The Angels of Mons and

The White Cavalry

Bruce Horner

In II Kings 6: 17 we read, “And Elisha prayed, and said, Yahweh, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

The Book of Isaiah is full of promises of Heavenly aid to Israel, and reiterates this fact in Isaiah 41:8-14, “But thou, Israel, [art] my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. [Thou] whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou [art] my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy Elohim: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, [even] them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I Yahweh thy Elohim will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, [and] ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith Yahweh, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”

We are also told in subsequent chapters that Yahweh created Jacob, and Israel is redeemed; and we are similarly instructed of deliverance by the Psalmist in Psalm 50:15 “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

The Angels of Mons

During the World War of 1914-18, there were certainly two outstanding occasions when Yahweh fulfilled His Promise, as far as Great Britain was concerned, in a most noticeable manner. In the early months of World War I the contemptible little British Army, as the German High Command termed it, was hurriedly equipped and sent across the Channel to support the French and Belgian Allies; but these combined forces were far weaker in guns and man power than the Germans, and so, fighting a dogged, rearguard action, they fell back before the terrific impact of massed enemy attacks. Serious defeat and tremendous losses appeared inevitable; but, during two days fighting around Mons, the German advance was halted long enough to allow the British Expeditionary Force to withdraw.

Much has been written on the subject of the Angels of Mons and there have been many versions of the phenomena, but it is not inconsistent to believe that they are all substantially true though they differed in certain aspects. A number of accounts are gathered together and examined by Harold Begbie in his book, On the Side of the Angels, and few readers will remain unconvinced that both British and German troops were aware of supernatural intervention during the battle.

The magazine This England subsequently recalled these events in its pages in the following words:

“In the summer 1982 edition of This England, a correspondent in ‘Post-box’ inquired about the mystery from the First World War which became known to our troops as ‘The Angels of Mons.’ Apparently, though outnumbered three to one and on the verge of annihilation by advancing Germans, a heavenly host intervened between the rival armies thus saving the British and causing the enemy to flee in panic.”

True or false? Controversy has raged on the subject ever since it was first reported and in an attempt to present all the known facts, this is a reprint of the entire testimony of a principal witness, Captain Cecil Wightwick Hayward, formerly Staff Officer in the First Corps Intelligence, British Army Headquarters.

He refers to two incidents, the “Angels of Mons,” an event claimed to have been seen in late August 1914 and an even more remarkable phenomenon known as “The White Cavalry” which occurred during July, 1918 and was witnessed by the Germans. Captain Hayward’s testimony is printed below.

The first of these visions was near the town of Mons, during the battle of that name between the German forces and the British Army, towards the end of August, 1914. The German Army, after sweeping all resistance aside, had advanced on a wide front right into the heart of Belgium and France. Although the Belgians, French and British put up a stout defense, it was principally against the British that the heaviest enemy attacks were launched. Our troops greatly outnumbered, had been fighting continuously for several days, with little or no rest, and our men were almost dropping from fatigue after a prolonged rearguard action during which we lost numbers of men and guns. Serious defeat appeared inevitable, especially as we had practically no reserves ready. It was realized that a “Day of Trouble” has arrived, and that Yahweh alone could help us. Churches were crowded with the whole of the British Nation at prayer.

Then occurred the event afterwards known as the appearance of the “Angels of Mons,” in answer to national prayer: Of several accounts referring to the appearance of “Angels,” the following two are typical, both having been related by British soldiers who vouched for the occurrences as having been observed by them personally.

While a detachment of British soldiers was retiring through Mons under very heavy German artillery and machine-gun fire in August 1914 they knelt beside a hastily erected barricade and endeavoured to hold up the enemy advance. The firing on both sides was very intensive, and the air reverberated with deafening crashes of exploding shells.

Suddenly, firing on both sides stopped dead and a silence fell. Looking over the barrier, the astonished British saw four or five wonderful beings much bigger than men, between themselves and the halted Germans. They were white robed and bareheaded, and seemed rather to float than stand. Their backs were towards the British, and they faced the enemy with outstretched arm and hand as if to say: “Stop. Thus far and no further.” The sun was shining quite brightly at the time. Next thing the British knew was that the Germans were retreating in great disorder.

