100 Years Ago Today

[Hedeby]

Nice I started this thread back in August 2014 and now I get to add post number 900 - fair to say this is building nicely....

November 12th 1915

One RFC member dies on this day -

Air Mechanic 2 Joseph Goodwin 21 Squadron Royal Flying Corps - alas I can find no additional details...

There were no claims by pilots of any side on this particular day.

Western Front

The 33rd Division gets its marching orders....

On 10 December the War Office authorised the formation of the Fifth New Army. Like the other Kitchener Armies, it comprised six Divisions, in this case numbered 37 to 42. What eventually became 33rd Division was originally numbered 40th. In April 1915, the original Fourth New Army was broken up and its units converted for training and draft-finding purposes. When this took place the Fifth New Army became Fourth New Army and its Divisions were renumbered to 30th - 35th: thus what we remember as 33rd Division was born.

Divisional symbolsThe Division was largely comprised of locally raised units often known as "Pals", with units raised by the public schools, footballers and other sportsmen and the Church Lads Brigade, among others. 33rd Division troops were predominantly from the south of England..

After in most cases commencing training near home, the units were moved in July 1915 to concentrate at Clipstone camp near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It was not until August that the Division moved for final training and firing practice at Salisbury Plain.

In November 1915 the Division received a warning order to prepare to sail for France, but the original artillery and Train would not accompany it; instead, it would receive the artillery that had been raised for and trained with the 54th (East Anglian) Division. The move began on 12 November and by 21 November all units had reached the concentration area near Morbecque. Soon after arrival the Division was considerably strengthened by the exchange of 98th Brigade for the experienced 19th Brigade from 2nd Division, and other changes.


French mining successes in Argonne.



In all 519 mines were detonated in the area the Butte Vauquois the French accounted for 320 of them... Major site of mine warfare in Argonne. This is the best example of underground passages used as “living quarters”. The work done to enhance and maintain this site makes it one of the major places to visit in Meuse.
The guided tours, which are of particularly high quality, give an excellent insight into the fighting that occurred here.

The village of Vauquois was destroyed in February 1915 following harsh battles that radically transformed its landscape. Up until 1917, French and German forces dug miles of underground tunnels in order to inflict the greatest possible damage on the enemy’s network using tons of explosives. Today, visitors are able to see for themselves the changed face of Vauquois Hill overlooking the formidable craters caused by the detonation of mines, along with examples of restored trenches from both the French and German sides.



Eastern Front

Meeting between Kaiser and Hindenburg. Hindenburg threatens to resign if Kaiser insists on capture of Riga and Dvinsk.

Southern Front

Germans control railway from Belgrade to Constantinople.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

British force under Townshend advances to within seven miles of Ctesiphon.
On 12, 13 and 14 November Lord Kitchener inspected positions at Helles, Anzac and Suvla.

Shah of Persia receives Allied Ministers and declares himself friendly.

The War at Sea

There were a total of 12 ships lost on this day - none to direct enemy action but TEN to a series of huge gales that swept the coasts of Britain...

Carthese ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was driven ashore in a gale at Goodwick, Pembrokeshire.
Dinorwic ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was driven ashore in a gale at Goodwick. She was later refloated.
Emerald Ray ( United Kingdom): The schooner was wrecked in a gale at Kingstown county Dublin.
Echo ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was driven ashore in a gale at Goodwick.
Holme Wood ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was driven ashore in a gale at Goodwick.
Industry ( United Kingdom): The schooner was wrecked in a gale at Kingstown.
Inveresk ( United Kingdom): The barque was wrecked in a gale at Kingstown.
Moorside ( United Kingdom): World War I: The coaster struck a mine and sank in the English Channel off Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais, France with the loss of eight of her crew.
Nigel ( United Kingdom): World War I: The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the English Channel off Boulogne with the loss of five of her crew.
HMY Resource II ( Royal Navy): The naval yacht was lost on this date.
Thora ( United Kingdom): The ketch was wrecked in a gale at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. Her crew were rescued by the Fishguard Lifeboat.
Tryfilia ( Greece): The cargo ship was wrecked at Wexford, Ireland. Her twenty crew were rescued

[Hedeby]

13th November 1915

NO DEATHS ARE RECORDED FOR SATURDAY NOVEMBER 13TH 1915 (Good news for the RFC - bad news for the editorial staff)

and to complete a quiet day over the trenches - no claims are recorded either - mind you not sure how much flying you would be able to do on cold, probably wet and foggy Saturday in November !!

Right lets check some other sources....

hmm two blanks and this... not very enlightening thus far

Southern Front

Orderly retirement of Serbians to Mitrovitsa, new war capital.

French progress towards Veles.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Conference at Pretoria on raising East African contingent by General Smuts. (that is an amusing name !)

Lord Kitchener continues his visit to Anzac and Suvla...



A couple of small ships were lost - to the weather/seas rather than direct enemy action...

HMT Silvery Wave ( Royal Navy): The naval trawler was lost on this date.[2]
St. Malo ( France): The cargo ship capsized and sank in the English Channel off Guernsey, Channel Islands with the loss of eleven of her crew

In summary all quiet on the Western, Eastern Southern, Aerial and Naval fronts....

Meanwhile back in Whitehall...

