The firing at Tirlemont and Louvain is described by the Ostend
correspondent of the London _Express_, who witnessed it from a church
tower at Tirlemont first and later proceeded to Louvain. He says:
“About 1 o’clock came the sound of the first German gun. The artillery
had opened fire.
“From the church tower it was possible to see distinctly the position of
German guns and the bursting of shells. The Belgians replied from east
of Louvain. It was a striking sight to the accompaniment of the
ceaseless thud, thud of bursting shells with their puffs of cotton-like
smoke, tearing up peaceful wheat fields.
“Gradually working near, the shells began to strike the houses in
Tirlemont. This was a signal for the populace to flee blindly. The scene
was like the rushing of rats from a disturbed nest. The people fled in
every direction except one.
“I moved down to Louvain, where everything seemed peaceful. The people
sat in the cafés drinking their evening beer and smoking. Meanwhile the
Belgian troops were retiring toward Louvain. By midnight the town was in
the throes of a panic. Throngs of refugees had begun to arrive,
followed later by soldiers. By 11 o’clock the Belgian rear guard was
engaging the enemy at the entrance to the town.
“I remember watching a black-clad Belgian woman running straight down
the middle of a road from the Germans. Behind her came the retiring
Belgian troops, disheartened but valiant. This woman, clad in mourning,
was the symbol of the Belgian populace. All about Tirlemont and Louvain
the refugees continually interfered with the work of the troops.”