A FORMER soldier will lead a trip to Belgium to the spot where the first action of the First World War took place – after also being part of commemorative events there 50 years ago.

On August 21, 1914, a squadron of 120 cavalrymen of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards (4DG) were reconnoitring the land ahead of the advancing British Expeditionary Force (BEF).

The first BEF troops had landed on the Continent a week before, yet no contact had been made with the enemy.

However, as British forces advanced deeper into France and then Belgium, reports were being received from civilians that large numbers of German troops were advancing through Brussels towards the Belgian town of Mons.

The following day saw the first action of the four-year conflict.

Now, 100 years later, Tim Jackson, of Gullane’s Whim Road, will lead relatives of Captain Charles Hornby and Corporal Edward Thomas to the town of Casteau.

A commemoration and re-enactment of the event by the Great War Society will be attended by local dignitaries, ambassadors and representatives of the present Regiment.

Following Casteau, Tim and his wife, Susannah, will be visiting France, where his grandfather, Colonel WAT Bowly MC was ADC to General Horace Smith-Dorrien, who commanded the British 11 Corps and the British Second Army in the First World War.

Tim said: “When I was serving in the subsequent 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, I attended the 50th anniversary of the event at the Casteau Memorial in 1964.

“I therefore felt it would be fitting to organise something in this centenary year.

“I managed to trace the relatives of those involved, including the grandsons/daughters of Hornby and the great grandson of Thomas.

“As a result, 20 of us will be travelling to Casteau on August 22, plus attending other commemoration services in Mons the following day.” One hundred years ago, Corporal Thomas, a drummer in the 4DG Squadron, had stopped to water his horse along with the rest of his troop at a crossroads just outside Casteau, a village near Mons.

A local farm worker tipped them off that German cavalry were heading their way.

A trap was set and although the Germans smelt a rat and retreated, the Dragoons chased them through the streets of Casteau, where the officer in charge, Captain Charles Hornby, killed the first German with his sword.

The Dragoons then dismounted with their rifles, and, when the enemy horsemen turned to fight, Thomas fired the first shot, bringing down another German.

In the subsequent pursuit, several Germans were killed and five prisoners were taken.

Hornby was the first to draw blood, whilst Thomas’s shots were the first fired by the British Army in Europe in the First World War.

Ironically, the final shots of the First World War took place just yards away from the same spot.

Tim added: “I have my grandfather’s personal diaries and it will be fascinating to visit those places where he was in the early stages of the war.

“It will also be humbling to commemorate and pay tribute to those who fought together in the British Army and made the ultimate sacrifice.”