No question what the major news was today, with the announcement that Winston Churchill has resigned from Government and intended to join his regiment at the Front.
In the customary fashion of an exchange of letters between departing minister and Prime Minister Churchill expressed his feeling that with the concentration of power in a small War Council in which he was unable to play a part he was unable to remain in “well-paid inactivity.” Asquith for his part expressed regret at the decision. although the news would be “received by the country with great respect and regret” that “a statesman of great ability and great ambition … felt it his duty to resign office” it was the right thing to do, as he was “much too vigorous and dominating a personality to be content with a sinecure, after played so prominent and powerful a part” in the management of the war to date.
However, it would not be the last we would see of Churchill in this war…



The Guardian reported in thus : We deeply regret the resignation of Mr. CHURCHILL. His absence from the counsels of the Government is a great national loss, for in our opinion - though we dare say that there are few now who share it - Mr. CHURCHILL had the best strategic eye in the Government.

That he has not been included in the new War Committee of the Cabinet is the occasion rather than the cause of his resignation. No doubt, even after all that has been said by members of the Government, he feels that his exclusion is a censure on the Dardanelles expedition, with which his name is associated in the popular mind.

Our own view, frequently expressed, is that though the expedition has been so mismanaged the strategical idea has been proved by what has happened since to have been not only sound but brilliantly prescient. There have been two opportunities of winning the war. One was last October, before the fall of Antwerp. The other was this spring, when a great effort by land and sea would have won through to Constantinople and saved us all our troubles in the East now. Mr. CHURCHILL saw them both at the time, and though his ideas were adopted, neither in Flanders nor in the East did they have anything like a fair chance.

Perhaps this thought is in his mind when he says in his letter that even when decisions of policy are rightly taken the speed and method of execution may determine their success. But bitterly though he must feel the attacks on his war policy, he would not have left the Government had he felt that he could do effectual service in it. He leaves it because he refuses to be responsible for a war policy over which as a mere member of the Cabinet not on the War Committee he has no control.

And if we are right in our estimate of the bent of Mr. CHURCHILL’s abilities, his resignation, deeply though it is to be regretted, is perfectly intelligible and very natural. In the North of England we think we understand Mr. CHURCHILL. His faults are known to us, but even if they were greater than they are they would be hidden by the occasional flash of his genius. And such illumination is not so common in the conduct of our affairs that we can afford its eclipse. Of the personal tragedy of Mr. CHURCHILL’s decision this is not the time to speak. For the whole air is heavy with such tragedies.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

You sure that's Kitchener Chris? Looks more like General Melchett to me.





Rob.

[Flying Helmut]

Baaaaaaah!

[Boney10]

Wibble, you cant see the pencils and underpants

[Hedeby]

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM,
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

(The German Guns - Baldric 1917)

[Hedeby]

November 1th 1915

The weather continues to have an impact on aerial operations... (and my ability to come up with a good set of stories for the day)

However I have found a great site that lists every VC won during WW1 in chronological order - so plenty tales of incredible valour to come.. (Monday is the next one)


NO DEATHS ARE RECORDED FOR SUNDAY NOVEMBER 14TH 1915

Likewise, no deaths, no losses, no claims from any of the participating powers...

Western Front

Violent German attacks in "Labyrinth" (Artois) repelled by French. Enemy losses very severe.

On the Western Front there was a “violent attack” by the Germans on the French Army at the infamous ‘Labyrinth” near Artois. The Germans succeeded in penetrating the first line of French trenches but were repulsed by counterattacks, with heavy losses.
The French had been suffering huge casualties in this area for months - The French are said to have had in Artois no less than 100,000 killed. The XXI. Corps alone, by Dec. 1915, lost 80,000 dead or wounded, 18,000 of whom fell in the six weeks from May 9 to June 20.

Artists Impression of the French assaulting out of the Labyrinth (all be it in 1916)


Eastern Front

German retreat south-west from Riga and the Shlok and Kemmern regions.

Southern Front

So the weather obviously not so bad farther South as Austrian aircraft bomb Verona; 30 killed, 49 injured.

ROME, Sunday.
Hostile aircraft bombed the Piazza Derso at Verona when it was crowded with civilians, killing 30, and injuring 48. Details of the air raid show that three aeroplanes descended in a mist, and three bombs are dropped from a height of 5000 ft. The crowd in the Piazza dispersed, but many who took refuge in a porch were struck by fragments of a bomb. Here the majority were killed, most of the victims being women.

Serbs evacuate Babuna position east of Prilep.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Turks and Germans defeated by Russians in Persia.

Turkish Ambassador and Austro-German Ministers leave.

Senussi commence hostilities against British by attacking Egyptian post at Sollum


Naval and Overseas Operations

Loss of submarine E.20 in Sea of Marmora.



HMS E20 was a British E class submarine built by Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 25 November 1914 and was commissioned on 30 August 1915.

While the German Submarine UB-14 had been in port on 30 November, Turkish forces had captured the French submarine Turquoise before the submarine or any of the confidential papers on board could be destroyed. When Turquoise was caught, her commander had not signaled her predicament to anyone, so a scheduled rendezvous with the British submarine E20—as far as anyone other than Turquoise or the Germans and Turks knew—was still on. UB-14 had been sent to keep the rendezvous, reportedly going so far as to radio messages in the latest British code.Upon arriving at the designated location, UB-14 surfaced and fired a torpedo at E20 from a distance of 500 metres (550 yd). Only when E20* '​s crew saw the torpedo did they realize something was amiss, but it was too late to avoid the weapon. The torpedo hit E20* '​s conning tower and sank the submarine with the loss of 21 men. UB-14 rescued nine men, including E20* '​s captain who, reportedly, had been brushing his teeth at the time of the attack.



