Pontoon Bridge

 On the 3rd October Belgians in Antwerp started to walk across the recreation of a World War 1 pontoon bridge. Calculations were made of the time it would take to walk across the 1,221 feet (370 metres) and tickets were issued in accordance with that number however people in real life don't behave in neatly predetermined way.  It was a beautiful day and they dawdled for indeed how often do you get a chance to stand in the middle of the Scheldt with your fellow citizens and perhaps cast your mind back a hundred years to think of the thousands who were fleeing the city in haste in 1914 and then take a photo or two.

I bemoaned the fact I couldn't find any photographs of the original 1914 bridge when I wrote about the retreat from Antwerp (here) but I only needed only to look further ahead in the War Illustrated who issued a 'Special Antwerp Number' on 24th October 1914 with articles from their war correspondents, drawings and numerous photographs which included the picture on the front of the dockside

The text says  "Antwerp's day of anguish. This photograph exclusively published here, shows the enormous crowd of despairing refugees on the North German Lloyd quay struggling to reach the floating pier (in the foreground) leading from the battered abd burning town to the temporary pontoon bridge. The escape of the soldiers was a matter of vital importance and some are seen crossing the pontoon bridge...One of the German liners disabled by the British before they left is shown"

"The last of the refugees to leave Antwerp as the Germans entered the city are seen crossing the River Scheldt - some of them by the river ferry-boat and some by the pontoon bridge, temporarily erected and afterwards destroyed to prevent the Germans following the retreating soldiers and fleeing citizens. The river was flowing with oil, run to waste so as not be of service to the invaders"

"A camera captures Belgium's last stand"

Personal stories:-
"Gathering century old memories of war time Belgium" April 2013  BBC News, Antwerp

Antwerp

I have visited Antwerp twice, once by accident when taking the wrong exit off the ring road and once by intention for a longer stay because I was fascinated by what I saw on my first unintentional visit.  In my last War Illustrated post our French dragoons were looking for Germans and a few pages on in the same 29th August 1918 edition it was probably where they should have been galloping.

As the article implies Antwerp was considered the great redoubt built by the one of the leading fortification engineers of his time.  After Belgian independence in 1830 the city of Antwerp was proclaimed the National Safe Haven of Belgium, the last bastion of Belgian army in case of invasion by enemy troops and a safe haven from which to wait for help from allies.

As planned, the government, royal family and civil service in 1914 had decamped to Antwerp from Brussels to hold fast and the War Illustrated reported

"Gay, bright, picturesque Brussels has bravely prepared for the greater Waterloo.  The Government has been shifted to Antwerp, and the unfortified capital has opened to the enemy without a struggle. It had become a city of hospitals.  King Albert gave his splendid palace for hospital work and big hotel-keepers and large shop-owners turned their buildings into Red Cross institutions..."

"The immense fortress town, with triple belt of forts where the Belgians prepared for their last heroic stand"

The Gothic cathedral spire with its carillon bells still dominates the Antwerp skyline today as it does in the photograph and map. The optimism of holding the city for a year was ill founded as the Germans attacked with heavy artillery and on September 28th captured many of the outer ring forts.   The Belgian troops fought a rear guard action but were heavily outnumbered.  On October 1st the Belgium government sent a telegram to the British saying they would retreat in three days time.

Two more photographs of Antwerp and the Scheldt River that could be taken today.  In the background of the photograph on the right is Steen Castle

Steen Castle, Antwerp

where next month on the 3rd October 2014 a reconstruction of the pontoon footbridge across the River Scheldt to the Left Bank (Linkeroever) will be built by the Belgian and Dutch Engineering Corps and named the Peace Bridge. (See the Flanders Today article here)  Its purpose in 1914 was to be able to fortify the city with supplies and as a last resort be quickly evacuated. This was the route that the inhabitants would escape.

Belgians fleeing Antwerp to avoid entrapment (from 1914)

I have not found any pictures of that original pontoon bridge but the War Illustrated shows the rear guard in action

"Belgian rear-guard covering retirement"

And a reminder that after perfect weather the harvest of 1914 had been especially good

"Fighting Amongst the harvest. The Belgians and their black helmets with wheat-stalks to escape notice until they fire"

The pictures of the fleeing populace down tree lined avenues remind me that a hundred years later civilians are still fleeing violence in huge numbers in the Middle East.  Lets hope that in a hundred years time they too will live on a continent of peace. 

Antwerp surrendered on 9 October 1914 and one in five Belgians fled the country some to the Netherlands, France or Britain.   The Germans had a scorched earth policy because of the fear of guerrilla action.

