A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium

Journal From Our Legation in Belgium, by Hugh Gibson

Project Gutenberg's A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium, by Hugh Gibson This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium
Author: Hugh Gibson
Release Date: August 1, 2006 [EBook #18959]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUR LEGATION IN BELGIUM ***

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Jeroen van Luin and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Transcriber's note: This document contains several illustrations of letters and posters. Where possible, the text on these illustrations has been included in the description of the illustration.]
[Illustration: His Majesty, Albert, King of the Belgians Photograph by Boute, Brussels]

A JOURNAL FROM OUR LEGATION IN BELGIUM
BY HUGH GIBSON
SECRETARY OF THE AMERICAN LEGATION IN BRUSSELS

ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS

NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS
Copyright, 1917, by DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian.

TO MY MOTHER

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
His Majesty, Albert, King of the Belgians Front
FACING PAGE Facsimile of the first page of the German ultimatum to Belgium (in the text) 16
Pass issued by the Belgian military authorities to enable Mr. Gibson to enter the German Legation at Brussels 16
Ma?tre Gaston de Leval, legal adviser to the American Legation in Brussels 17
Her Majesty, Elizabeth, Queen of the Belgians 32
Mr. Brand Whitlock, American Minister to Belgium 33
German supply train entering Brussels 96
German infantry entering Brussels 97
German officers and soldiers were always ready to oblige by posing for the camera 112
"Mit Gott f��r Kaiser und Reich" 112
Count Guy d'Oultremont 113
From left to right: Colonel DuCane, Captain Ferguson and Colonel Fairholme 113
Pass issued by General von Jarotzky (in text) 116
Letter signed by Burgomaster Max requesting the Belgian authorities to allow Mr. Gibson to pass (in text) 128
Boy Scouts at Belgian headquarters 140
Reading from left to right: a Belgian Staff Officer, Colonel Fairholme, Colonel DuCane and Captain Ferguson 140
List of the civilians killed by the Germans at Tamines on August 20, 1914 141
Entrance to the Rue de Diest, Louvain 156
The dead and the living. A Belgian civilian and a German soldier 157
Pass issued by Field-Marshal von der Goltz (in text) 200
A street in Louvain 202
Fixing on the white Flag for the dash between the lines 202
Refugees from the villages near the Antwerp forts 203
Arrival in Antwerp of refugees from Malines 203
At Malines--a good background for a photograph to send home to Germany 218
His Eminence, Cardinal Mercier 219
Fire at Namur during the bombardment 254
Effect of big German shell on Fort of Waehlem 255
Outside view of the Fort of Waehlem after bombardment 255
View of the Meuse at Huy 262
Refugees fleeing toward Dunkirk before the German advance 263
Graves of civilians shot by the Germans 266
A typical proclamation 266
Views of the Fort of Waehlem after its bombardment 267
Herbert C. Hoover 282
French Howitzer near H---- 283
German camp kitchen 283
Von Bulow's greeting to the people of Li��ge (in text) 324
How the simple pleasures of the German soldiers were restricted (in text) 324
Aux habitants de la Belgique (in text) 328
Appeal of the Queen of the Belgians for help from America (in text) 338
Julius Van Hee, American Vice-Counsel at Ghent 340
Lewis Richards 340
A Brussels soup-kitchen run by volunteers 341
Meals served to the children in the schools 341
German proclamation announcing the execution of Miss Cavell (in text) 349
Miss Edith Cavell 356
Fly-leaf of Miss Cavell's prayer book 357
Notes in Miss Cavell's prayer book 360, 361

INTRODUCTION
This volume is not a carefully prepared treatise on the war. It does not set out to prove anything. It is merely what its title indicates--a private journal jotted down hastily from day to day in odd moments, when more pressing duties would permit. Much material has been eliminated as of little interest. Other material of interest has been left out because it cannot be published at this time. It is believed, however, that what is printed here will suffice to give some idea of life in Belgium during the first few months of the war.
I have eliminated from the journal most of the matter about the early history of the Commission for Relief in Belgium. My day-to-day record did not do any sort of justice to the subject, and since it was not adequate, I have preferred to eliminate all but such casual reference to the relief work as is necessary to maintain the narrative. I am reconciled to this treatment of the subject by the knowledge that the story will be told comprehensively and well by Dr. Vernon Kellogg, who will soon publish an authoritative history of the Commission's work. As former Director of the Commission in Belgium, he has the detailed knowledge of its workings and the sympathetic