SM UB-14 was a German Type UB I submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The submarine was also known by the Austro-Hungarian Navy designation of SM U-26.

UB-14 was ordered in October 1914 and was laid down at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen in November. UB-14 was a little under 28 metres (92 ft) in length and displaced between 127 and 141 tonnes (125 and 139 long tons), depending on whether surfaced or submerged. She carried two torpedoes for her two bow torpedo tubes and was also armed with a deck-mounted machine gun. UB-14 was broken into sections and shipped by rail to the Austrian port Pola for reassembly. She was launched and commissioned in March 1915 as SM UB-14 in the German Imperial Navy under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Heino von Heimburg.

Because Germany and Italy were not yet at war when UB-14 entered service, she was transferred in name only to the Austro-Hungarian Navy. The submarine retained her German captain and crew, and remained under German command as a part of the Kaiserliche Marine* '​s Pola Flotilla. During her first patrol in the Adriatic, UB-14 torpedoed and sank the Italian armored cruiser Amalfi. While traveling to Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) to join the Constantinople Flotilla, UB-14 attacked two British troopships, sinking Royal Edward with heavy loss of life, and seriously damaging Southland. All three of UB-14* '​s first victims were among the largest ships attacked by U-boats during the war.

Although UB-14 sank the British submarine E20 in the Sea of Marmara in November 1915, she spent most of the rest of her career patrolling in the Black Sea. The U-boat had only limited success there, sinking only three ships through the end of the war. After the war ended, the submarine was disarmed at Sevastopol and surrendered at Malta in November 1918. UB-14 was broken up in 1920.

[Tonx]

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM,
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

(The German Guns - Baldrick 1917)

Being reminded of this really made me laugh so for that one!

[Hedeby]

Glad to hear it mate

[Hedeby]

November 15th 1915

NO DEATHS ARE RECORDED FOR MONDAY NOVEMBER 15TH 1915

No losses or claims from any pilots on either side today as well

So not off to a great start when it comes to bringing you facts and stories from a century ago - two blank sources on top of that means this could be a somewhat curtailed posting, lets see... I can give you a scuttled French Battleship

No Victoria Crosses awarded on this day either...

However the weather wasn't just bad..The worst gale for 20 years hits the Irish Sea

Southern Front

Very successful attack on Turkish trenches by 52nd Division at Gallipoli.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Publication by Foreign Office of attacks on British officers, etc., in Persia.

Representatives of Central Powers leave Teheran (Persia) on approach of Russian forces.

Ahmed Shad, Persia’s ruler, has been engaging in intrigues with German agents. They are hoping to lure him into an alliance against Russia and Britain. To the Shah, this is a tempting prospect. Russia occupies the north of his country while British commercial interests enjoy privileged commercial interests in the rest, thanks to one-sided treaties. Ahmed Shah would like to restore his nation’s independence and increase his own power; a German alliance offers the possibility of achieving just that.

The Allies are less than pleased with Ahmed Shah’s intrigues. They have already warned him to expel the German agents. To ram the point home, a Russian column is marching on Teheran from their occupation zone in the north.

Now Ahmed Shah sends his leading officials, together with the German and Austro-Hungarian ambassadors, from Teheran to the holy city of Qom, less accessible to the Russians. Is the young Shah planning to follow them there to declare the beginning of a war of liberation against Russia and Britain?



Gallipoli - British gained nearly 300 yards of trenches between Vineyard and Gully Ravine (Gallipoli).


The war at Sea

Masséna ( French Navy): World War I: The Pre-Dreadnought battleship was scuttled at Cape Helles, Turkey.



Masséna was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy, built in the 1890s. She was a member of a group of five broadly similar battleships, along with Charles Martel, Jauréguiberry, Bouvet, and Carnot, that were ordered in response to the British Royal Sovereign class. She was named in honour of Marshal of France André Masséna. Masséna significantly exceeded her design weight and suffered from serious stability problems that inhibited accurate firing of her guns; as a result, she was considered to be an unsuccessful design.

Masséna served in both the Northern and Mediterranean Squadrons during her career, which included a period as the flagship of the Northern Squadron. She was withdrawn from service before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The following year, she was hulked at Toulon. She was later towed to Cape Helles at the end of the Gallipoli peninsula where on 9 November 1915 she was scuttled to create a breakwater to protect the evacuation of the Allied expeditionary force withdrawing from the Gallipoli Campaign.

