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 | 7th 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 | 9th 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 (12th 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 – 5th 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. |