100 YEARS AGO today, the Battle of Mons broke out.

15,000 Irishmen formed part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) who arrived at Belgian town in August 1914.

This video by Ronan McGreevy recounts how an Irishman fired the British Army’s first shot of the war and how Irish Lieutenant Maurice Dease manned a machine gun to hold a railway bridge across the Mons-Condé Canal outside Mons.

Today, Mons is marking the battle, which saw around 1,600 British and over 5,000 German soldiers die.

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Wreaths laid at the site at Nimy Bridge where Maurice Dease and Sid Godley won the first VCs of the First World War. pic.twitter.com/JnUi4x6mb5
— Ronan McGreevy (@RMcGreevy1301) August 23, 2014

Ronan McGreevy / Twitter

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

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