Masséna was the fourth member of a group of five battleships built to a broadly similar design, but different enough to be considered unique vessels. The first ship was Charles Martel, which formed the basis for Masséna and three other ships. Design specifications were identical for each of the ships, but different engineers designed each vessel. The ships were based on the previous battleship Brennus, but instead of mounting the main battery all on the centerline, the ships used the lozenge arrangement of the earlier vessel Magenta, which moved two of the main battery guns to single turrets on the wings. The five ships were built in response to the British Royal Sovereign-class battleships. Masséna was 112.65 meters (369 ft 7 in) long between perpendiculars, and had a beam of 20.27 m (66 ft 6 in) and a draft of 8.84 m (29 ft 0 in). She was designed to displace 10,835 tonnes (10,664 long tons) at normal load, but she was significantly overweight when completed, and she displaced 11,735 tonnes (11,550 long tons). This caused the ship to sit lower in the water than intended, which partially submerged her armored belt. She was built with a pronounced snout bow to improve her buoyancy. She had a crew of 667 officers and enlisted men.

Masséna had three vertical triple expansion engines each driving a single screw, with steam supplied by twenty-four Lagrafel d'Allest water-tube boilers. Her propulsion system was rated at 13,400 indicated horsepower (10,000 kW), which allowed the ship to steam at a speed of 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph); this was a knot slower than her design speed of 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph). With only two-thirds of her boilers operating for more economic cruising, these figures fell to 9,650 ihp (7,200 kW) and 15.49 kn (28.69 km/h; 17.83 mph), respectively. As built, she could carry 650 t (640 long tons; 720 short tons) of coal, though additional space allowed for up to 800 t (790 long tons; 880 short tons) in total.

Masséna* '​s main armament consisted of two Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893 guns in two single-gun turrets, one each fore and aft. Each turret had an arc of fire of 250°. The placement of the forward gun turret close to the bow placed a great deal of weight too far forward. This exacerbated stability problems with the ship, and rendered accurate shooting more difficult. She also mounted two Canon de 274 mm Modèle 1893 guns in two single-gun turrets, one amidships on each side, sponsoned out over the tumblehome of the ship's sides. Her secondary armament consisted of eight Canon de 138.6 mm Modèle 1891 guns, which were mounted in manually operated twin turrets at the corners of the superstructure with 160° arcs of fire. She also carried eight 100 mm (3.9 in) quick-firing guns, twelve 3-pounder quick-firers, and eight 1-pounder guns. Her armament suite was rounded out by four 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes, two of which were submerged in the ship's hull.

The ship's armor was constructed with Harvey steel manufactured by Creusot. The main belt was 250 to 450 mm (9.8 to 17.7 in) thick, and ran for a length of 110 m (360 ft) along the hull. It was 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) wide. Above the belt was 101 mm (4.0 in) thick side armor. The bulkheads at either end of the armored belt were 240 mm (9.4 in) thick. The main battery guns were protected with 350 to 400 mm (14 to 16 in) of armor, and the secondary turrets had 99 mm (3.9 in) thick sides. The main armored deck was 69 mm (2.7 in) thick, and the splinter deck below it was 38 mm (1.5 in) thick. The conning tower had 350 mm (14 in) thick sides.



Orange Prince ( United Kingdom): World War I: The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 85 nautical miles (157 km) south west by west of Gavdos, Greece (33°56′N 22°46′E) by SM U-34 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three crew.
Wandra ( Australia): The cargo ship was wrecked in Jervis Bay, New South Wales.

Political, etc.

Mr. Winston Churchill's speech re: Antwerp and Dardanelles expeditions. Rejoins his regiment.

and back home Methuen & Sons are ordered to destroy copies of D H. Lawrence’s novel The Rainbow by the courts after the novel is denounced as a “disgusting, detestable, and pernicious work” and “utter filth” (obviously corrupting the mind of the decent fighting man)

[Hedeby]

November 16th 1915

After a few tough days searching about for stories we have a couple that jump right out today - a VC, a well known fighter ace to name but two...

NO DEATHS ARE RECORDED FOR TUESDAY NOVEMBER 16TH 1915... however there were a couple of claimed 'kills' on this day...

1. Major Charles Gordon Bell 10 Squadron RFC.

Flying a Bristol Scout (No.4675) forced an Albatross C down out of control west of Lens. This was Major Bell's 4th victory.





A well known pre-war aviator, Charles Gordon Bell was an experienced and aggressive pilot when he joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1914. The highest scoring Bristol Scout pilot of the war, he was posted to 10 Squadron and claimed 5 victories in 1915 before ill health forced his return to England at the end of the year. Famous for his stammer and the monocle he sometimes wore, he helped train James McCudden. He was killed during a test flight in 1918. Captain Gordon Bell, belonging to the British Air Force, was trying a new machine near Versailles when, through some unknown cause, the aeroplane crashed to the ground. The officer was killed on the spot. Captain Bell was a veteran aviator, and participated in the first trials which were organised in France. He afterwards went to Turkey, and on his return to England was seriously injured at Brooklands. He joined the aviation service on the outbreak of war.




2. A certain Oberleutnant Hermann Wilhelm Göring FFA25 claimed to have shot down a Farman biplane over Tahure - he had one previous unconfirmed kill but this was his first confirmed victory.



We know so much about his later life and role in the Second World War it is often easy to forget he was a successful Fighter Pilot in his own right some 20 years previous, with 22 confirmed Kills - the last few of which flying his distinctive Fokker D.VII - a plane many of us will be very familiar with and probably own a copy of.

