Event overview
020 7919 7882
Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit Invited Speaker Series, 2010/11
Abstract
The Angels of Mons were once described by the eminent historian A.J.P. Taylor as “the greatest wartime mystery of the 20th century.” Two weeks after the outbreak of the First World War a force of 30,000 crack British troops became trapped and surrounded in the Belgian town of Mons by a massive German Army three times as strong. But at the very moment they expected to be annihilated the German attack was suddenly halted, allowing the British force to escape to fight another day.
On the Home Front the escape of the British Expeditionary Force was proclaimed as “a miracle” by patriotic newspapers whose readers believed the Germans had been stopped not by armed force but by supernatural forces – angels and phantom bowmen led by the English patron saint, St George. During the remainder of the war soldiers and nurses came forward to claim they had personally witnessed the miracle at Mons. The legend captured the imagination of thousands across the world, brought hope to those who had lost loved ones on the Western Front and was resurrected again to inspire a new generation following the retreat from Dunkirk in 1940.
But was the story fact or fiction? For his 2004 book The Angels of Mons, David set out to discover the truth using contemporary documents from the Great War along with original accounts left by soldiers and the Red Cross nurses. For this talk he will answer this question: did the legend have any basis in reality, or was it, as Radio 4 claim, “the first urban myth”?
Biography
Dr David Clarke is course leader and senior lecturer in journalism at Sheffield Hallam University. Prior to teaching journalism skills he worked as a news reporter for The Sheffield Star and Yorkshire Post and spent four years working as a press officer in local government. His Ph.D in Folklore was completed at the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, University of Sheffield, in 1999. Since 2008 David has been working with The National Archives (TNA) as their consultant for the ongoing release of the UFO files created by Britain’s Ministry of Defence. His book, The UFO Files, was published by TNA in September 2009.
APRU Invited Speaker Programme
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Mar 2011 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm |
Accessibility
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