The second pick for this month’s short stories recommendation, is less picked for its quality but more to demonstrate the power of a story. Arthur Machan wrote the original story inspired by eye witness testimonies of soldiers who fought at the opening battle of the First World War at Mon’s. The story was published in “The Evening News” in September 1914. Machen had already published some factual reports of the war in the paper previously, and as it wasn’t labelled as fiction by ” The Evening News”, it was widely accepted as true. For many years the credibility of the tale has been debated, and several other pieces of fiction have been created inspired by it.
Interesting Fact: It is believed the story was written as propaganda to boost morale. However Machen always maintained it was written from his imagination and that he never intended to create a hoax.
Synopsis: The British armies are outnumbered by a large German attack during the Battle of Mon’s, their situation is looking bleak when Angels in the form of Bowmen of the Agincourt ( Battle 1415) appear in front of the British line and squash the attack.
Review: Though short is nature and lacking depth, it does deliver on the shock factor. If written as propaganda, the language would need to be accessible for the masses, therefore it is written perfectly for the intended audience. And if I was a soldier about to be shipped off the France in the First World War and I had just read it, I would feel comforted that I have angels fighting by my side who can snatch victory from a situation of defeat; thus achieving its potential purpose of boosting morale. So while it may not be the greatest written piece of literature, it certainly has left its mark and is worth reading to find out more about the origins of the legend of the Angel Bowmen at Mon’s.
4.5/10
Megan Layley 
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