing as though the light itself was the material from which they were formed. He visited after about a year of desperate prayer for God to defend us from the demons that haunted me during the nights. When I woke that night instead of demons I saw the angel staring down at my brother who was sleeping about 10-15 feet over, and he turned his head and looked directly at me when I stopped in the doorway. The demons never returned. I did however see/hallucinate a laughing demonic face right in front of me when a suicide bomber turned his vbied directly towards my humvee at high speed during a patrol. There was no time to react, and we were blocked in and unable to evade anyway. I accepted my death, but was still pissed off at the demonic face laughing at my imminent demise. I guess God's angels were still watching over me, because the vbied failed to detonate. The were several times during that first trip to Iraq that hardened atheists took a more agnostic approach when they said, "I don't know who or what, but there is obviously a higher power looking after you..." and, "...it's like the hand of God is around you (protecting me) when we're out there." I have struggled with things like everyone else, and I have regrets for decisions/actions throughout life in which I would feel unworthy of a guardian angel, but I am reminded the Bible says of God, "...He is good. His mercy endureth forever." I am grateful for God's protection, and I try to live in a worthy way according to the Golden Rule (do unto others as ye would they do unto you). Not to earn a worthy status, but out of gratitude for God's mercy and protection, and to spread the love and good news of God's incredible long-suffering mercy/forgiveness/love.

[@wolfgangholtzclaw2637]

@@sgtbender1335 God loves the soldier thanks for your miracle and miracles you shared. I feel God intervenes much more often with soldiers, alas, they don't say cause who is going to believe them.... Peace and Love Bender!!!

[@sarahschmidt4177]

@@sgtbender1335 Beautiful testimony. You are God's child; He created you. You are important to Him and to the world. God bless you always.

[@donmac5918]

@@thehistorysquad Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”…….

[@libertycowboy2495]

I'm a U.S. Army vet, and have huge respect for my Brit brothers! Tough buggers!

[@thehistorysquad]

Haha, nice one. One of my heroes in history is Mahatma Gandhi, I was thinking about doing a film one day on his early life. What do you think?

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Kevin, I can attest to the fact that fatigue, etc., does cause hallucinations. In the early 1980s I went through USAF special survival training, which included an extended time in solitary confinement in a very small cell. No light, very cold, wet floor, no clothing or blanket. Being deprived of sleep, food and water, I saw things and heard things in there that were not there. But they *were* there. Thanks to you and your lovely wife and son for presenting these amazing videos.

[@thehistorysquad]

Not a nice experience, I've experienced them too, but not under such extreme conditions. 👍🏻

[@Stormbringer2012]

I saw a guy fight a tree in the field when I was in the army (no sleep, fatigued, cold, and hungry). He said he fought it because he claimed, it tried to snatch his weapon. Funny thing is that the branches of the tree were wrapped around his m16.

[@scottashe984]

I spent a whole year in solitary confinement. I didn't go crazy but I became a hermit and have reoccurring realistic nightmares about being in that cell. Part of you never leaves...

[@lindalumae]

@@scottashe984 Wow! I’m an extreme introvert and live like a hermit but I don’t think I could do solitary. I at least have my pets and can call friends and family whenever I’m in the mood. But forced isolation for a year? No thanks. I’m glad you survived although it seems you still have the scars.

[@russhoover6768]

I went through Sear school in the 90's and am glad I did. Even though it was not the whole nine yards (They did not shoot or hang anyone) it pushed me to my limits and then some and I came out stronger for it. One thing I did was sing hymns and recite the Bible in my mind. The human mind is a very fragile thing I heard the guards coming and talking when no one was there.

[@materakoczi2519]

Its like the battle of Edgehill in 1642. Months after that battle, shepherds reported they were seeing the battle with screams, weapons clashing. Its creepy, looks like some historical events "replay themselves" over time.

[@00Kuja00]

Or shell shocked, trauma.

[@46templar]

I also heard one Christmas at Edge Hill the battle could be seen in the sky and a horse man goes through the local pub

[@thomaszaccone3960]

Absolutely. I totally agree.

[@bobreaper2142]

Interesting

[@dennisnicholson952]

Look up what I have heard called the "stone/tape theory" The basic idea is that natural materials, such as wood and stone can somehow absorb elements of dramatic and/or traumatic events.

[@denislacombe4103]

I am French and i do believe that soldiers saw strange things coming from heaven on the battlefield of Mons!!! No.hallucinations at all !!! Thank you for your very interesting video Sir !!! God Bless !!! Denis from France

[@thehistorysquad]

Merci Denis 👍🏻

[@petegriffiths8239]

'SIR??!! SIR??!!! NEVER CALL A NON COMMISSIONED OFFICER (Private, Lance - Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant) SIR!!!!! WE work for a Fucking living!!!

[@kimthetruthofit6965]

I will always have my eyes open to God's wonders and signs Our Lord told us of many for the end times And while some believers can be doubtful almost cynical I will always have my eyes open for a miracle. For Our Living God does not just live on the pages of a book but omni present omnipotent we only need look. From the beginning to the end Eternity is His Reign All Glory and Honour over over His Dominion and Majesty Let us always see creation through faith truth and clarity. 🙏

[@kimthetruthofit6965]

No coincidence God is real 🙏

[@jake8855]

Why didn't the angels help out in 1940?

[@gwynbetts29]

My grandfather was in the Welsh Fusiliers in WW1. Later in life he lost his short term memory due to anaesthesia, but his long term memory was not compromised. Often my Dad would visit him in a nursing home, however Grandad didn’t recognise him as his son but rather one of his army mates and would recount soldier stories.

[@scottyb68]

I too have lost much of my short stage memory because of too much anesthesia. It's a living hell. Your granddad suffered. Hopefully he found rest in death.

[@WhatIsYourMalfunction]

As a newly minted nurse in 1995 I was working at a VA hospital that also had a nursing home "wing". One of the last dough boys was there. he was deaf and barely knew we were there but he loved to sit in the hall or veranda and watch people walk by. I knew I was seeing history pass by. I wanted to ask so many questions but he didn't respond much, and I didn't want to pry.

[@thehistorysquad]

Gosh, I've often wished I'd asked more questions too 👍🏻

[@thomasjorge4734]

Thank you for your service and your great respect for his.

[@MariVictorius]

What is a dough boy, please?

[@jamesmccarthy5086]

@@MariVictorius the Americans in wwi. That was the nickname they were given

[@The_ZeroLine]

@@MariVictoriusPeople thought they were covered in ash and looked like dough boys. But in fact, most US GIs spent the war kneading dough.

[@jayhaack2883]

I've heard dozens of versions of the "Angel of Mons" story from many sources and from different perspectives. Your telling of the tale is the most authentic and explanatory.

[@thehistorysquad]

That's kind Jay, thank you 👍🏻

[@solidus_reaver4381]

@@thehistorysquad Thank you also for your service to our country ❤🇬🇧

[@ginnysnyder9703]

The Battle of Gettysburg, PA, USA was a most horrible battle in the Civil War. Many, many men died on both sides. It is believed to be one of the most haunted places in America today. They say you can hear horses, yells,screams of men in pain at night. I love this Channel ! I love history ! I love European history!! ! My ancestors came from the England, Scotland, Wales, Germany...so I qualify !! God Bless !!!

