ABSTRACT
After the battle of the Marne the fate of Antwerp became a matter of the greatest concern to all the belligerents in the western theatre of war. To the Belgians the maintenance of Antwerp until relieved offered the last hope of protecting their country against the humiliation and the horrors of a German occupation of incalculable duration. In these circumstances it might be supposed that the fate of Antwerp would have been the object of the utmost preoccupation to the British Supreme Command. There was no reason to believe that the ill-armed Antwerp forts would be able to offer any better resistance than those at Lige and Namur. Be very careful not to raise hopes of British and French forces arriving quickly to relieve Antwerp. The matter has not yet been decided, as the Territorial division offered by France in ten days time would, in my opinion, be quite incapable of doing anything towards changing the situation at Antwerp.
