By Christmas 1915, widespread rumors had taken the credit for the successful retreat away from the hard-working British soldiers, and had given it to a supernatural agent. The story said that St. George himself, patron of England, had led a host of angels and ghostly warriors from the past to shield the British retreat. While it is a beautiful and appealing story, it has no certifiable basis in actual events. There has been no shortage of people who have stepped forward to say that they saw it, or that they know someone whose cousin was at Mons. None of these people can be traced to any records indicating that they were present at Mons. Discredited stories have continued to be reprinted and quoted, nonetheless. The story seems to have originated with a short story by Arthur Machen, The Bowmen. It was printed on September 29, 1914, in the afternoon and evening editions of the London Evening News. It was the first mention of anything resembling the later "Angels of Mons" story.
This tale begins with a massive retreat by the British Expeditionary Forces. One of the soldiers remembers St. George and cries out a motto he'd seen once in a depiction of him- "Adsit Anglis Sanctus Georgius" ("St. George help the English"). Thousands followed suit and called out to St. George. Miraculously, a long line of ghostly English archers appears to cut down ten thousand German troops, killing them without leaving any wounds! The archers saved the day! Machen's work was hardly his best, and he expected it to be soon forgotten. Within a few days he was contacted and asked if it had any foundation. Machen said no, that it was a work of fiction. Over the following months, he gave permission for many reprints. Again, he was asked for exact sources, this time by a vicar who wished to reprint The Bowmen as a pamphlet. Machen again said it was purely an invention of his imagination. The vicar flatly refused to believe him, and the creation surpassed its creator. Soon, various tales began to appear, many being passed off as established fact, but all clearly traceable to Machen's fiction. Few were willing to listen to Machen, as he repeatedly attempted to set the record straight. Soon, a well meaning and very patriotic nurse, Phyllis Campbell, got into the act. She claimed to have direct testimony from various sources to verify her. Other statements by Ms. Campbell make clear that she would do anything to help defeat the Germans, even lie. There is solid evidence that some nurses during WWI invented wild tales, trying to bolster morale. In this case, though, no one would dare say Ms. Campbell was blatantly lying, she was well placed in society.
Over the years, the truth has been smothered by a very appealing fantasy. The story was a wonderful morale booster in England, as it appears to have actually helped the war effort. The angels didn't actually help the British at Mons, but the tale did help the British at home. This proves, in its own way, the power of faith, even more than if the story was real: the sheer belief in the story aided the hearts of the British, allowing them to save more lives than the angels themselves supposedly would have.