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks Ginny, I'm glad you're enjoying the channel.

[@marilyntaylor9577]

Ditto Ginny. History was my minor in college, but I’m French, English as far as you can know in the US. I feel like I’ve been sitting around a roaring fire listening to a wonderful storyteller.

[@kmdn1]

I thought the Battle of Gettysburg, in PA was in the American Revolutionary War, not the Civil War? I should know, I'm American and actually live near Gettysburg, I've visited the site of the battle, but now I'm questioning myself!

[@jamesmccarthy5086]

@@kmdn1 correct. It was the civil war. I don’t know if it would’ve been as big of a battle then if it was during the revolution. And if I lived near Gettysburg I’d be there every day lol

[@stephenlamley541]

So glad you differentiated the fact the UK is multiple countries it annoys me when people say the country and then say gb. It's not a country same with forms country uk. Erm no. Silly i know. I'm very specific Asperger's for you.

[@lazyorangehousecat9164]

Canadian, thirty-eight years old. They didn't bother to teach us about the World Wars too much in school. KZbin has been amazing for learning - sometimes from film of actual WWI veterans. I love your stories. Thank you for sharing them.

[@markjackson6502]

Enjoyed your talk very much. My great grandfather was killed at Gallipoli in 1915. Many visitors including experts on the conflict report a sense of being watched, hearing footsteps behind them and tent flaps thrown open but nobody present.

[@garypritchett8136]

My grandad was at Gallipoli too, lucky enough to return. I was only mid teens when he passed, so never got to hear the stories first Hand. He did tell my dad though of the seas running red with blood, which is well documented in history. You can’t imagine the horror that people of those times must have seen.

[@markjackson6502]

My great grandfather was a Petty Officer in the Royal Naval Division. His battalion ‘Collingwood’ was slaughtered at the Third Battle of Krithia on 4th June.

[@devonbradley4372]

I want to believe that the Angel of Mons was a real angel. It may well have been soldiers hallucinating, but I also believe that during a crisis, the essence of our being can transcend the earthly realm and see beyond into the spiritual realm. I thought your telling of the story and the little extra bits of information were very interesting. The toy soldiers are amazing! I never knew my grandfathers. My English grandfather was a Captain in the British Armed Forces stationed in Egypt and was a Quarantine Officer. He died when my father was a young man. How I wish I could have known him and listened to his stories of WW2. Thank you, sir. Great video. Blessings to you from Australia.

[@thehistorysquad]

Cheers Dev, I appreciate your comment and agree.

[@Hartley_Hare]

My great-grandad was in the Royal Scots, despite having initially joined the Sherwood Foresters, since I think the Royal Scots had taken so many casualties. Despite being the least imaginative and most prosaic chap you'd ever meet, he maintained until his dying day that he'd seen an angel over the battlefield. Nobody ever sat the old boy down with a tape recorder, so we don't know which battle he was in, or where the angel was, but such is the story.

[@thehistorysquad]

How lovely, thanks for sharing Richard 👍🏻

[@sperestillan]

My grandfather was at Mons, he joined up in 1912, and always maintained he'd seen the Angels of Mons.

[@bvllseye4068]

When hallucinations affect a boy raised on Xtian lores ...

[@paulinesimon2257]

@@bvllseye4068 Well, one day, I hope you will see them, and their sweet Queen.

[@HiNRGboy]

@@sperestillan what did they look like or do, did he describe them?

[@ЕгорПещерский]

Thank you for venturing into the Mons Angel and ghost archers, mr. Hicks!

[@ogri6869]

My grandfather Lance Corporal George Harry Wyatt VC was in the retreat from Mons He received the VC at Landrecies France. He was in the war from the beginning and survived to the end . He was wounded in the head but continued firing . When he could no longer see because of the blood he was bandaged up and ordered to rear but he returned to the firing line and continued fighting . He had to have a metal plate in his head because of the wound .

[@thehistorysquad]

Wow, you must be very proud. 👍🏻

[@ogri6869]

@@thehistorysquad yes I am he was a good man . He didn't say too much about it just that he couldn't leave his friends. Thanks for the reply and keep the videos coming I always watch

[@annemadison7258]

Brilliant video. My great great grandfather who served in the 1st battalion Middlesex Regiment was at Mons. I have always found this battle intriguing.

[@thehistorysquad]

Ah, the die-hards 👍🏻

[@E171955]

My grandfather was there too. Never talked about the battle or the Angel except to say “ some bloody strange things happened out there”!

[@paulinesimon2257]

@Slyphie The Forest Elf hello from France. Couldn't you believe in angels, if you believe in demons ?

[@yj7598]

@@paulinesimon2257 have to say, if several or many soldiers saw the Angel of Mons, despite terrible exhaustion, it can't have been a case of mass hallucination. Interesting, anyhow.

[@Briselance]

12:56 I have to say something. I live in France, while still not far from Mons. I go there very regularly, and I saw the plaque on a railway bridge's stoneworks. The plaque states that on this spot, 2nd lieutenant Dease and a lance-corporal or corporal, whose names I forgot, fought side by side with so much valor (like the colonials say ;-) that they were awarded the Victoria Cross. And these were the two first VC awarded for the 1st WW. Now although the junior officer died of his wounds later on, the corporal survived the war, still dying a bit prematurely, some time during the late 1920's, very early 1930's.

[@thehistorysquad]

Yes, it's a great story to be told. 👍🏻

[@jackiemack8653]

Sorry correction valor not valiance

[@Briselance]

@@jackiemack8653 D'oh!

[@dorothydecesare1607]

Not sure how I stumbled on your channel but very glad I did. The part about the forced March hit a chord with me. My father served in WWII as a Canadian with No.1 Provost Corps. He survived the sinking of the SS Nerissa off the coast of Ireland and went on to serve in Italy, Germany ,Holland and France. In his final days he often hallucinated he was on a ‘forced March and it distressed him greatly. He had nothing but good things to say about the Brits who took him and his fellow survivors of the sinking of the SS Nerissa under their wings , for they literally had lost everything but the shirts on their backs. Thank you for your very engaging and enthralling re enacting of WWI and WWII battles and events!

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks Dorothy, it's my pleasure.

[@garrettsweeney3945]

I often wonder if the powers that be, back home in England, embroidered and then circulated this event in order to boost flagging morale on the home front. If you think about it, tales from the battlefield involving St George or English Longbowmen would no doubt inspire people back home, not to mention Angel's, showing which side God was on. My own Great grandfather fought at Mon's and although he himself did not see anything, he had no doubt that it occurred. Some time later in the war he received a bullet in the head while fighting at Flanders and was sent home to Dublin with the bullet still lodged in his brain, As a consequence of the bullet shifting he became paralysed and wheelchair bound, After that he took to the bottle and died shortly after the war ended, a broken man. May God be good to all those who served in that horrific conflict

[@thehistorysquad]

Well said Garrett.

[@bonniemagpie9960]

Life is a rude slog really. Thankfully during this day and age of technology and multiculturalism that our Soldiers are still seriously remembered. Just about every park in every NSW town here in Australia, there is a Soldier and memorial, all very nicely kept. The Aborigines trashed many emblems of Captain Cook and the like but thankfully The War Memorials are still precious and well preserved.

