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Updated: June 1, 2025
Thorough soldier as he was, he was singularly vacillating, at times almost infirm of purpose, but never before in his career had this want of decision manifested itself in so striking a manner. Accordingly the States-General, or in other words John of Olden-Barneveld proposed to invade Flanders, and lay siege, to Nieuport. The States- General were sovereign, and Maurice bowed to their authority.
Some fled for protection quite to the rear of their infantry, others were hotly pursued across the meadows till they took refuge under the walls of Nieuport.
The loss on the Dutch side was about 2,000. The Archduke Albert, who had narrowly escaped being himself taken prisoner, succeeded in entering Nieuport safely with what remained of his army. The history of Nieuport since those days has been the history of a gradual fall.
Nieuport has few attractions nowadays, and is chiefly memorable in Flemish history because under its walls they fought that bloody 'Battle of the Dunes, in which the stubborn strength and obstinacy of the Dutch overcame the fiery valour of the Spaniards. They are all well-nigh forgotten now, obstinate Dutchman and valiant Spaniard alike.
Explaining it afterward he said: "All of a sudden I saw a Boche come in between me and a Breguet I was following. I just began to shoot, and darned if he didn't fall." As the fuel capacity of a Nieuport allows but little more than two hours in the air the avions de chasse were forced to return to their own lines to take on more gasoline, while the bombardment planes continued on into Germany.
Is it any wonder that two-thirds of Belgium's Army is gone? They had fought since the third of August. It was on the twenty-first of October that they at last retired across the Yser and two days later took up their present position at the railway embankment. On that day, the twenty-third of October, the first French troops arrived to assist them, some eighty-five hundred reaching Nieuport.
Every tree in a wood near by is torn and beheaded; hardly one has the top remaining. The new green pushes out amongst the blackened trunks. One speaks low in Nieuport, the place is so horribly dead. Mr. Bevan showed me a shell-hole 42 feet across, made by one single "soixante-quinze" shell.
Thorough soldier as he was, he was singularly vacillating, at times almost infirm of purpose, but never before in his career had this want of decision manifested itself in so striking a manner. Accordingly the States-General, or in other words John of Olden-Barneveld proposed to invade Flanders, and lay siege, to Nieuport. The States-General were sovereign, and Maurice bowed to their authority.
A prisoner after the Nieuport battle, he had been assigned by Maurice, as will be recollected, to his cousin, young Lewis Gunther, whose brilliant services as commander of the cavalry had so much contributed to the victory.
Quickly realising the possibilities in a film of such a body of men, I made enquiries of the speakers as to their whereabouts. "Ah, monsieur, they are on the sand-dunes near Nieuport. They are veritable fiends, monsieur, with the Bosches, who run away from them like cats. They are terrible fighters." After such a glowing account, I thought the sooner I interviewed these fighters the better.
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