The Invasion

at some unknown point north of Cromer, at King's Lynn, and other places, produced an enormous sensation in London, while the Cent

nemy's cavalry vedettes and reconnoitring patrols were out everywhere at a distance about twenty miles from the shore, England was entirely in the dark as to what had occurred anywhere else but at Lowestoft. Attempts had been made to penetrate the cavalry screen at various points, but in vain. What was in progress was carefully kept a secre

e a mixed lot of curious-looking craft strung out right across the horizon, and heading apparently for Cromer. There were steamers big and little, many of them towing

t ships went along to Weybourne Gap, where they moored in the twenty-five feet of water that runs in close to the shore, while some smaller steamers and the flats were run high and d

e whaleboats, and into these, in a most orderly manner, from every gangway and accommodation-ladd

. When we saw this we were utterly dumbfounded. Indeed, at first I believed it to be a dream,

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ces, and when the Spanish Armada was expected, and again when Napoleon threatened an invasion, the place wa

order to prevent them signalling a warning. The funny thing was, however, that the coastguards had already been held up by several well-dressed men-sp

t which dodged about everywhere, and the foreigners now and the

disembarking, the boats immediately returning to the steamers for more. They must have been packed as tightly as herrings in a barrel; but they all seemed to

ashore. Hundreds seemed to gain the beach even as we were looking at them. Then, after the first lot of horses had gone, boats full of saddles followed them. It seem

on the beach, and as the tide had now begun to run down, they landed only knee-deep in water. Those steamers, it seemed to me, had big bilge keels, for as the tide ebbed they did not heel over. They had, no doubt, been specially fitted for the purpose. Out of some they began to hoist all sorts of things, wag

at a time; then, as far as I could judge, about fifty more started. Then larger bodies went forward, but more and more horses kept going ashore,

from their first arrival-the infantry began to move off, and as far as I could see, they marched inland by every road, some in the direction of Kelling Street and Holt, others over Weybourne Heath towards Bodham, and still others

d, manned by infantry, moved swiftly in procession after the troops. The great idea of the Germans was apparently to get the bea

ctly what to do. From where we were we could see the coastguards held prisoners in their station, with German sentries mounted around; and as the tide was now setting strong to the westward, Ted and I just let our anc

ts, to give the alarm, so gradually we drifted off to the nor'-westward, in fear every moment lest we should be noticed and fired at. At last we got around Blakeney Point successfully, and breathed more freely; then hoisting our sail, we headed for Hunstanton, but seeing

ready tried to report by telegraph to his divisional inspecting officer at Harwich, but could obtain no communication. An hour later, howev

railway traffic north of London, the messenger was unable to reach the offices of the coastguard in Victoria Street, Westminster, until M

Press as revealing the truth

of England, and the sensation it caus

e Intelligence Department of the War Office, revealing the mil

kmann and Lieutenant-General von Mirbach. The 7th Division comprised the 13th and 14th Infantry Brigades, consisting of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau's 1st Magdeburg Regiment, the 3rd Magdeburg Infantry Reg

Regiment, the 4th and 8th Thuringen Infantry, with the Magdeburg Cuirassiers, and a regiment of Thuringen Hussars.

Gibbet Lane, slightly south of Cromer, a distance of about five miles. This constituted a naturally strong position; indeed, nature seemed to have provided it specially to suit the necessities of a fo

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NEWS IN

RMAN V

ntries were to be found along a line starting from Thornage village, through Hunworth, Edgefield, Barningham Green, Squallham, Aldborough, Hanworth, to Roughton. In rear of them lay their pickets, which were disposed in advantageous situations. The general line of these latter were at N

the line of resistance was to be as already indicated-namely, that having the Holt-Cromer Road for its crest. Cuirassiers, Hussars, and some motorists-commanded by Colonel von Dorndorf-were acting ind

while their companions slept elsewhere. At two o'clock the trio let themselves out quietly, were joined by six other men, and just as the enemy's ships hove in sight nine of them seized the coastguards and cu

who landed at Lowestoft could not be denied, and the military authoritie