[@dperson9212]

@@bonniemagpie9960 what's wrong with multiculturalism?

[@bonniemagpie9960]

@@dperson9212 , How about reading it like, ' many new/other cultures have integrated into our Societies nowadays as they know/understand very little about World Wars l and ll instead of being a Nazi?

[@dperson9212]

@@bonniemagpie9960 I see, a bit like the colonisation of Australia I suppose, with the settlers knowing naf all of the people they surplanted. But anyway, as someone who lives in the most diverse part of the UK, the friends I have grown up with are well aware of WW1 and WW2 and the impact it had on society. Mainly thanks to our education system. Multiculturalism had absolutely nothing to do with lack of understanding.

[@michaelhayman2549]

There’s a lot of room for doubt in this story but there are others. The story of the Germans big push in 1917 where a German battalion saw huge numbers of what could only have been angels, charging them. The German artillery ripped into them but there were no casualties. The battalion commander a captain I believe and his 2nd in command both testified to this event. I also had a mate whose mate Jock landed at Normandy and swears there were 3 huge beings, one larger than the other two, that were overlooking the battlefield. These men were very devout men and not taken to spinning porkies and Jock would not have been suffering dehydration that would cause one to hallucinate. Apparently it was on the front page of The London Times which I’ve looked for but couldn’t find. Great video mate.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks for adding to the dialogue Michael 👍🏻

[@typetersen8809]

You are speaking of The White Cavalry. 🙂👍

[@michaelhayman2549]

@@typetersen8809 Hi, yeah it’s a story that happened at Bathune in northern France. There was another story about a hill that what appeared to have, a British battalion dug in on, apparently the Germans shelled the proverbial out of it but when they went to take it they couldn’t find a single dead soldier. I heard this one growing up and from memory it seemed to act as a distraction in favour of the allies.

[@typetersen8809]

@@michaelhayman2549 The Angels of Mons and The White Cavalry can both be found on the net and either downloaded or printed. I know. I printed both out about 8 years back! Thank you, Michael. Appreciated your response.

[@christinecoates9449]

To many accounts from all sides all the same story, ,I believe they were not lying

[@birdlawyer4885]

Man, I love this channel. This is what the History Channel used to be, also the miniatures are great.

[@thehistorysquad]

Glad you like them!

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

@@thehistorysquad The miniatures are like old-time TV; with echoes too of course of playing as every boy has with toy soldiers, plastic the past 50 years but before then cast tin or lead. I remember as a child a BW TV presentation by movie star Kirk Douglas maneuvering toy soldiers while, like your's, telling a riveting story.

[@thehistorysquad]

@@carlcushmanhybels8159 Sometimes simple is all you need to get a story across 👍🏻

[@calamityjenn]

You, sir, are a fantastic storyteller. I love these videos!

[@thehistorysquad]

Cheers Calamity, I've just visited Mount Moriah cemetery in Deadwood.......I knew you weren't dead 😜

[@calamityjenn]

​@@thehistorysquad 🤣

[@miketemple7686]

I’ve been binge watching this chaps channel, and I love his enthusiasm! Isn’t it funny that here in the US we had to fight the British (The Crown) for independence, only to become each other’s biggest allies. 🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@anthonycaruso8443]

No permanent friends,only permanent interests

[@ocomin8089]

Blood Brothers, that why!

[@bluequirk4655]

WW I I American pilots in Italy have a similar story involving Padre Pio a very famous Italian Saint. they saw him flying in the sky , all the bomber doors jammed so no bombs could b dropped and their planes turned around on their own headed back to their base. At the end of the war the pilots went to the monastery that they couldn't bomb and they all identified Padre Pio as the man they saw flying in the sky among their planes . It's recorded in the history books and on film by eye witness accounts . Thanks for you great channel it's important history. Cheers

[@thehistorysquad]

Yes, I've heard of this, thanks for reminding me of this lovely story. 👍🏻

[@lilliankeane5731]

I’ve never heard of that story.. (I know of padre Pio) … perhaps I will get to hear of it on this channel at some stage.

[@dorothydecesare1607]

Thank you for recounting this story. I am relatively new to St Padre Pio, but have heard that St Pio was very fond of American servicemen and many remarkable and unexpected miracles were granted by St Pio to them. It is said St Pio could bi locate, levitate, communicate with Guardian Angels, read one’s soul, and of course intercede on our behalf with God to perform miracles. The miracles concerning servicemen are some of my favourites. The website ‘Following Padre Pio’ has featured a number of these . I for one do not at all discount the reports of the Angel (s) of Mons. Not just hallucinations. Especially the Germans seeing masses of British soldiers then as a result , falling back. If one reads accounts of people in dire straits whose attackers strangely took fright and ran off, invariably the attackers will claim that they ‘saw’ very large or very numerous men /troops, etc and decided to retreat post haste. Just a classic m.o. of angels 😇!

[@mysticl8673]

@@dorothydecesare1607 Miracles are granted by GOD alone but he uses human mediums

[@mysticl8673]

@@dorothydecesare1607 St. Martin de Porres had similar if nit all these gifts. He could bilocate, levitate and fought the devil. He also had spiritual discernment, or could read souls. When he was exhumed 25 years after his death, he was found to be uncorrupt. He wasn't allowed to become a priest because he had black skin.

[@jakemccomas2245]

There’s something about you that makes these events so captivating. I’m willing to bet that if anyone else talked of these stories it would put people to sleep but not you. Heck I watched the whole 30 minute video of you walking around a great castle and talking about it and enjoying every second of it. Keep doing what you’re so good at doing

[@thehistorysquad]

Ah, that's really kind Jake thank you!!

[@wildliferox2]

Absolutely agree. Great telling of the story. The Style reminded me a little of Dixon of Dock Green, but that was when I were a wee laddie! Of two Great Grandfathers who saw service in WW1; on either side! Little did they know that they would be unified by subsequent generations.

[@mattieb7348]

This was an awesome video Kevin. Thank you. I believe there were angels there along with the forces of darkness. I believe God commands his angels to appear, whether we see them or not, as a response to our prayers. I have no doubt prayers were being said not only on the battlefield but back home in both Britain and Germany. The angels bore witness to mankind's cruelty toward each other. They either escorted some of those boys and men to Heaven or brought them through to fulfill God's plan for their lives. My father-in-law's twin brother was killed in the Battle of the Bulge in WW2. My FIL never, ever got over it. He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands as a telegraph operator when his twin was sent off to Belgium to march in the snow and the cold to fight. His brother was wounded first in France. He was shot in the face. But he recovered and asked to be redeployed with his band of brothers. Little did he know what he had volunteered for. He was one of the first killed in Belgium. War is a horrible thing. Anyone who survives a battlefield has to believe God had other plans for him and hopefully makes the most of the extra time God has given them. I heard a psychiatrist say recently that PTSD is a result of having looked evil in the face and lived to tell about it. Amen. Love your videos Kevin. Thanks again. BTW...I jumped. 😀💖

[@thehistorysquad]

Cheers Mattie, glad you enjoyed the vid 👍🏻

[@1allanbmw]

My great uncle came back "shell shocked" from The Great War. Really such a shame for all involved no matter how you look at it. War is exactly the opposite of what God wants us to do here... namely love one another. My first wife was Dutch and I loved her grandfather. Even though Holland was neutral, he rode a motorcycle as some sort of courier. He loved doing that and making his contribution to the effort to end things. Thank you for keeping this vital link to history alive. Sometimes it seems overshadowed by WWII. But in pure human terms, WWI was far more deadly for the soldiers and in the end, so useless and futile. God bless all!