The son of a distinguished army officer, Hermann Göring was commissioned in the Prussian army on 22 June 1912. In 1914, he served with an infantry regiment in the Vosges region before he was hospitalized with rheumatoid arthritis. While recovering, his friend Bruno Loerzer convinced him to transfer to the German Air Force. Later that year, Göring completed his training with FEA 3 and joined FFA 25 in 1915, often flying as Loerzer's observer. After training to become a pilot, he scored his first victory on 16 November 1915. He was wounded in action on 16 July 1917. Serving with various units over the next three years, he accumulated seventeen more victories. Following the death of Wilhelm Reinhard, Göring assumed command of Manfred von Richthofen's JG I on 8 July 1918.
When Göring joined the Nazi Party in 1922, Hitler gave him command of the SA Brownshirts. Badly wounded in the Munich beer hall putsch of 1923, Göring fled the country for four years. Upon his return, he aided Hitler's rise to power and later become President of the Reichstag, Prime Minister of Prussia and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. As founder of the Gestapo, Göring was instrumental in creating the first concentration camps for political dissidents. Hitler's designated successor was captured by the American Seventh Army at the end of the war. In 1946, Göring was tried for conspiracy to wage war, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to death by hanging. Two hours before his scheduled execution, Göring committed suicide by taking a poison capsule.

Today also saw the awarding of a Victoria Cross to Private (later Lance Corporal) John Joseph Caffrey.



John Caffrey was born in Ireland 23rd October 1891 and left Ireland at an early age and settled in Nottingham, joining the army in 1910. He was 24 years old, and a private in the 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 16 November 1915 near La Brique, France, a man was badly wounded and lying in the open unable to move, in full view of and about 350 yards (320 m) from the enemy's trenches. A corporal of the RAMC and Private Caffrey at once started to rescue him, but at the first attempt were driven back by shrapnel fire. They tried again and succeeded in reaching and bandaging the wounded man, but just as they were lifting him up, the RAMC corporal was shot in the head. Private Caffrey bandaged the corporal and helped him back to safety, and then returned and brought in the other wounded man.

He later achieved the rank of Sergeant and served in the Home Guard in World War II. He died in Derby, England on 22 February 1953.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at The York and Lancaster Regiment Museum within the Clifton Park Museum in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. (Just down the road so I have to go and pay this a visit)

Other news... (and there's not a lot of it - thank goodness for the above or this would have been the shortest post of the war thus far)

Southern Front

Bulgars take Prilep.

Serious Serbian position.

Monastir evacuated.

Bulgars fall back from Cherna river after defeat by French.

The War at Sea

Oksfjord (Norway): The barque was driven ashore on Île Houat, Morbihan, France with the loss of six of her crew.
HMT Xerxes ( Royal Navy): The naval trawler collided with another vessel and sank in the North Sea off Girdle Ness, Aberdeenshire with the loss of a crew member

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Well done Chris. Keep up the good work.
I will be back to take over next Monday.
Rob.

[Hedeby]

Roger that Wing Co, will give the typewriter a good work over before then

[Hedeby]

November 17th 2015

NO DEATHS ARE RECORDED FOR WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 17TH 1915

No losses or claims from any pilots on either side today as well

In addition there were also no VCs awarded/earned on this day (we will have to wait until Thursday for the next one - but then we get two on the same day - one of them for the RFC - so watch this space)

So that's three key areas of information and education at a blank - so this could be brief....

Western Front

French Army Committee of Senate insist on use of asphyxiating gas.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Hospital ship "Anglia" sunk by mine in Channel. 85 lost. In fact this was one of three ships lost to mines on this day

HMHS Anglia ( United Kingdom): World War I: The hospital ship struck a mine in the English Channel 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) off Folkestone, Kent (51°02′N 1°19′E) and sank with the loss of 134 lives.
Lusitania ( United Kingdom) - NO NOT THAT LUSITANIA - THIS IS A DIFFERENT ONE: World War I: The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the English Channel 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) east of Folkestone. Her crew survived.
Ulriken ( Norway): World War I: The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km) east of the Galloper Lightship ( United Kingdom) with the loss of four of her crew



During World War I, mines were used extensively to defend coasts, coastal shipping, ports and naval bases around the globe. The Germans laid mines in shipping lanes to sink merchant and naval vessels serving Britain. The Allies targeted the German U-boats in the Strait of Dover and the Hebrides. In an attempt to seal up the northern exits of the North Sea, the Allies developed the North Sea Mine Barrage. During a period of five months from June 1918 almost 70,000 mines were laid spanning the North Sea's northern exits. The total number of mines laid in the North Sea, the British East Coast, Straits of Dover, and Heligoland Bight is estimated at 190,000 and the total number during the whole of WWI was 235,000 sea mines. Clearing the barrage after the war took 82 ships and five months, working around the clock



HMHS Anglia
Anglia was built by Wm Denny & Brothers of Dumbarton, Scotland for the London and North Western Railway and was delivered in 1900. At first she was used on the Holyhead to Dublin North Wall service, then from 1908 on the Holyhead to Kingstown (later named Dún Laoghaire) service. With the outbreak of war she was drafted as a hospital ship. On 17 November 1915 Anglia was returning from Calais to Dover, carrying 390 injured officers and soldiers. At around 12:30 pm, 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) east of Folkestone Gate, HMHS Anglia struck a mine and sank in fifteen minutes. The nearby torpedo gunboat HMS Hazard helped evacuate the passengers and crew. Despite the assistance of the nearby collier Lusitania 134 people were killed in the sinking.In October 2014, there were calls for the wreck of the ship to be designated a war grave and protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act, 1986.



