Atrocities of WWI

On July 31st, 1914, when the danger of war between Germany and France seemed imminent, Herr von Below, the German Minister in Brussels, being interrogated by the Belgian Foreign Department, replied that he knew of the assurances given by the German Chancellor in 1911 (that Germany had no intention of violating Belgian neutrality) and that he "was certain that the sentiments expressed at that time had not changed." Nevertheless, on August 2nd, the same Minister presented a note to the Belgian Government demanding a passage through Belgium for the German Army on pain of an instant declaration of war. Startled as they were by the suddenness with which this terrific war cloud had risen on the eastern horizon, the leaders of the nation rallied round the King of Belgium in his resolution to refuse the demand and to prepare for resistance. On the evening of August 3rd, the German troops crossed the frontier. No sooner had the Germans violated Belgian territory, statements of atrocities committed by German soldiers against civilians, men, women and children, found their way into the newspapers of Great Britain. The public could hardly believe the record of cruelty that rapidly accumulated, but the persistence with which reports from one district tallied in general outline with reports from other localities left little doubt in the public mind as to the truth of the alleged atrocities. But it became necessary to make absolutely certain of the facts. The Home Office, in the autumn of 1914, wisely decided to collect evidence of the truth, and, during the concluding months of 1914, a great number of statements taken in writing were collected from Belgian witnesses (mostly civilians), and from British officers and soldiers. The statements were taken by the staff of the Director of Public Prosecutions and a number of barristers who assisted the Home Office. Soon the staff would bear witness to stories of civilians being deported, obliged to undertake forced labour under the threat of violence, mishandled, raped, taken hostage, condemned to death in spurious military trials or arbitrarily shot. In towns and villages, plundering and arson took place. Undefended places were shelled and entire swathes of land systematically laid waste. Surrendering soldiers were executed for tactical reasons. Prisoners of war were neglected in camps, maltreated and deployed for the toughest hard labour. Many thousands died of malnutrition and disease as a result of hard and dangerous work. Medical staff at several German camps deliberately mixed diseased prisoners with the healthy, with the inevitable results.