August 21 - Battle of Charleroi

The German 2nd and 3rd armies are victorious at the Battle of Charleroi, otherwise known as the Battle of the Sambre.

The Battle of Charleroi

The first British soldier is killed in action, Private John Parr. Parr was attached to the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, which had disembarked at Boulogne on August 14. The battalion then moved east towards the front in Belgium.

The precise circumstances of Private Parr's death are still unclear. One explanation is that as a "reconnaissance cyclist" (and accompanied by another soldier), he was instructed to locate the enemy. They eventually came across German troops near Obourg. Whilst Parr stayed to monitor their movements, his comrade cycled back to the battalion to report the news. Parr was never seen alive again.

John Parr is buried in the cemetery at St Symphorium. Although his headstone records he was aged 20, he was in fact born in 1898, making him only 16 years old.

The Germans levy £8,000,000 on Brussels (£11 per head of the population) ad £2,400,000 on the province of Liege.

The BEF's concentration in France is practically completed.

Army Order 324 is issued, specifying that six new divisions would be created from units formed from the 100,000 volunteers who had come forward since 6 August. These new divisions are collectively  called "Kitchener's Army" or K1