During the week two casualty lists have been published, the
first on Thursday and a supplementary list on Friday. Altogether the numbers are 10,345. The killed amount to 54 officers and 179 men ; wounded, 135 officers, 941 men; missing, 181 officers, 8,855 men. This last item is, of course, a disagreeable one. It must not be supposed, however, that anything like this number of men are unwounded prisoners in the hands of the enemy. It is part of the price that must be paid for retreats and falling-back movements that a great many small parties get isolated and literally lost. Some of these are picked up by the enemy, but in a great many cases the men wander about the country, and ultimately return to their regiments. Already little parcels of men are turning
op in the most unexpected places. But even if the enemy Lave taken 4,000 to 5,000 prisoners. there is nothing to make a fuss about. The Germans at Liege appear to have lost R,000 or 9,000, though in this case the number of men engaged was not greater than ours, and the operations did not extend over nearly so many days. Taking one thing with another, it does not appear that our total casualties are more than ten per cent.
Previous page
