THE DEFENCES OF BRUSSELS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 211, 21 August 1914, Page 4

THE DEFENCES OF BRUSSELS.

Entrenchments and Wire Entanglements. Belgians Showing Wonderful Plucl. British Army en route to the Firing Line. j —>— ( 'Received 21, 8.30 a.tn.) i Brussels, Aug. 20 (morning). 1 The way to Namur is blocked, but the Germans were al-i lowed to enter a gap on the north; by which they reached’ Gambloux. ) The general impression at Brussels is that the Allies are. not making an effort to concentrate upon the defence ofj Brussels, as the Germans are not in sufficient strength to" ( warrant such an important change of plans. Belgian officers assert that everything is turning out as I anticipated. ’ i| It is officially pointed out that the first task of the Belgian} army is to gam time. The object of the present operations is j not to cover a certain district, or town. ] Meanwhile the Belgians are showing wonderful pluck and j zeal, in improvising fortifications to protect Brussels against} raiding parties. Private citizens are assisting the Civil Guards in entrenching. Already they have constructed a big trench with barbed wire defences on either flank. The Belgians at the outset of the war purchased an enormous number of motor cars, and these have changed the whole conditions of transport. An official note published at Brussels indicates that the English army is en route, with the gun- arriages garlanded, and followed by the cheering people. Hie size of the British provision train astonished the Belgians. \ Ihe locality of the British march is not disclosed, W.