"The rear of the German Army leaving Mouland burnt and sacked"

The village of Mouland or Moelingen in the photograph is near the Meuse river and was rebuilt after the war when the streets were widened and the central square enlarged.

"The railway from Landen to St Trond, destroyed by the Belgians to hinder the German advance".

(This was 6 miles of a single line of track first opened to traffic on 6 October 1839 )

On Horseback

"Have You Seen Any Germans Pass this Way?"

Captioned "A unique war photograph taken last week on a Belgian highway. It shows a scouting part of French dragoons who are endeavouring to get in touch with the German Uhlans."

I have read various reports of the "last" cavalry charge in World War 1 which all have different times, years, places and participants but when this photo was taken and used on the front page of The War Illustrated on 29 August 1914 the realisation that barbed wire, trenches and machine guns had changed the face of warfare had not dawned.   Despite this the horse remained an essential part of the war for transport but conditions for them as for their solders companions were horrendous, 8 million horses died.  The peaceful interlude of the photograph is indeed the calm before the storm.  At the outbreak of war the French had 32 dragoon regiments.  The use of the world Uhlan for the German cavalry was a term used for all types of German cavalry regiments by the British but in actuality there were only 26 Uhlan regiments of the Polish style who were dismounted in the early weeks of the war and served as cavalry rifles, all were disbanded in 1918.

Photo from "The History Place"

Here are the men the French dragoons were "endeavouring to get in touch with".  A charge against the Belgian positions by the Uhlan cavalry armed, like the French, with lances.

 

    

Galloping in Ghent

Walking in the outskirts of Ghent on our way from the Museum of Art to the centre one Sunday we approached a square where suddenly the sight of  a gathering of horses galloping in all directions surounded us.  Most pulling carriages but also

just trotting along.  We wondered if it was a gymkhana or a gala but no

the notice by the sand covered square explained it all with the help of my trusty Dutch dictionary. Draught Horse (Trekpaard) Promotion (promotie)  Flanders (Vlaanderen).  It is interesting that the derivation of the word Draught is the Old English 'dragen' to draw or haul which is similar to the Dutch 'dragen' to carry -  but wait I'm getting off the point here.  We usually call them Heavy Horses, the gentle giants. Near where I live in Cumbria there is a Heavy Horse centre where you can ride over the fells or gallop along the beaches on Clydesdales and Shire Horses.

But here in Ghent the farmlands had come to the town.  The light chestnut ones like this (and the first photo) with their white tail and main are the Brabant breed or the Belgium Draft Horse.  The American spelling may be the clue that it is the most popular breed of Heavy Horse in the USA.  They are good-looking horses

as are the white ones here taking a genteel turn around the square

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a ride through the alphabet

Under the Scheldt

Saint Anna Tunnel Dimensions

This week I'm going underground or rather underwater and below the Scheldt River where the city of Antwerp's Saint Anna Pedestrian tunnel was built in the 1930s.  Started in 1931 it was opened in 1933

The tunnel is also handy for those pedestrians that ride bikes.  Of course the thing that fascinated me were the escalators that took us up and down to the tunnel

Wooden and very much a product of 1930s Art Deco they trundle  by the white ceramic tiles.  There is also a lift but the preferred option seems to be the escalator.

Always on the move, unless the stop button is pressed. 

First Level

 The depth of the tunnel means that there are not just one but two escalators to ride

 Reaching the bottom and a ten minute walk, or an even quicker bicycle ride and the destination is reached.

We travelling from the bustling city of Antwerp discovered the other bank was full of parks and people enjoying the day. We browsed a riverside collection of propellers and other maritime ephemera, its reason unknown to us, but we spent some time spotting which propellers had been built in the UK.   It is also undoubtedly the perfect place to take photographs of the Antwerp skyline and watch the barges sail past.  We passed a pleasant time strolling on the banks and made our way back to the tunnel entrance

 Back underground

And back to the bustling city

An entry to ABC Wednesday. A journey through the alphabet which has reached the letter - U

Greening II in the Garden which is Green (or in Dutch) Groen

When doing the tourist thing and pounding the streets of Antwerp I discovered this sculpture. Are they descending or growing?  I thought they were growing until someone mentioned descending. The clue may be in the title "Greening II" by the artist Monique Donckers. She says that in painting you can create a world but sculptures must create their own world, and this one certainly does. Maybe it depends on the time of year how you view it, in spring or autumn.