Political, etc.

War Committee of Cabinet arrives Paris for War Conference.
Anglo-French Conference held in Paris to discuss aid to Serbia and Dardanelles expeditions.
Project approved in principle to appoint Council of War to co-ordinate Allied action

I thought I was having problems - think this puts it into perspective - this is a leader column from the Daily Telegraph on this date in 1915... (can you imagine any of the modern tabloids with this angle? mind you there is always the various tawdry and tedious goings on in the world of 'Reality TV' to fill newspapers with endless pages of garbage)

Not quite as interesting a paper today as yesterday, although page 11 has a rather curious article about the Albert Hall cancelling a meeting due to be held there by the Women’s Social and Political Union on the grounds it “cannot be described as patriotic,” even though the meeting was aimed at demanding “the loyal vigorous conduct of the war.” However it was also going to be critical of Herbert Asquith and Sir Edward Grey and denounce the Foreign Office’s “betrayal of Serbia,” which seems to have not gone down well with the powers that be. Nevertheless Emmeline Pankhurst was undeterred and declared her determination to hold it elsewhere.

until tomorrow...

[Hedeby]

18th November 1915

NO DEATHS ARE RECORDED FOR THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18TH 1915

No losses or claims from any pilots on either side today as well

In addition there were also no VCs awarded/earned on this day (we will have to wait until tomorrow)

So that's three key areas of information and education yet again a blank - this will take some digging...


I will again quote from the Daily Telegraph of the time who couldn't find anything to write about either....

"the fact that the banner headline on page 9 and leader on page 8 concentrate on the fact the Allies were having a war council in Paris demonstrated the relative paucity of anything particularly new or notable in today’s paper",

Western Front

Canadians raid enemy trenches south-west of Messines.

Southern Front

Austro-German advance parallel to Kosovo plateau.
Serbian army divided within two fronts - Mitrovitsa-Prishtina and Prilep-Monastir.

Meanwhile the 4th battle of Isonzo continues....



In contrast to the other three Battles of the Isonzo (June, July and October), this offensive lasted a short amount of time, and is sometimes considered a continuation of the previous offensive.
Most of the clash concentrated in the direction of Gorizia and on the Kras Plateau, though the push was distributed on the whole Isonzo front. The 2nd Italian Army, aiming to Gorizia, was able to capture the hilly area around Oslavia and San Floriano del Collio overlooking the Soča (Isonzo) and the town of Gorizia. The Third Army, covering the rest of the front up to the sea, launched a series of large and bloody attacks which brought no significative gain.
Mount Sei Busi, already the scene of bitter fighting, was attacked five times by the Italian forces, always in vain.
The intensity of the fighting increased until the end of November, when the bridgehead of Tolmin (Italian: Tolmino) was heavily bombed by both sides and the casualty ratio per day reached its apex. In the first fifteen days of December, however, the fighting was reduced to small scale skirmishes as opposed to the massive frontal assaults that characterized the previous phases of the battle.
An unsigned truce arrived together with the first great cold in the mountains of the Kras, and operations were arrested due to lack of supplying.
The Austro-Hungarian High Command, worried by the huge losses, notwithstanding the 12 additional divisions sent to the front, for the first time requested help from the German Empire, which was not formally in the war against Italy yet. This reason led the Germans to intervene on the Italian front but only starting from the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo. (well that's good news another seven battle to come - should be good for a few more column inches)

Naval and Overseas Operations

Unsatisfactory Austrian Note about "Ancona" to U.S. Government; not expected to go to extremes yet.

Meanwhile the evacuation of Gallipoli continues...

Three vessels scuttled at Suvla Beach, W Gallipoli peninsula by the 18th for the final evacuation:

FIERAMOSCA, Admiralty blockship, 578/1873, 170ft, Bari, Italy-reg, Puglia SS, purchased 1914/15 originally for use at Malta. Scuttled as pier and breakwater (Lr/Rn/D)

PINA, steamship, presumably Admiralty blockship. Scuttled as breakwater (ms – lists a Pina, cargo steamship, 1,986/1883, but believed lost March 1917. This is the only pre-WW1 Pina not definitely accounted for) (Rn/ms)

Dredger (name unknown), already wrecked, possibly Admiralty blockship. Sunk as boat pier (Rn)



After the storm of 17 November, Watson’s Pier had to be repaired, but it was never again thoroughly completed. The Turks knew the work was going on, and from this time onward practically shelled the allies off Anzac beach.

• Enosis ( United Kingdom): World War I: The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 150 nautical miles (280 km) east south east of Malta by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.

Konrad Gansser, commanding U-33, begins his fifth war patrol with the sinking of British freighter SS Enosis, 3,409 tons, bound from Barry to Malta with a load of coal. Gansser's score is now 27 ships and 72,269 tons.

Successes
57 ships sunk with a total of 143,667 GRT
3 ships damaged with a total of 10,771 GRT
1 ship taken as prize with a total of 453 GRT

'SIMON BOLIVAR' SINKS TO BOTTOM
THE DUTCH LINER. Simon Bolivar, shown partly submerged in the North Sea, after striking a mine about 2(1 miles off the east English coast, opposite Harwich. About 100 lives were lost, including women and children.





