Description

This is a rare chance to re-discover a contemporary account of a military conflict which took place a Century ago. The Agony of Belgium, written in 1914 byFrank Fox, a war correspondent, recounts events that the modern European mind would probably wish to forget. The bravery and resilience of the relatively new and untested Belgian Army, following the rejection of the German Ultimatum by the King, deserves a wider audience. Throughout this account the courageous and noble qualities of King Albert in the dark days come to the fore. Whether at the Front as an active Commander-in-Chief; with his people during Zeppelin raids and artillery bombardments at Antwerp; declining refuge in France after the retreat from Ostend; or rallying his troops for rearguard actions his conduct was of the finest. His account of the “frightfulness” of the events in Louvain against the civilian population- including women and children- and the sacking of cultural treasures was not at first believed by officials in Antwerp. However his reporting of Zeppelin raids helped to arouse public opinion in the United States. Fox provides vivid descriptions of a terrible, and little known, conflict.