[@matthewl9528]

My Great Grandfather was at Mons and as recounted by my Grandad he swore blind they were led by angels. When he died in the 60s his son was with him and about an hour before he died he was semi conscious in a hospital bed. Opened his eyes and said ‘can you see them son? They’re back they’re here for me’ when asked who he meant ‘the angels, they’re there at the bottom of the bed’ The nurses told my grandad that that was very common with WW1 veterans. He was originally in the North Staffs and when they were decimated he was sent to the East York’s. Mentioned twice in despatches once for rescuing an officer from a burning tank (who incidentally sent him a cheque every Christmas) and leading a raiding party to capture prisoners. After the war he survived on a meagre disability pension. He never wore a poppy or attended any remembrance events as he couldn’t understand why anyone would want to remember it. We tried to research more into his war years but have been told his records were probably destroyed by Nazi bombing in WW2. Any tips or hints would be welcome.

[@thehistorysquad]

What a lovely family memory Matthew. I too lost a family member in the North Staffs, he was just 18 and died of his wounds in Belgium. It's very difficult because around a third of documents were lost in the Blitz, not by fire, but by the fire hoses. Have you been to or been in touch with the Staffordshire Regimental Museum? It's a good place to start. But also documents are being released all of the time, so Ancestry is quite good and the Public Records Office, but the Regimental Museums might also do some research for you, though it might cost a bit.

[@matthewl9528]

@@thehistorysquad yes I’ve tried the Staffordshire Reg Museum a few years back but they they hadn’t any records apart from his enlistment and his transfer to the East Yorks. I’ve not approached the Reg of York’s museum yet. Will do though. Maybe you can answer something for me. We were once told that he once was tied to the wheel of an artillery piece as a punishment for striking an officer. We always doubted that, would he of been shot for striking an officer?

[@matthewl9528]

@@sue3028 thanks.

[@lindaevans8879]

My husbands grandad was at the Battle and saw the angel and later they had a medal for the people who saw it but we don't know where it went to.

[@ltipst2962]

I want to remember it to remember him and all those like him who walked into hell. Forever.

[@Coupal1]

My grandfather was in Mons on November 11th 1918. He sent a detailed letter home to friends describing the devastation. It is extraordinarily historically interesting.

[@thehistorysquad]

What a lovely treasure to have 👍🏻

[@Throbbing_Gimp]

Kevin, I'm actually on holiday right now in Tenerife. And that didn't stop me from avidly watching your latest episode. Top stuff. My wife was occupied painting for 20 mins so that's my excuse. Keep it coming 🇬🇧

[@thehistorysquad]

Happy holidays! Nice one Joseph, thanks 👍🏻

[@janined5784]

I lived in Europe for a while and I visited a graveyard in Mons once. Indeed an eerie place. It was a point of contact with history for me. My first thought was "my GOD, it's all true! It really happened". British and allied nations' soldiers' graves are marked with their names, battalions and their insignias, nationalities, year of birth (if I remember correctly) and date of death. The German graves' headstones were just marked with the German cross and the words "A German Soldier". No other details. Such a futile war, as they all are.

[@tonyarthur578]

Thank you so much for sharing ! 👍🏻🇬🇧

[@Joe3pops]

Kind of a weak story but this impression stuck with me. Meaning a vivid dream I once had in Cyprus. I was on a peacekeeping mission there and it was beginning in March so the heat of the almost tropical day was atrocious. In platoon barracks within the Buffer Zone I dreamt just once of watching a column (platoon?) of British Commonwealth infantry, woolen battledress, Tommy helmets, seemingly, Short Magazine Lee Enfield Rifles, maybe i seen a Bren gun too? Not sure. They were forced marching along a foggy road. There was a metallic clink or click of something hard striking something else also of metal perhaps?? You would think it was quite unprofessional and quite non tactical. However I had the impression from thier silent sullen faces it threw them into an almost hypnotic state in time to thier forced foot march. The timing to meet at a place foremost everyone's mind? A foot fall matching the strange clink or click sound perfectly. What also was visually impressed upon me, these dedicated soldiers of Empire were almost universally of Asian origins, to loyally fight for the Commonwealth. Hence whenever I was on a forced march or foot race, I thought about my ghost soldier companions & my lot seemed less tasking mentally. Strange but true, fully inspired by my peace mission Cyprus.

[@thehistorysquad]

Ah, I know that heat in Cyprus, I served up on the Turkish line in the early 80s, just an ordinary Tommy 👍🏻

[@juanduran345]

OK, OK, I jumped with your battle cry and bayonet thrust. The war face was also impressive.

[@thehistorysquad]

😂

[@marksingingforasmile.8457]

A Excellent story I have heard of this before a mystery in time. But you talking about the mad minute 303 didn't know about the little finger on the trigger a total respect to the men who fell for the peace we have today Lovely listening my friend.👌

[@thehistorysquad]

Cheers for watching Mark 👍🏻

[@robertkee7534]

Very similar to your description, the Ulster Volunteers of WW1, using Lee Enfield rifles were famously reported of a technique using a clockwise rotating motion to load, fire, then anticlockwise to eject. The slight difference lay in using the thumb to load the round, second finger to fire, rather than the little, then rotating anticlockwise, the first finger ejected the round, cocking ready for the next cycle. The second finger was strong yet sensitive enough to control firing. This fast reload as described together with the simultaneous effect from a Squadron of British Lee Enfield rifles firing together on entrenched German soldiers caused them to falsely report, the British had automatic weapons or machine guns as you mentioned.

[@24934637]

First of all, thank you for the upload of a brilliant and informative vid. I first heard of the Angel of Mons from my Grandmother who was actually around during the First World War although not involved her brother was. She was well and truly taken in by the stories of the angel. I visited the cemeteries of the Western Front, and found them all to be incredibly atmospheric, you can FEEL that something terrible has happened there!

[@MrJimWinter]

It’s true, my grandad Douglas Ells East Kent buffs saw it .Same story as below everyone stopped fighting and started looking at the sky.

[@dulciemidwinter1925]

There are still people who say that they see soldiers, roundheads and cavaliers around areas on Civil War battlefields in England. Sometimes on horseback, sometimes walking alone or in groups. Most if these people are often respectable normal men and women going about their everyday lives, not ghosthunters. How or why these things happen, I simply do not know.

[@janeallanuj7736]

I just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this video come up, I had been smitten with this story of the angels of Mons some years ago on a TV program ide missed some of the content an regretted it, it angers me when people dismiss these amazing events even when others have witnessed it too. One of my friends sat fishing on the bank of the Norfolk Broads when she heard a lot of noise coming around a corner of the river she sat transfixed as a huge Roman Gallleon came sailing past her an her friend the soldiers were all in Battle gear some shouting, some waving swords about, they could clearly see their faces, but as quickly as they appeared the whole apperition faded away right in front of their eyes, it happens! No denying it, Thank u for a truly wonderful video, an told so excellently. More Please

[@sgtbender1335]

It could have something to do with our perception of time. We see time as linear because of our dimensional perception, but it could be very different. The Bible says that to our Creator a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. Our perception of time could be very flawed.

