The Belgian Army and Society from Independence to the Great War

Draper, Mario

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-70386-2

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Increasingly besieged there by the Germans, their government appealed to Britain for assistance. 46 A political decision was taken to immediately despatch naval infantry and two of the newly-forming army divisions were also earmarked for deployment to Belgium. 47 In theory the Belgian army could have been asked, like the French, to supply interpreters.…”

Section: Improvisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvising Language Capability: The British Army's Corps of Interpreters, 1914–1915

Beach

Bruce

2023

War in History

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This article examines the British army's short-lived Corps of Interpreters on the Western Front during the early stages of the First World War. It begins by establishing a benchmark for the regular army's French language capability in 1914. It then explores the interpreters’ recruitment process, employment, and the corps’ subsequent dissolution. Further insight into their motivation and suitability is then determined through a prosopographical analysis of their backgrounds and accounts of their employment. Overall, the article provides an important case study of the pitfalls of improvising military language capability during a crisis.

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Section: Improvisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvising Language Capability: The British Army's Corps of Interpreters, 1914–1915

Beach

Bruce

2023

War in History

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“…The majority were, unsurprisingly, detached from the Belgian Army through the Institut Géographique Militaire, and benefitted from dual-pay for the duration of their time in Africa. Although imperial service was strictly 'ignored' in terms of metropolitan seniority, (as is further evident in the complexities of neutral Belgium loaning officers to a 'foreign' state), these men bore the unique distinction of having experienced active service, which did them no harm in the eyes of the king when it came to promotions (Draper, 2018). For those wishing to escape the trammels of European society and the boredom of sleepy garrison towns in Belgium, the allure of adventure and advancement in the Congo proved difficult to ignore (Le Soir, 5 August 1955).…”

Section: Establishment Of the Force Publiquementioning

confidence: 99%

The Force Publique and frontier warfare in the late 19th Century Congo Free State

Draper

2023

HEJ

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During the late 19th Century, the Force Publique of the Congo Free State (1878-1908) found itself engaged in almost continuous fighting. Its campaigns against indigenous peoples, mutineers, interloping African Empires, and wars of expansion against the Mahdists, constitute some of the most diverse examples of frontier warfare of the period. They nevertheless remain largely unknown compared to the colonial campaigns of Britain and France, despite offering similar lessons. This article will explore the means through which the Force Publique learnt from experience and developed a colonial military tradition independently – though with many degrees of similarity – from its colonial neighbours. In doing so, it will reflect on the degree to which there were inherent overlaps in European approaches to late 19th Century frontier warfare.

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“…68 After all, even Belgian officers who had achieved far less abroad in the past, be it in French service or that of the CFS, had obtained recognition for their efforts as the few men who returned to the Belgian army with any campaign experience. 69 This also proved to be the case for a number of Dhanis' contemporaries, whose search for a release from the 'trammels of European convention' was only matched by the ambition to better otherwise stagnant military careers. 70 To this end, valorous exploits in the name of 'the nation' or the 'noble cause' were frequently recorded with a home audience in mind.…”

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confidence: 99%