WWI Timeline

1914

Date	Event
28 June	Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria at Sarajevo, Serbia.
5 July	Austria-Hungary seeks German support for a war against Serbia if Russian troops are mobilised.
28 July	Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia and Russain troops are mobilised.
1 August	Germany declares war on Russia.
2 August	Germany invades Luxembourg. Germany and Ottoman Empire sign secret alliance treaty.
3 August	Germany declares war on France and invades Belgium.
4 August	Germany declares war on Belgium. British ultimatum to Germany over Belgium’s neutrality. Britain declares war on Germany at 11pm.
5 August	Cabinet mobilises British forces.
6 August	Austria- Hungary declares war on Germany. Serbia declares war on Germany.
7 August	British Expeditionary Force begins to land in France.
8 August	Defence of the Realm Act passed by Parliament – Britain under martial law.
9 August	United Kingdom declares war on Austria-Hungary.
10 August	Press censorship. Press Bureau set up to dispense and censor news.
20 August	German army occupies Brussels, Belgium.
22 August	Austria-Hungary declares war on Belgium.
23 August	Germany invades France. Start of British retreat from Mons. Japan declares war on Germany.
26 August	Battle of Le Cateau after Allied retreat from Battle of Mons. British and French forces invade Togoland, a German protectorate in West Africa.
28 August	Royal Navy wins first Battle of Heligoland Bight, North Sea.
5-12 September	First Battle of Marne halted German advance in France which had reached the outskirts of Paris.
11-21 September	Australian forces occupy German New Guinea.
13 September	South African troops begin invading German South-West Africa.
13-28 September	First Battle of the Aisne ends and the “Race to the Sea” begins in Northern France and Belgium.
29 September – 31 October	Battle of Yser. British and Belgian forces secure Belgian coast.
16 October	First Canadian troops arrive in England.
18 October – 22 November	First Battle of Ypres ended in “Race to the Sea” with Germans prevented from reaching channel ports.
29 October	Ottoman Empire enters war on German side.
1 November	Battle of Coronel off coast of central Chile. Von Spee’s German cruiser squadron defeats Royal Navy squadron.
2 November	Britain begins naval blockade of Germany.
5 November	Britain declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
8 November	Battle of the Falklands. Von Spee’s cruiser squadron defeated by Royal Navy.
14 December	First attack by German Navy on Britain at Whitby and Scarborough. 160 civilians killed and 600 injured.
21 December	Start of German air attacks on Britain at Dover and Sherwell.

1915

Date	Event
15 January	First Zepplin raid on Britain takes place at Norfolk.
24 January	Battle of Dogger Bank between British and German fleets.
4 February	Germany begins submarine warfare against merchant shipping. German bombardment of East Coast ceases.
19 February	Britain and France attack Turkish forts in the Dardenelles. Start of Gallipolli campaign.
10-13 March	Battle of Neuve Chapelle in Artois area of France halts British offensive.
28 March	Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was formed.
22 April -25 May	Second Battle of Ypres. Use of poison gas by both sides.
25 April	Allied troops landed in Dardenelles, Gallipoli.
28 April	First Battle of Krithia, Gallipolli. Allied advance is repelled.
May	Coalition Government formed after battle loss from ammunition shortages. David Lloyd George becomes Minister of War.
7 May	The Lusitania sunk by German U-boat off Irish coast.
23 May	Italy changes sides and declares war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. Now fighting with the Allied Forces.
23 June – 7 July	First Battle of Isonzo. Italian forces fighting to drive Austria troops from Isonzo on Italian front.
9 July	German forces in South-West Africa surrender.
5 August	Germans capture Warsaw from the Russians.
6 August	Battle of Sari Bair. Last and unsuccessful attempt by British to take Dardanelle peninsula.
1 September	Germany suspends unrestricted submarine warfare.
21 September	National Registration Act passed by Parliament introducing identity cards and registration of aliens.
25 – 28 September	Battle of Loos. Major British offensive fails.
15 October	Britain declares war on Serbia.
27 October	French army lands in Salonika and sets up Balkan front.
7 December	Siege of Kut by Ottomans commences in Mesopotamia.
19 December	Allies start evacuation of Gallipoli.