On another occasion, the British were in danger of being surrounded by the Germans, and had lost numbers of men and guns. Just when matters seemed hopeless, the heavy enemy fire suddenly stopped dead and a great silence fell over all. The sky opened with a bright shining light and figures of luminous beings appeared. They seemed to float between the British and the German forces, and to prevent the further advance of the enemy. Some of the German cavalry were advancing and the officers and men were unable to get their horses to go forward.

Before the surprised British were able to realize what had happened, the whole of the apparently victorious enemy force were retreating in great disorder. This allowed the British and the Allied Armies to reform and fall back upon a line of defense several miles further west, where they “dug in.” Then began the period of “trench warfare” which continued for over three years, with varying fortunes to either side until the Spring of 1918.

The White Cavalry

The second occasion of angelic intervention became known as “The White Cavalry.”

The following account of what occurred between the months of April and August, 1918, I (Captain Cecil Wightwick Hayward) can personally vouch for as being true; as far as that area of the front line trenches is concerned, lying roughly between the town of Bailleul, some fifteen miles south Ypres, and the town of Arras, some fifteen miles south of Bethune, in La Bassee (France).

I was responsible for the intelligence on this sector of the battle area, and therefore made my headquarters in the bright little town of Bethune, as it was a very good position strategically and had also remained practically untouched by enemy shell fire, although it was barely three miles from the trenches just across the La Bassee Canal.

It was an anxious time for Great Britain. The British troops had been in the trenches fighting for weeks without rest or relief owing to the fact that reserves were practically exhausted.

It was at this juncture that Portugal came in on our side, and raised a conscripted Army which landed in France early in March, 1918. Towards the end of that month I was instructed by Headquarters that a Portuguese force would be passing through Bethune shortly in order to take over a sector of the front line trenches just in front of Bethune, so as to relieve the British who had been holding it for so long.

It was evident that the enemy was about to intensify this offensive shortly, with a greater concentration of men and heavy guns. On our side, especially between March and June, our troops had been greatly reduced in numbers by heavy casualties in the prolonged fighting during those months, and our reserves were practically exhausted.

Although by the middle of May the United States of America had decided to join Great Britain and her Allies, their troops were still being formed, though the first contingent was on its way across the Atlantic. Later on, they came over at the rate of 50,000 weekly; but these reinforcements were not available for the front line much before the middle of June, according as they were dispatched to the various sectors.

As things stood, owing to the vigorous enemy action against the Allied lines to the north of Bethune, the line from La Bassee to Lens and Arras was left in a “pocket” which was liable to be “hemmed in” at any moment, with all the troops, ammunition, arms and equipment it contained.

It was highly improbable that the Portuguese troops, who had by now taken over the La Bassee trenches in front of Bethune, would make much difference to the enemy's plans. Indeed, they did not, for though there had been a temporary lull in the roar of the gun fire, it broke out again shortly afterwards with intensified fury. So tre- mendous was the reverberating crash of concentrated shell and high explosive fire, that it literally shook the ground and dazed us, though we were nearly three miles behind the front line.

It fell with a dense hail of shrapnel and lead on the unfortunate Portuguese, practically blotting them out wholesale, and thus causing a gap in our front line, through which the enemy began to pour in mass formation. The few Portuguese left came staggering through Bethune, having thrown away their arms and equipment in their mad desire to get away from the hell behind them as quickly as possible.

Shortly afterward they were followed by British troops, whose flank had been turned, and who were retiring in good order, keeping up a stiff rearguard action as they went.

In Britain everyone was asking: “Would the Germans get through to Paris?” “Would the Americans arrive in time to check their advance?” “Will the English ports be shelled shortly by German big guns from the coast of France?”

But then we remembered the “Angels of Mons” and once again the whole British nation was called to prayer. The President of the United States summoned the American people to do likewise; and united prayer went up from all the English speaking peoples.

In the meantime, the enemy shell fire, which had been largely directed against the shattered town of Bethune, suddenly lifted and began to burst on a slight rise beyond its outskirts. This open ground was absolutely bare of trees, houses or human beings, yet the enemy gun fire broke on it with increasing fury, and was augmented by heavy bursts of massed machine guns which raked it backward and forward with a hail of lead. We stood looking in astonishment.

“Fritz has gone balmy, Sir,” said the Sergeant, “what in the world is he peppering the naked ground for?”

“I can't think,” I replied. “Get along down to the canal and see what is happening there.”