[@jackiemack8653]

@@janeallanuj7736 You are right! Many just dismissing this when it has happened all over. Gettysburg battlefield 🇺🇸 has reportedly had some strange events happen. Soldiers marching, cannons firing. Lights that a relative who lives near the battlefield has seen and he was not exhausted from battle.

[@underdogpsychosis2841]

@@sgtbender1335 This is what thinking, time is essentially a human construct, perhaps everything that has happened and will happen is always happening. Hard to comprehend but it'd explain a lot of these supernatural events.

[@MariVictorius]

What are roundheads, please?

[@garryhynds4870]

Sir; Thank you, My Grandfather also told me that story when I was boy. Good job you, people really do need to know there past! Garry Canada Army 32 years of services

[@docholliday4537]

I LOVE YOU KEVIN

[@thehistorysquad]

😂

[@rebelbecky276]

A very good storyteller. I knew nothing about that war but now I feel an understanding what went on. I believe they did see the angels who came to help with the just cause.

[@jamescapstick9598]

As a young man in the 60s I talked with an old lady who's father was at Mons and witnessed the apparition. He described it as a cloud of dust only. But the mass hysteria and slaughter taking place conviinced otherwise rational troops they were seeing an angel appear before them. They wanted it to be an angel who would stop the senceless slaughter but sadly it wasn't.

[@savedbychristsavedbygrace2049]

I loved when He did the teeth grin and shout with the bayonet! Bravo

[@thehistorysquad]

😜

[@martinconyard]

Thank you for your obviously top quality research: the one thing I regretfully say is missing from too many KZbinrs' work; across the many and various subjects. I know from other Content Creators, how much work goes on, even before the particular story is begun to be told. I really enjoyed watching and listening to (and learning from) your retelling of this remarkable story and I like the way you left it open at the end so that the viewer could choose what the cause of the very different 'visions' was. I must admit that I am a little envious of the supporting props you have/own/have access to and I really appreciate their inclusion in the video. This is my first look at your Channel but not my last. I have 'signed up' by Subscription rather than Conscription and I can't wait to explore your back catalogue and I will do so with my 9 year old daughter, another History Fan like her old man. I've just had a quick shufti and there's f-f-flipping loads of videos covering about as many subjects on your Channel so I am going to stop waffling and start watching. Thanks again to all involved with making these videos 🙂👍🏻

[@thehistorysquad]

Wow, thanks Martin for your lovely comment. I hope you and your daughter go on to enjoy many more videos. 👍🏻

[@Bullseyearchery]

An interesting point about the Lee Enfield rifle, is it's one of the few rifles you are able to aim down the iron sights whilst cycling the bolt using the technique demonstrated by Kevin.

[@ScooterFXRS]

Kevin, again giving a excellent story telling. WWI was so vacuous, cretinous it defies any reasonable explanation. Militaries just spoiling for a fight and doing so with bruised egos at the drop of a hat. Setting up the world for massive pain and grief throughout the 20th century and well into the 21st. Nothing has changed. That is the saddest part.

[@jeanbrozek3046]

And as the saying goes……” wars are started by old men and fought by young ones”

[@jackmunday7602]

YES!! This is the video I suggested. Thank you so much Kevin. 😃👍👍

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks for the idea, my Patreons obviously liked it too. Cheers Jack 👍🏻

[@jackmunday7602]

@@thehistorysquad no worries mate. I'm more than happy to help promote your channel and help it grow. I believe everyone should look closer into history. You can learn so much from the past. Which in turn, helps us prepare for the future.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

My late wife and I saw some reenactors at Devil's Den and then they vanished. I think it is energy from those who fought some great battles replaying like a movie. There were several other witnesses also on that day

[@glenchapman3899]

I have visited 2 battlefields in my time, and there is certain strangeness about the places. An energy as you describe.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

@@glenchapman3899 I have visited all in PA, DC and Virginia and all have that strange energy. I think that the energy replays ever so often and it is most of the time like a movie if you are at the right time and place on the field.

[@MsDamosmum]

@MaGuffintop interesting perspective

[@elainelessack]

I have visited Gettysburg twice in my lifetime, and do not care to return. The overwhelming sense of incredible sadness and hopelessness that I perceived was undeniable. The strength of the feeling was beyond our mortal reasoning. Also what was extraordinarily palpable was the sense of areas of Evil amongst the battlefields and roads. Although I was not personally afraid, I pity those who must experience it. Terribly, terribly heartwrenchingly sad. 😔

[@3starperfectdeer233]

Supposedly an official, I think diplomat of some kind, [I can't remember the who] arrived in Gettsyburg. As he drove passed the main camp/battlefield, a bunch of "reenactors" were running drills and getting ready for the show that day. The diplomat then met with the head guy for the park and remarked how he was impressed by the guys getting ready for the big reenactment today. The park head guy remarked no one's out there and the reenactment is starting tomorrow. I for one do believe in stuff like this. That certain places can hold energy and create an echo in time itself.

[@thehistorysquad]

Well said 👍🏻

[@josephhaack5711]

Retired LTC, U.S. Army, Armor; Co CDR in 82nd ABN DIV, was Infantry in our National Guard also. History major in commerce, father in WW2. Your videos are without a doubt the most interesting on the internet! Keep them coming sir, you are a credit to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 , historians and to the profession of arms. Great story teller also! Just wanted you to know how much I look fwd to your new content. Will you be attending Williams installation as the prince of wales when it occurs? Respectfully, “Colonel Joe”

[@thehistorysquad]

Hey Joe, thanks very much. I now live in Canada but I will be watching the Investiture closely, just as I did when Charles became Prince of Wales. Incidentally, I've just come back from the US, Little Bighorn and Deadwood on a fact finding mission for future films 👍🏻

[@josephhaack5711]

@@thehistorysquad wherebdonyiubkivenin Canada? I was born and raised in Michigan, spent a lot of time in Canada. Ontario mostly, Stratford for its Shakespearean Summer Theater, Niagara, Toronto, even Quebec City! Recently Visited Victoria on West coast. Cape Breton Island is on my bucket list soon! All the best, looming forward to hockey season! Live in Florida now, so i am a Tampa Bay Lightning Fan! All the best!

[@josephhaack5711]

@@thehistorysquad little Big Horn! Custer was an interesting character for sure. Brilliant in the civil war as a cavalry commander. I have studied his life and career, can recommend some good books. One is historical fiction called “The Court Martial of George Custer”. Recommend Gettysburg, PA for a future trip to the USA. Also, 2 French and Indian War Forts in Michigan, One in Mackinaw City ( SITH side of bridge to the upper Peninsula, the other is out on Mackinaw Island off shore in lake a Huron. Cheers and all the best mate!