1916

Date	Event
9 January	Gallipoli campaign ends with Allied defeat by the Ottomans.
27 January	Conscription introduced in Britain by Military Service Act.
21 February	Battle of Verdun begins.
29 February	HMS Alcantara sunk off Western Europe with loss of 69 lives.
1 March	Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare.
23 April	Easter Uprising by Irish rebels against United Kingdom.
29 April	British forces surrender to Turkish forces at Kut in Mesopotamia.
10 May	Germany suspends unrestricted submarine warfare.
25 May	Conscription extended to married men.
31 May	Battle of Jutland between British and German fleets.
4 June	Brusilov Offensive started.
5 June	HMS Hampshire sunk off Orkney Islands. Lord Kitchener dies.
1 July	Battle of the Somme begins.
14 July	Battles for Longueval and Denville Woods (Somme). Battle of Bezentin Ridge (Somme).
23 July – 7 August	Battle of Pozieres (Somme).
18 August – 5 September	Battle of Guillmont (Somme).
10 September – 19 November	Allied offensive on the Salonika Front.
14-17 September	7^th Battle of Isonzo on Italian Front.
15 September	Battle of Flers-Courcelette (Somme). British use of armoured tanks en masse for the first time.
20 September	Brusilov Offensive ends with Russian success.
25 September	Battle of Morval (Somme).
26-28 September	Battle of Thiepval Ridge (Somme).
1 October – 5 November	Battle of Le Transloy (Somme).
24 October	French troops recapture Fort Douavont near Verdun.
1 – 4 November	9^th Battle of Isonzo on Italian Front.
13-15 November	Battle of Ancre (Somme).
18 November	Battle of Somme ends with enormous casualties and no winner.
21 November	HMHS Britannic sunk after hitting German mine off Greek island of Kea.
7 December	David Lloyd George becomes Prime Minister replacing Henry Asquith.
23 December	Battle of Magdhaba in the Sinai Peninsula.

1917

Date	Event
9 January	Battle of Raifa. British troops drive the Ottomans out of Sinai.
1 February	Germany’s re-introduced unrestricted submarine warfare.
23 February	Second Battle of Kut with British recapturing the city.
23 February – 5 April	Germans withdraw to Hindenburg Line.
8 – 11 March	British troops capture Baghdad.
20 March	HMHS Asturias torpedoed 6 miles off Devon coast but not sunk. 35 casualties.
6 April	USA declares war on Germany.
9 – 12 April	Canadians win significant victory at Vimy Ridge.
9 April – May 16	Battle of Arras with British attacking heavily fortified German lines.
15 April	HMT Arcadian torpedoed and sunk in Aegean Sea. 277 people drowned (19 officers, 214 other ranks, 10 naval ratings and 34 crew).
16 April – 9 May	Second Battle of Aine. France launches unsuccessful offensive on the Western Front.
5 May – 15 May	Allied offensive on Salonika Front.
25 May	Gotha planes replaced Zeppelins. Attacks on Fokestone (95 civilians killed and 290 injured) and London (162 civilians killed and 432 injured).
7 -8 June	British recapture Messines Ridge.
25 June	First American troops land in France.
6 July	Arab rebels led by Lawrence of Arabia seize Jordanian port of Aqaba.
31 July – 10 November	Third Battle of Ypres (Battle of Passchendaele) ends in stalemate. Heavy British losses.
27 – 28 September	Battle of Ramadi, Mesopotamia.
24 October	Battle of Caporetto where Italian army was heavily defeated.
31 October – 7 November	Third Battle of Gaza. British troops break through the Ottoman lines.
5 November	Allies agree to establish a Supreme War Council at Versailles.
6 November	Britain launched a major offensive on the Western Front.
7 November	October Revolution in Russia. Bolsheviks seize power.
9 November – 28 December	First Battle of the Paive (12^th Battle of Isonzo). Austro-Hungarians and Germans unsuccessful in crossing river.
17 November	Second Battle of Heligoland Bight, North Sea.
20 November – 3 December	Battle of Cambrai, France. British tanks win victory but British attack fails.
5 December	Armistice between Germany and Russia signed.
7 December	USA declares war on Austria-Hungary.
9 December	Battle of Jerusalem. Britain captures Jerusalem from the Turks.
23 December	Russia signs an armistice with Germany.