 Here they are glimpsed from the back by the fish pond.  Monique Donckers I learn has a handful of sculptures dotted around Antwerp.  Strange how one always finds out things after you have left a place but I suppose it does mean there is something new to see if you return.

This is definitely a place to return to, a little oasis of relaxation in the city where you can sit and watch the gardener at work tending his A for Antwerp. 

 You can see what time of year I visited with the tulips full out and a

bee trying on a bluebell hat for size. 

Now I may have gone clickety click at all the tulips but this garden contains much more. It is called the Plantentuin (Plant Garden) or Botanical Garden. It was created in 1804 for students of the School for Surgery, Chemistry and Botany which was housed in the St Elisabeth Hospital and at that time grew only medicinal plants. Today there are flowers, trees and around 2000 herbs but more than that it is also a popular place to relax on the benches or just walk through and enjoy the green space.

The greenhouses are not open to the public but I did peer through the window and spot a nice display of cactus.  

Here are the plant labels ready for the summer plants to appear by them and a lone statue of Peter Van Coudenberghe (1517-1599) , a pharmacist and botanist who is famous for writing about the medicinal use of plants and herbs, he listed and described more than 600 different plants and explained how they can be used.  He also kept exotic plants which were protected during the wintertime by placing them in underground storage, unfortunately this garden was destroyed by the Spanish Army during the Siege of Antwerp (1584-5).  Like the garden the statue itself was nearly destroyed.  262 years after his death a statue was erected in 1861 to celebrate his pharmaceutical contributions but was damaged during the first world war and moved to a warehouse. Not discovered again until 1996 was what was left of the statue was restored and placed in this peaceful corner of the Botanical Gardens in Leopold Street, Antwerp.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet

    

Antwerp from An Angle

On a overcast day by the side of the Scheldt River the signs tell both walker and sailor where they are, Antwerp or its Dutch name Antwerpen.  The building is the Zuiderterras café and restaurant which in a country that has two languages Flemish and French appears to combine the two in this word, so we have the south terrace.  Interesting how languages shift and adapt.

Walk further along and the goddess of wisdom and patroness of the arts and trade Minerva stands gazing down the river.  The tall tower belongs to the Cathedral of Our Lady and its 404 feet can been seen from every part of the city.

 Its other end is just as unique.

To get the best view of the Antwerp skyline a walk from the city through the tunnel under the river takes you to the verdant banks on the other side. On this still sunny day the sound of the church carillon on the clock drifted across the water. 

as we walked along the river path which had lots of photo opportunities which will make another appearance for this round of ABC (if I don't absent-mindedly forget, a common occurrence).  But lets head towards that red square building the MAS (Museum aan der Stroom) where one can get  

a 360 degree view over the city.  The building is situated near the location of the old Red Star line quay where 2.7 million emigrants set sail for North America. Today the area is being regenerated and there are more yachts than liners.

Setting sail for another round of ABC Wednesday

Zeilen with the Zeescouts

 

On the banks of the Scheldt River in Belgium, it being midweek and not a Zaterdag (Saturday) it was a school day and the Zeescouts boats were covered and not taking part in any adventures like this one for

"The Day of the Seascouts", and there was I thinking it was just messing about in boats when really there was potential for piratical adventures.  No hint of this on the thin sign outside the Zeescout hut

 

(which did not photograph too well in the light) but does have a question at the bottom which made me take this photo.  If it had been in Flemish I would not have seen the whimsy of it but it was in English and said

" are you waterproof".  The answer would seem to  be yes.  It also had a hand (which is the symbol of Antwerp) and the message the group was a partner with MAS

which means the new Museum Aan de Stroom on the other side of the river from the Sea-scouts base and seen  back left of this photo.  It houses a wonderful maritime history of Antwerp along with art, design and a panoramic view of the city from the top.  Its a superb attraction to visit. 

Scouting started in Belgium in 1910, the girl guides in 1915 followed in 1916 by the sea scouts, all using the Baden Powell name, as in the banner shown above today. I did a double take on those last two dates slap bang in the middle of World War 1 when fighting was going on in Belgium but they are dates quoted in more than one source.  The Belgians obviously didn't let a little local difficulty stand in the way

 UK WW1 poster

of scouting adventures.  Baden Powell's older brother Warington wrote the manual of seamanship for the sea scouts, he was an experienced sailor who paddled a sail canoe around the Baltic Sea in 1871 for fun.   

Time to set sail/zeil?. (to use one of the many wonderful Dutch words starting with Z.

An entry to ABC Wednesday. A journey through the alphabet that has reached the Z.