[@thehistorysquad]

@@josephhaack5711 We're in Saskatoon and have the Huskies. 👍🏻

[@josephhaack5711]

@@thehistorysquad I had a border collie named Miss Winnie the Pooch! 🐾❤️👍🏻

[@paulinesimon2257]

Fantastic ! Hello from France. Thanks a lot. Maybe our mind is able to create our thought. I knew this story, I accepted it as a real fact. These soldiers asked for help, and they got it. God's good !

[@NASkeywest]

I read some accounts from Japanese soldiers in WW2. It took place during Desmond Doss’ rescue of wounded soldiers at Hacksaw Ridge. These Japanese soldiers said every time they saw Desmond, they would aim, pull the trigger…then nothing would happen. Their rifles would misfire. They said after Desmond left sight, they could fire again. This went on multiple times for a number of hours. It’s interesting that Desmond was devoutly religious and was only there to save people and wouldn’t carry a firearm or kill anyone….yet, it’s almost as if a divine hand reached down to provide him cover!

[@elainelessack]

Dark Star King: I have heard this account before and believe it truly. Our Good Lord works in His mysterious ways. I have no doubt that He intervenes to help us in our lives!

[@fredsimmons2793]

I am a Seventh Day Adventist and know this story of Desmond Doss inimently! I know that movie made Mel Gibson rich and made Adventists feel good,but I have no doubt that God did not favor Doss ,and more paticulary as an S.D.A.!

[@lincs4life]

If God Is so good and can do things like this then why dose he let kids be born with horrible illnesses and disfigurements, starve millions of people to death, let bombs kill innocent people or let bonbs be made in the first place and so on. IF God was real and loved everyone so much and had the power to effect such things then why is everyone not not happy healthy? How could you praise a god that dose more evil than good, God has killed millions If not billions of people where the devil has actually only killed 1 person. If you believe in all that crap you either have to be a complete narcissist or stupid.

[@davesheppard8797]

Another great story Kevin!! I love the thought of the Archers almost returning to help the modern army of the day. And the Germans holding back because of a huge army behind the front line......stirring stuff!! Dave.

[@thehistorysquad]

Cheers Dave 👍🏻

[@robyndavis3043]

Happy Halloween! May ALL the soldiers’ fighting souls, Rest In Peace

[@la_old_salt2241]

Thank you Kevin, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. God Bless, Rob

[@KnightOwl-kn6gm]

Great video and an even better storyteller. I love these kinds of tales about battlefield supernatural accounts and other weird aspects of history.

[@thehistorysquad]

Cheers!! Stay tuned, halloween is coming 👍🏻

[@jamesproudlove1527]

Thank you for your post. Fascinating to hear of the Angel of Mon & how both sides speak of supernatural happenings.

[@letitgrow5060]

The way you give information is unique to KZbin. Keep it up!

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks, will do!

[@letitgrow5060]

@@thehistorysquad I'm not a youtube expert but I've noticed you haven't got any 'shorts'. It could be a relatively easy way to get traffic to your channel, shorts are becoming a more popular way of consuming KZbin for some.

[@susanbdusan2785]

@@letitgrow5060 Not for me. I would leave the “sound bites” (or screen bites) for the news programs. You take all the time you need, Kevin.

[@letitgrow5060]

@@susanbdusan2785 I was simply suggesting attracting more views, obviously kevin is brilliant with what hes doing as mentioned in the first comment, shorts are gaining more popularity.

[@thehistorysquad]

@@susanbdusan2785 Haha 👍🏻

[@liranzaidman1610]

The things you experience in time of terror...crazy indeed. Amazing (and sad) story

[@ykdickybill]

If you’ve seen the supernatural, first hand as I have, you know that that there are elements of this story that absolutely, without question, could be true. Mark my words. I had an amazing supernatural experience. Only the one time, but it’s life changing if your lucky enough..😉

[@Irish780]

I know exactly what you are saying if you happen to see something out of the ordinary.. your life may not change. But your mindset changes completely. You feel like your blessed and cursed at the same time I have experienced something very strange after the passing of my girlfriend

[@ocomin8089]

ykdickbill, you are correct 👍when the trumpet blows next time 📯 I hope that those who hear it will put their trust in the Almighty, because what's coming down the pipe will require defence mechanisms, how can I say it ? that are not of mans design or making. You can also read my comment above. 👍

[@robinhoodstfrancis]

My path didn´t start with the incredible and spectacular. I was just in high school, taking education seriously thanks to my atheist humanist dad, and opened up a book on religion and stopped by a progressive religious place. After that, I started slowly looking into spiritual ideas, with a tai chi class at the end of high school, a Zen sitting at the end of college, and a Kung Fu class then for a year. You might say I worked my way up to some real spiritual expertise, with a college degree in Bio Anthro and work in social services as anchors for how important psychological attention is. Jesus taught "seek the Kingdom of Heaven" after all. Healing is a practical part of that. That´s been my own anchor. That alone gets at the way Jesus´ commandments of love connect to modern education and democratic culture, with Britain´s Parliament a big part of that, and then the US breaking formal aristocracy. But, the temptations of materialism are also there, and still rampant. So, just as WW II became a spiritual experience for much of Europe, Social Europe most of all, there is more to it. We shouldn´t need the devastation of war to value social values, but that takes actual spiritual practice. Besides not dying of cancer like my dad at a young age, I have had generally good health, have defied the rampant ideological materialism of popular culture pretty well, and had a miraculous experience with my little family protected in a bus robbery. Looking at Joan of Arc in history is one touch, and then the rest of Christian history, Jesus´ legacy, having all the holy people called "saints." Yet, it´s available for everybody who has some basic level of spiritual-religious awareness. Ultimately, the key is experiences that result in protection. Rasputin in Czarist Russia is a famous example, no less. A German Adventist family, with Franz Hasel the father, gave a testimony in the book A Thousand Shall Fall, of a complete sort. The Christian Scientists have many testimonies. Hacksaw Ridge about Desmond Doss in WWII for the US as a medic is another. And they´re not all the same. There are different spiritual-religious qualities that get displayed for all the mixed issues involved, overall.

[@nothingnobody6688]

@@ocomin8089 don't forget the animals that seem to be protected in war. Like the horse that carried a heap of wounded men out think it was 6 not sure 🙏 from Australia 💓

[@ocomin8089]

@@nothingnobody6688 Hi, Thanks, I haven't heard of that one, but yes, there are indeed many referenced stories like that. What so many don't seem to realise is, that the physical laws can be suspended by the Angelic Realm, especially to protect those who are under the care of the Almighty. I myself experienced such an event one cold morning many years ago, where when entering a main road from the tree sheltered lane of our house, with 2 of our young children in the car. I was suffering with bad sinusitis at the time, which can severely affect the eyes & clear vision, so as I crossed the lane for traffic coming from my right to get into the opposite lane, & as I straightened up in my lane there was a car going away from immediately in front of me at high speed. After a few seconds, I realised that the speeding car had gone right through my path & I didn't see it 'till it was going away from immediately in front of me. The shock of what had just happened resulted in my having to pull over and recover from the shock, but I knew that the laws of physics had been suspended right there for several seconds, otherwise, we would have all been wiped out. Subsequently, a few years ago, I seen a clip of a CCTV camera that captured a very similar event of a main light controlled highway junction in Eastern Asia, where literally in an instant, a human shaped light, appeared like lightening transferring the moving motorcyclist to the direction he was headed in, right out the path of a speeding car just as it was about to hit him. The angel form appeared to comfort & reassure him for several seconds before disappearing again with incredible speed. So yes, if we trust Him, he can & will protect us as we go, whatever the situation. 😊👍

[@LaHayeSaint]

Love the Officer impersonations.