Political, etc.

M. Cochin, French envoy, received by King Constantine.

[Hedeby]

November 19th 1915

Right after hours spent frantically trying to find something interesting - today its like Christmas !!! (apart from or being 25th December obviously...)

RFC Records show NO DEATHS ARE RECORDED FOR FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19TH 1915

Interestingly no claims again from either side of the air war...

BUT...

Not just one but TWO Victoria Crosses awarded on this date and the first one is an amazing tale ....



Vice Admiral Richard Bell Davies VC CB DSO AFC (19 May 1886 – 26 February 1966), also known as Richard Bell-Davies, was a British Royal Navy officer and World War I fighter pilot. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross.



Born in Kensington, London, Davies was orphaned by the age of six and was brought up by an uncle, a doctor. Davies enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1901. In 1910 he took private flying lessons, and in 1913 he was accepted into the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).

In the early days of the war, Davies and Richard Peirse carried out a number of raids on German submarine bases at Ostend and Zeebrugge. Both were awarded the DSO: (citation for DSO follows)

For services rendered in the aerial attack on Dunkirk, 23rd January, 1915:—

Squadron Commander Richard Bell Davies

Flight Lieutenant Richard Edmund Charles Peirse These Officers have repeatedly attacked the German submarine station at Ostend and Zeebrugge, being subjected on each occasion to heavy and accurate fire, their machines being frequently hit. In particular, on 23rd January, they each discharged eight bombs in an attack upon submarines alongside the mole at Zeebrugge, flying down to close range. At the outset of this flight Lieutenant Davies was severely wounded by a bullet in the thigh, but nevertheless he accomplished his task, handling his machine for an hour with great skill in spite of pain and loss of blood.

Davies was then posted to the Dardanelles, and was awarded the Victoria Cross on 1 January 1916 for an action at Ferrijik Junction, in Bulgaria near the border with Ottoman-controlled Europe, on 19 November 1915. He was 29 years old, and in command of No. 3 Squadron RNAS.

In one of the most exciting episodes of the air war during World War I, the British airman Richard Bell Davies performs a daring rescue on November 19, 1915, swooping down in his plane to whisk a downed fellow pilot from behind the Turkish lines at Ferrijik Junction.

A squadron commander in the Royal Naval Air Service, Davies was flying alongside Flight Sub-Lieutenant Gilbert F. Smylie on a bombing mission. Their target was the railway junction at Ferrijik, located near the Aegean Sea and the border between Bulgaria and Ottoman-controlled Europe. When the Turks hit Smylie’s plane with anti-aircraft fire, he was forced to land. As he made his way to the ground, Smylie was able to release all his bombs but one before making a safe landing behind enemy lines. Smylie was then unable to restart his plane and immediately set fire to the aircraft in order to disable it.

Meanwhile, Davies saw his comrade’s distress from the air and quickly moved to land his own plane nearby. Seeing Davies coming to his rescue and fearing the remaining bomb on his plane would explode, injuring or killing them both, Smylie quickly took aim at his machine with his revolver and fired, exploding the bomb safely just before Davies came within its reach. Davies then rushed to grab hold of Smylie, hauling him on board his aircraft just as a group of Turkish soldiers approached. Before the Turks could reach them, Davies took off, flying himself and Smylie to safety behind British lines.

Calling Davies’ act a “feat of airmanship that can seldom have been equaled for skill and gallantry,” the British government awarded him the Victoria Cross on January 1, 1916. The quick-thinking Smylie was rewarded as well; he received the Distinguished Service Cross.


His citation read:


The KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the grant of the Victoria Cross to Squadron-Commander Richard Bell Davies, D.S.O., R.N., and of the Distinguished Service Cross to Flight Sub-Lieutenant Gilbert Formby Smylie, R.N., in recognition of their behaviour in the following circumstances:—

On the 19th November these two officers carried out an air attack on Ferrijik Junction. Flight Sub-Lieutenant Smylie's machine was received by very heavy fire and brought down. The pilot planed down over the station, releasing all his bombs except one, which failed to drop, simultaneously at the station from a very low altitude. Thence he continued his descent into the marsh. On alighting he saw the one unexploded bomb, and set fire to his machine, knowing that the bomb would ensure its destruction. He then proceeded towards Turkish territory. At this moment he perceived Squadron-Commander Davies descending, and fearing that he would come down near the burning machine and thus risk destruction from the bomb, Flight Sub-Lieutenant Smylie ran back and from a short distance exploded the bomb by means of a pistol bullet. Squadron-Commander Davies descended at a safe distance from the burning machine, took up Sub-Lieutenant Smylie, in spite of the near approach of a party of the enemy, and returned to the aerodrome, a feat of airmanship that can seldom have been equalled for skill and gallantry

This was the first combat search and rescue by aircraft in history. Like the search and rescue efforts of the future, Davies' action sprang from the fervent desire to keep a compatriot from capture or death at the hands of the enemy; unlike most of those future efforts, it was a one-man impromptu action that succeeded because of a peculiarity in construction of his aircraft. The Nieuport 10 he was flying was a single seat model which had had its front cockpit decked over. When Davies picked him up under rifle fire, Smylie wriggled past Davies and through his controls into the tiny roofed-over front compartment. Smylie was so thoroughly wedged among the controls that, upon landing, it took two hours to extricate him.

