“Gay Ostend is utterly transformed by the shadow of war,” writes the
correspondent of the London _Standard_. “It is crowded from end to end
with refugees of all nationalities, who are clamoring for an opportunity
to escape seaward. Never have the streets been so thronged, and one
might have thought it a fête day but for the strained and anxious faces
of the crowds.
“All the large hotels in Ostend are ready on the receipt of instructions
to open their doors as hospitals and all necessary arrangements have
been made to receive the wounded. Early this morning a number of wounded
Belgian soldiers were taken by boat to an unknown destination in order
to prevent them from being made prisoners by the Germans.
“Many hundreds of refugees have taken shelter in the bathing machines on
the beach, while others are encamped on the race course which adjoins
the dike. The King’s summer palace, which looks out over the sea, has
also been turned into a hospital. Side by side with all these scenes of
war it is a striking contrast to watch the crowds of children paddling
and playing war games on the sand.
“At 9 o’clock this morning all the men of the Civil Guard were disarmed,
and the Burgomaster issued a proclamation to the inhabitants urging them
to be calm and offer no resistance to the invading Germans.
“The Maritime Railway station was held by Belgian soldiers this morning,
but they will be removed by boat if the Germans enter the town. The
station was full of boxes of coin and banknotes, which were being
guarded by the soldiers, pending their transfer to steamers for
Folkestone. I am told that all the bankers in Ghent, Bruges and Ostend
have sent all their treasure to England for safety.
“In a conversation with a wounded Belgian officer I heard some stirring
stories of the bravery of the Belgian troops who were engaged in
resisting the advance of the Germans beyond Louvain. He related how,
when the order for retreat was given, he and his fellow officers had
great difficulty in persuading their men to obey the command. The bugles
were sounding the retreat, but the soldiers would not leave the trenches
and continued firing on a much larger force of Germans, who were
attacking them. This officer ran along the lines shouting to the men
that they must obey orders and retreat; but with violent oaths against
the detested Germans they continued to fight, with the result that all
at this particular spot were killed. The officer himself was wounded
just after his last effort to withdraw his men.”