[@bernadettecrawford3656]

I heard this story as a kid in Liverpool, also we had a shop not far from The Mons on Breeze Hill, not far from the Docks. The story was mentioned a few times by the old folk. Thanks.

[@hmmmmm6243]

My grandfather was in the 2bn, Royal Munster Fusiliers and from what I can tell he was a reservist and did not enter France until September so he would have missed Mons, which is probably a good thing because he didn’t miss much else. He was discharged in July of 1918 after being wounded a second time. At Mons I think only about 200 Munsters made it back some killed many captured as they had been ordered to hold a town while others retreated. The men in that battalion had a 50% causality rate; the officers had like a 90% casualty rate (I think). So basically my grandfather had a 50/50 chance of surviving and had he turned left instead of right sometime, I might not be here. It’s sad to think how one wrong move kills not only a soldier but the generations that won’t follow. My grandfather was born in 1896, my dad 1925, me 1966 and my kids the 2000’s. They still can’t believe that their great-grandfather was born in the 19th century and fought in WW1. When I tell them that my father met American Civil War veterans when he was a kid they are utterly dumbstruck!

[@thehistorysquad]

What a great comment. You're so right about the impact on generations that would never come to be.

[@davidgaine4697]

Thank you for the history lesson. I had heard of the Battle of Mons but not the details or the context and timeline. Although I have a love of history, World War I battles is seriously lacking in my studies. I was taught the War Poets but never had details of the campaigns. I am 56 now and rediscovering all these rich resources. I was so impressed by the pageantry of the Queen’s funeral. We must not forget our ideological identity that so separates us from other nations. I’m no royalist or war enthusiast but I find too much emphasis of German so called superiority in armament. Yes they are good engineers but their tolerances are much smaller making their equipment much less reliable. Same goes for Japanese technology that is simply reversed engineering with little innovation even if the production values are very high.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks for watching David 👍🏻

[@KebabMusicLtd]

Sadly, the Angels of Mons is a total fiction which was written by Welsh author Arthur Machen and was published as a short-story in ‘The Evening News’ in September 1914. Machen later explained that his story was a false document, a technique Machen was well-known for. Of course, there were a number of religious leaders who attempted to breathe life into the story and that is probably why the legend grew. If you have a source for the soldiers who saw ‘angels’ or for the German soldier who claimed that “1,000s of British soldiers appeared behind the thin-line,” I would be interested as I have studied these various battles exhaustively. The truth at Mons was that the British had been lucky that the German’s hadn’t realised the true strength of the enemy facing them, and neither did the British Expeditionary Force who had believed that Lanrezac’s fifth French army were moving up to Mons on the British right-wing. Lanrezac only went as far as Charleroi leaving the BEF’s right exposed… This was the real failure that the ‘Entente’s’ command failed to appreciate from their observation pilots, and this was why the British were forced to retreat. They may have had to anyway considering the combined strength of the German First and Second army that was baring down on them. The only hero’s at Mons were the real soldiers who fought against overwhelming odds to slow the German First Armies march and the soldiers of the British II Corp who fought the delayed action at Le Cateau. It was these actions that diverted the German First Army away from the Schlieffen Plan, encouraging them to chase the retreating British to the east of Paris, rather than the west, which had been their original goal. This in-turn led them into the trap of the Battle of the Marne, which forced the German’s to retreat to the high-ground above the Aisne where they began to dig-in. This action of digging-in would be copied by both sides all the way along the lines where they stood facing one another. By the end of October 1914, the war of movement gave way to the four years of trench hell that was to follow and that is where the angels would be needed.

[@kbc163]

Excellent presentation. You are right about the atmosphere of battlefields. I have been to some Civil War battlefields here in the US, and they are certainly creepy. It's not a "hair-on-end" feeling, but more like an unease that soaks down into your bones. I've never felt anything like it before. I experienced it most keenly at Pea Ridge in northern Arkansas.

[@carolejones9044]

Thank you for this Kevin, it's the first time I've seen your histories. My father was in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, and was gassed on the Somme. He was awarded the MM.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks and welcome to the channel. If you haven't already, you might want to read Old Soldiers Never Die by Frank Richards, it's a great account of the RWF. 👍🏻

[@jacquelinesmith9308]

really enjoying these snippets of History! well told! Well done 💚💚💚

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks Jacqueline, I appreciate that.

[@reggriffiths5769]

It's been my uderstanding that the British "Dragoons" were in fact the North Irish Horse - the first troop to engage the enemy - as you say, a detachment of Uhlans, which the NIH very quickly despatched after a short engagement. Personally, while the story of the Angel has a certain appeal, such stories are almost commonplace with exhausted and excitable young men. It only takes one such soldier's imagination to run wild, and such stories are like Chinese Whispers that gain embillishment as they spread through the ranks. In these kind of stories, the newspapers were quite happy to add their own forms of dramatic licence to sell their newspapers, and the pictures you showed were typical, in that those they used were of British "Bowmen" wearing pith helmets - pure newspaper fantasy which the general public of the time would have lapped-up wholemeal! The main story of the Angel often told, is of a column of retreating soldiers, and not soldiers in trenches; trench warfare had not been anything more than scrapes in the ground at that early stage of the war, and then only in rare sectors. With respect, Kevin, you tell a good "Boys Own" yarn, but methinks you've strayed a little into your own fantasyland in the telling. I can't wait to hear your telling of the Lt Dease story, which is a lot more factual and well-recorded, but your description of the St Symphorian is quite accurate, but certainly one of the more unique Commomwealth cemeteries in Northern France and Belgium - a delightful - if sad - little cemetery that has its own place in the history of the Great War. I notice that your medal ribbons contains one from the South African (Boer War), which would have been accurate with some old sweats of the period. Thank you for an enjoyable little video.

[@charlesarmstrong5292]

My late Uncle - of the same name as I - came home from that terrible battle, in that terrible war. He told my father that he and his fellows had seen a line of angels between them and the Germans after which the Germans retreated. Who can say these men never saw what they said they saw.

[@raymondgoldie6162]

Great to listen to this. My grandad was there, and had an Angel medal.

[@adrianwoodward6781]

My grandfather was at Mons with the Royal Artillery in 1914 and claimed to have seen the Angel of Mons. My dad who fought over the same area in 1940 said that some soldiers saw ghostly apparitions. Dad, worked at a Gas Works and knew methane gas and its properties well. He remarked that Methane is known as Marsh Gas and certain colder temperatures becomes visible. The Mons area can be marshy. He said that when men are scared, hungry and tired then they will be prone to make irrational suppositions on natural events. My great uncle fought in the Russo Polish War of 1918 - 1921, he told of a vision of the Virgin Mary that appeared on her Ascension day, 15th August, outside Warsaw in 1920. This was just as the weary, outnumbered and outgunned Poles were just about to defend Warsaw against the Bolsheviks. The Poles were rallied by a priest who pointed to the appirition as a divine intervention which helped win a critically important victory. Again the area was marshy, the troops were tired and no doubt scared.

