children, were compelled to walk at the side of a Boche column to
protect it from being enfiladed. Near Malines, six German soldiers who
were taking with them five young girls, on meeting a Belgian patrol,
placed the girls all round them to prevent the enemy from firing. At
Jodoigne they put a Curé in front of them and made him walk with his
arms folded, and they did the same at Hougaerde to another Curé who was
killed. A similar fate befell several civilians at Mons. At Senlis, our
men were firing to cover our retreat, and the Germans took some
inhabitants out of the houses and made them walk in the middle of the
streets while they themselves kept along by the walls. Many of these
unfortunate people were killed. "In numerous places," says the Belgian
Commission of Enquiry, "the Germans made civilians--men and women--walk
in front of them." In this way a German column passed through
Marchienne, pushing ahead of them a body of several hundred civilians.
They took the road for Montigny-le-Tilleul, where the first important
battle with the French forces took place. At Sempst, during the fighting
on the 25th August, men and women were placed in the front rank of the
firing line. At Erpe, on the 12th September, a German column, attacked
by a Belgian motor-machine-gun, took out of the houses twenty to
twenty-five men and young people (including a child of thirteen), and
made them walk in front in the middle of the road. The machine-gunners,
seeing civilians in front of them, ceased firing. At Alost, a German
company attacked the bridge. In front marched some thirty civilians with
a machine-gun hidden behind them. At Nimy, with the butt-ends of their
rifles, they drove in front of them 500 men, women and children towards
the English, who in consequence dared not fire; and in this way the 84th
and 85th Schleswig Regiments were able to continue their heroic march as
far as Maubeuge.

When their adversary cannot actually see the human shield that they are