1918

Date	Event
21 March – 12 June	Spring Offensive (Lundendorff Offensive). Series of German attacks on Western Front to divert British troops from the Somme. German gained territory from Allies.
21 March – 7 August	Artillery bombardment of Paris.
29 March	French Marshall Ferdinand Foch appointed Allied Commander on the Western Front.
1 April	Royal Air Force founded by combining Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service.
9 April	Germany starts offensive in Flanders.
13 – 23 June	Second Battle of Piave. Austro-Hungarian offensive is repelled.
15 July – 5^th August	Second Battle of Marne and start of collapse of the German army. Last German offensive on Western Front.
8 – 11 August	Battle of Amiens and start of 100 Days Offensive. Successful advances by the Allies.
12 September	Battle of Havrincourt (100 Days Offensive).
18 September – 10 October	Battle of the Hindenburg Line (100 Days Offensive). Allied troops break through German lines.
19 – 21 September	Battle of Megiddo. British win victory in Palestine and collapse of Turkish forces.
25 September – 11 November	Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Final phase of 100 Days Offensive and of WW1.
30 September	Bulgaria signs armistice with Allies.
1 October	British enter Damascus.
4 October	Germany asked Allies for armistice.
20 October	Germany suspends submarine warfare.
24 October – 4 November	Battle of Vittorio Venito. Austro-Hungarian army is defeated.
29 October	Keil mutiny. Germany’s navy mutinies following orders to carry out final attack on Royal Navy. Spread to other seamen and workers after leaders arrested.
30 October	Ottoman Empire signs Armistice of Mundros.
3 November	Austria-Hungary signs armistice with Italy.
9 November	Kaiser William II abdicated and German republic proclaimed.
9 November	Councillor Sidney Guy Kimber elected as 695th Mayor of Southampton.
10 November	Austria-Hungary Kaiser Charles 1 abdicates and Austria-Hungary declared a republic on 12 November.
11 November	Germany signed Armistice of Compiegne with the Allies at 6am with the official end of WWII declared at 11am.
12 November	Thanksgiving Service and Parade in Southampton.
14 November	Czechoslovakia declared a republic. German U-boats interred. Fighting ends in East African Front when news of German surrender is received.
21 November	Germany’s naval fleet (Hochseeflotte) surrendered to British.
25 November	Public meeting to discuss a Southampton war memorial.
27 November	Germans evacuate Belgium.
4 December	Yugoslavia declares independence.
8 December	Repatriation of Allied troops from Southampton started.

1919

Date	Event
4 January	Treaty of Versailles Peace Conference opens in Paris.
22 January	Sir Edwin Lutyens accepts invitation to meet with Southampton’s Mayor and War Memorial Committee to discuss appointments as architect for Cenotaph and design of the monument.
25 January	Proposals to create League of Nations accepted.
4 April	Government lift wartime restrictions on civilian aviation.
23 April	Memorial Service to the Fallen on Southampton Common. Over 5,000 people in the procession and 25,000 on the Common.
21 June	Surrendered German naval fleet scuttled at Scapa Flow (53 ships and 9 deaths)
28 June	Treaty of Versailles signed.
3 July	Proclamation of Peace by the King. He announced that a national day of thanksgiving services was to be held on 6 July.
6 July	Memorial and Thanksgiving service held at St Mary’s Church with parade and procession from Audit House. Mayor addressed public from balcony of Audit House on return. Other church services were held and huge crowds attended open-air services on the Common, Palmerston Park and Shirley Recreation Ground.
8 July	Germany ratifies the Treaty of Versailles.
19 – 26 July	Celebration of the Great Peace in Southampton started with 21 gun Royal Salute, sports and other events, pageant and procession, fireworks and bonfire on the Common.
20 July	Thanksgiving service at The Dell, Southampton’s football ground.
21 July	Pageant and presentation of Peace Medals to schoolchildren of Southampton.
21 July	United Kingdom ratifies the Treaty of Versailles.
22 July	Entertainment and refreshments in Southampton’s local schools.
26 July	Teas for old age pensioners in various parts of the city. Finale of week on the Common with fireworks and bonfire.
26-30 July	Corporation’s labourers strike in dispute over pay for increase of 5 shillings a week, which was eventually granted.
3-6 August	Bakers strike in dispute over pay caused bread shortages and Bakers returned to work after Mayor was invited by both sides to mediate.
12 September	Public meeting to discuss plans for Cenotaph. Large audience voted strongly in favour of Sir Edwin Lutyens’ drawings.
16 December	Committee agreed to lowest constructor’s tender of £8.500 from Messrs Holloway Bros. of Westminster.

1920

Date	Event
10 January	First meeting of League of Nations in London and official end of WW1.
21 January	Paris Peace Conference ends.
February	Southampton Branch of Electrical Trade Union in wage dispute with Pirelli General Cable Company.
11 – 24 August	Tramway strike following sacking of worker, until the Council agreed that the case would be referred to the Joint Independent Council for resolution.
18 October	Sir Edwin Lutyens inspected the Cenotaph and was very pleased at the manner in which work had been carried out.
1 November	League of Nations headquarters moved to Geneva, Switzerland.
6 November	Cenotaph fully completed, erected and paid for by public subscription. One of the first WW1 cenotaphs in the UK. Major public ceremony held at the Cenotaph with the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire unveiling the Cenotaph and the 1800 names of Southampton’s Fallen inscribed on the Portland Stone.
7 November	Significant extension of borough of Southampton boundaries with addition of 4 wards to the North and East of the town.
9 November	Sidney Kimber steps down as Mayor after 2 years. Councillor Herbert Blatch becomes the 697th Mayor of Southampton.
15 November	League of Nations holds first General Assembly.

WWI Timeline

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