[@Engelhafen]

What a great storyteller you really make history come alive

[@pikiwiki]

In the Colin Wilson series of books about supernatural lore there is a story of some British pensioners who rented cottages at Dunkirk and woke up complaining over the sound of explosions in the night

[@alicevanderbruggen8711]

That area is very much filled with supernatural energy. Many battles were fought there. Vlaams is where my name originated. God bless you Sir.

[@marcoengelbracht4141]

Although I know the story, I was curious how you what tell the story and in which context you would put it. As always brilliant story telling which met my expectations by 110%. Many thanks Kevin. I know these hallucinations myself from my army time when you are exhausted and have had no sleep. Even without being in any war, only training- at a certain point in time your mind will play tricks on you.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks as ever Marco. Once when we were on exercise one night, we thought we were being attacked by a wild dog, we threw rocks at it to keep it away but it stayed in the same spot all night watching us. In the morning though it turned out to be a tree stump 😂

[@garywheeley5108]

I think the record was held by a sergeant in the East Surrey regiment 38 hits on a 12 inch steel plate at 300 yards...

[@davidcooke7744]

Great story I’ve heard from a child. Makes good listen my grandpa told me about it when I was a kid it still makes me feel uneasy.

[@davidstrother496]

I had read about the Angel of Mons before, but I really prefer your retelling of the story. Cheers from Texas.

[@thehistorysquad]

Haha, thanks David. I hope all is well in Texas 👍🏻

[@changeshifter4852]

This episode just came up in my feed today and boy am I glad it did. Thank you. Now subbed.

[@thehistorysquad]

Hey, thanks for subbing & welcome to the channel 👍🏻

[@olgierdogden4742]

My dear narrator. My grandfather was one of the last people to be called up for the last 6 months of WW1 as he was a well known actor who entertained the troops, but unfortunately he was taken out after 3 months before cease fire occurred. Now, you may have heard of a great relative of mine who also fought there. He won the Victoria Cross not once but three times and his name was Field Marshal General Sir Hubert Gough. God bless the Irish to.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thank you for your comment. I have heard of Gough, one of the better generals 👍🏻

[@olgierdogden4742]

@@thehistorysquad Yes indeed, as you said one of the better generals, as there were to many others ones without saying anything else. Good luck with your episodes.

[@christenagervais7303]

Fun fact. The Enfield rifle has the musical key of B flat. I've played the Post Horn Gallop on it!

[@thehistorysquad]

Oh my goodness, that's something else! I've only shot mine 😜

[@jrdi3574]

I was in the Air Cadet Corps for a year in the Caribbean and we did drills with Lee Enfield Mark 3s like the one you have (and a few Mark 4s). Always thought it was one of the most beautiful rifles.

[@thehistorysquad]

Indeed it is 👍🏻

[@michaelhogan4090]

Old Vet Tanker 8 years W Germany. Caught up in ongoing situation then, The WW1 Battle fields where not far away, I regret not visiting them, wish I could walk them. Thru your work I believe I can. Thank You. Mike American Vet

[@Blackfoxparadox]

I had a very strange experience on the western front. We were driving along the A1 motorway going towards Lille. I know this road well as I regularly did a rally. And somehow we ended up on the roads in the Somme and either of us knew how. We passed by thick lines of fog and it was very eerie. To this day I have no idea how we got on those roads

[@phillyry]

Just found your channel... And I love it! I really enjoyed the whole bit on chepstow Castle. That's the video that came up in my feed. Upon further digging around in your videos I realized I had found a real keeper (your channel that is) I really like your personality. Your cheery enthusiasm for the stories you tell truly drew me in. You've got you a new big fan! Regards from Maverick from Philadelphia

[@thehistorysquad]

Wow, thank you very much & welcome to the channel 👍🏻

[@phillyry]

@@thehistorysquad I had a feeling I'd hear back from the man himself 😁 Forgot to give you props on your suitable attire. That's really cool that you dress according to the times of the subject your discussing/teaching about. Gives even more towards your awesomeness 😉 I also spoke with Mark Felton. Í sure would like to visit England someday. Never been out of the USA. My city and neighborhood is really bad with all the gun violence and crime. Maybe I could treat you to lunch someday. Wish you and your family the very best. Maverick from PHILLY

[@tonynapoli5549]

Great story teller 👌

[@thehistorysquad]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kiwifruit27]

150k subs, awesome stuff and a great video. Congrats

[@thehistorysquad]

Yeah, we just reached it yesterday. Thanks 👍🏻

[@OboeCanAm]

Brilliant storytelling! Thank you! I've known "The Angel of Mons" by Steve Hackett, from his "Spectral Mornings" album, for many years. But I didn't know the true story behind it, until now.

[@stevenweaver3386]

exhausted, no sleep,hungry, feet hurt, seeing things, yeah, I dig it. Our company was like that trudging back to camp after a field exercise. I swore then and still do now, I saw a fairy tale castle floating above the trees. A buddy said a black bear was walking and talking beside him.

[@kurnuyt5742]

Waw what a story , when the Germans advanced towards Mons they didn't expect to collide with the BEF. So this was a huge surprise for them and not a very pleasant one either . '' The Angel of Mons '' is truly mindblowing as a legend of course . . All credits to the brave British soldiers fighting a heroic battle at the beginning of WWO I . looking forward to your next story my friend .

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks for watching 👍🏻

[@jamesheilman2634]

Thank you for preserving these warriors story.

[@HarryWHill-GA]

Shoot Kevin, I was in the process of typing a comment about Arthur Machen and the Angels of Mons when you mentioned it. Well played sir, well played. I wonder if anyone ever checked the German dead for cloth-yard shafts.

[@lanzknecht8599]

They did. None had been killed by arrows.

[@thehistorysquad]

🤣 Nice one Harry!

[@katherinespencer2633]

My grandfather served in the British Army , and I have his war medals. One of them is for his service in the Mons War. He never spoke about his time in service, I wish that he had.

[@JonOroMusic]

Wow, I didn't know about the pinky trigger finger trick. Pretty cool. Thank you again for the newfound knowledge, Kevin.

[@thehistorysquad]

You bet!

[@sandybarrie5526]

my maternal grandfater was in the bef, but missed the great retreat, but later fought with many men who were at Mons, and he said they “swore the story was true, and that the ha seen the Angels”.

[@deeperry8341]

My grandfather saw the angel of mons.for what I could gather the smoke above the battlefield formed the shape of an angel. Was told by my grandmother as the old man died before I was born

[@deeperry8341]

Further to my previous comment my grandad spent his eighteenth birthday in the trenches

[@mchevalier-seawell4438]

My great uncle was gassed in the trenches. His esophagus was ruined. He ate only “ liquids” like soft boiled eggs for the next 35 years until he died of esophageal cancer. As a teen I weighed more than he did. Maybe the ones who died were on occasion the lucky ones. He was such a kind man, I remember him well.

[@puddysue]

I love your videos so much, Kevin! You really have a way to bring history to life and hold your audience's attention and keep us riveted!

[@thehistorysquad]

That's so kind of you, thanks