I followed him shortly afterwards, being eager to see for myself, as there were obviously no troops within sight against whom the Germans could be directing their fire.

As I made my way over the scattered debris of the ruined houses, the enemy’s fire suddenly ceased, and a curious calm fell on everything. I went on wonderingly, and got outside the town. Then a lark suddenly arose from the remains of a meadow, and soared up, up, up, singing a trilling song which rings on my inward ear today, when I think of it.

I saw my Sergeant and men standing on the edge of a shell hole waving their tin hats. They shouted out: “Fritz is retiring!”

Indeed he was. Outlined on the slight rise by the La Bassee village, and as far as we could see, was a dense line of German troops, who a short time before had commenced a forward movement to victory, in mass formation. This line suddenly halted, and, as we watched, we saw it break!

Before our astonished eyes, that well-drilled and seemingly victorious army broke up into groups of frightened men who were fleeing from us, throwing down their arms, haversacks, rifles, coats and anything which might impede their flight.

It was not long before my Sergeant arrived with two German officer prisoners, and was soon followed by Tommies bringing in batches of twenty or so at a time.

Briefly, the statement the senior German officer made was as follows: The order had been given to advance in mass formation, and our troops were marching behind us singing their way to victory; when Friedrich my lieutenant here said:

“Herr, Kapitan, just look at that open ground behind Bethune, there is a brigade of cavalry coming up through the smoke drifting across it. They must be mad, these English, to advance against such a force as ours in the open. I suppose they must be cavalry of one of their Colonial forces, for see, they are all in white uniform and are mounted on white horses.”

“Strange,” I said, “I never heard of the English having any white uniformed cavalry, whether Colonial or not. They have all been fighting on foot for several years past, and anyway, they wear khaki, not white.”

“We saw the shells bursting amongst the horses and their riders, all of whom came forward at a quiet walk trot, in parade ground formation, each man and horse in his exact place.

“Shortly afterwards, our machine guns opened a heavy fire, raking the advancing cavalry with a dense hail of lead. But they came quietly forward, though the shells were bursting amongst them with intensified fury, and not a single man or horse fell.

“Steadily they advanced, clear in the shining sunlight; and a few paces in front of them rode their Leader, a fine figure of a man, whose hair, like spun gold, shone in an aura around his bare head. By his side was a great sword, but his hands lay quietly holding his horse’s reins, as his huge white charger bore him proudly forward.

“In spite of heavy shell, and concentrated machine gun fire, the White Cavalry advanced, remorseless as fate, like the incoming tide surging over a sandy beach. Then a great fear fell on me, and I turned to flee; yes I, an Officer of the Prussian Guard, fled, panic-stricken, and around me were hundreds of terrified men, whimpering like children, throwing away their arms and accoutrements in order not to have their movements impeded, all running. Their intense desire was to get away from that advancing White Cavalry; but most of all from their awe-inspiring Leader.

“That is all I have to tell you. We are beaten. The German army is broken. There may be fighting, but we have lost the war. We are beaten, by the White Cavalry. I cannot understand.”

During the following few days I examined many prisoners, and in substance, their accounts tallied with the one given here. This is in spite of the fact that at least two of us could swear that we saw no cavalry in action, here or elsewhere, at that particular time. Neither did any of us see so much as a single white horse either with or without a rider. But it was not necessary for us to do so, the evidence of their presence had to come from the enemy.

Shortly after this, the American forces came into action on the whole front, and about the second week in July there was a general advance which resulted in the capture of over 4,000 enemy and 100 guns on the sector between Bethune and Ypres during the ensuing weeks.

It is interesting to note that official reports give July 11^th as the date of the Allied advance, for by November 11^th, 1918, at 11:00 am, the war had ended and an Armistice was declared. Between these dates the British and Allied forces captured 385,000 prisoners, and over 5,000 guns. (From New Beginnings, December 2001).

Commentary

The article above needs no further comment, except to say that our God has not lost His power or His interest and love for His people. He intervened in World War I, at both of these amazing junctures, and saved His people from sore defeat. When? When His people unitedly cried out to Him in prayer, in all the churches and synagogues, and implored His mercy, forgiveness, and deliverance. Hopefully, our people have not lost or forgotten this divine maxim and truth (Isa.59:1-2; II Chron.7:14; Joel 2:12-20).