Davies was also mentioned in despatches after the Gallipoli campaign. At the end of the war he was awarded the Air Force Cross and the Croix de Guerre with Palm.

Davies was first lieutenant of HMS Lion in 1919-20; in charge of the Air Section of the Naval Staff 1920–24; and executive officer of HMS Royal Sovereign in the Atlantic Fleet 1924–26. He was promoted to Captain in 1926 and was again in charge of the Air Section of the Naval Staff 1926–28. He was Chief Staff Officer to the Rear-Admiral commanding 1st Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean 1929–30, and Liaison Officer for the Fleet Air Arm at the Air Ministry 1931–33. He then commanded HMS Cornwall on the China station 1933–35 and the naval base at Devonport (HMS Drake) 1936–38. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1938 and from 1939–41 was Rear Admiral, Naval Air Stations, based at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus). He was appointed CB in the King's Birthday Honours of 1939.

Davies was promoted to Vice Admiral upon retiring on 29 May 1941. He then joined the Royal Naval Reserve with a reduction in rank to Commander. As an RNR officer, he served as a convoy commodore, and as commissioning captain of the escort carrier HMS Dasher and the trials carrier HMS Pretoria Castle. He left the RNR in 1944. He died at RNH Haslar in Gosport, Hampshire. His Victoria Cross is on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovil, Somerset.



Corporal Samuel Meekosha VC (16 September 1893 – 8 December 1950), who changed his name by deed poll to Samuel Ingham in 1942



Samuel Meekosha, born in Leeds, his family moved to Bradford when he was a baby, and Samuel always looked on that city as his home. Samuel's mother was English and he had a Polish father,he was proud of his Eastern European roots but was such a reluctant hero that he changed his surname to Ingham, from his mother's maiden name of Cunningham. He was 22 years old, and a corporal in the 1/6th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own), British Army based at Belle Vue Barracks, Manningham, Bradford when during the First World War the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 19 November 1915 near the Yser, France, Corporal Meekosha was with a platoon of about 20 NCOs and men holding an isolated trench. During a very heavy bombardment six of the platoon were killed and seven wounded, while the rest were more or less buried. When there were no senior NCOs left in action Corporal Meekosha took command, sent for help and in spite of more big shells falling within 20 yards of him, continued to dig out the wounded and buried men in full view of and at close range from the enemy. He was assisted by Privates Johnson, Sayers and Wilkinson who were all awarded the DCM. Their courage saved at least four lives.

Meekosha was commissioned into the West Yorkshire Regiment in 1917. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1918 and Captain in 1919. He transferred to the Corps of Military Accountants in 1919, retiring in 1926. He rejoined the West Yorkshire Regiment as a Captain in 1940 and transferred to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, based in Leicestershire, later the same year. He was later promoted Major.

It was reported in the 3 April 2001 issue of The Times that James Morton, Sotheby's medal specialist, said: "Meekosha was a very modest man who was quite dismissive of the act that earned him the VC. He joined up for the Second World War and because of his unusual name people kept asking him: 'Aren't you the chap that won the VC?' In an attempt to stop the questions he changed his name [to Ingham] by deed poll in 1941 or 1942." After the First World War he became a representative for the tobacco company John Player. He died at his home in Oakdale, Blackwood, Monmouthshire, on 8 December 1950. His ashes were claimed by his family and spread on Ilkley Moor in Yorkshire. His Victoria Cross was sold for £101,200 at Sotheby's on 3 May 2001.

Meanwhile...

Southern Front

"Pacific Blockade" of Greece proclaimed by the Allies.

Naval and Overseas Operations

More British submarines enter the Baltic.

More ships fell prey to the menace of mines... and lets not forget the U-boat 'menace'
HMT Falmouth III ( Royal Navy): World War I: The naval trawler struck a mine and sank in the English Channel of Dover, Kent with the loss of seven of her crew.
Hallamshire ( United Kingdom): World War I: The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) south west by south of Cerigotto, Greece (35°38′N 23°01′E) by SM U-34 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
San Miguel ( Norway): The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the North Sea. Her 25 crew were rescued by the trawler Viceroy ( United Kingdom).

Senju Maru ( Japan): World War I: The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea south of Malta (35°26′N 16°23′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of all hands


Political, etc.

Lord Derby's letter to Mr. Asquith defining recruitment position.

German lies about India contradicted by India Office.

German proclamations being sent to India through Shanghai, urging Muslims to Holy War.

[Hedeby]

Wow post 917 already....

November 20th 2015

Can't promise a repeat of yesterday's boys own adventure but lets see what we can find....

1 AIRMAN HAS FALLEN ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 20TH 1915

Airman is a broad term here, for once again the unfortunate member of the RNAS to lose their life was a member of the often mention Armoured Car Division...

Petty Officer Motor Mechanic Sidney Thomas Williams HMS President II F5683 Died of his wounds in Alexandria

Alas I can find no associated images or further information other than his final resting place - ALEXANDRIA (CHATBY) MILITARY AND WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY

To be honest can't find a lot about anything today - maybe the war took a day off.....

There were no claimed aerial victories from either side, and there were no awards of the VC today either

Southern Front

Novi Bazar taken by Austrian forces

Naval and Overseas Operations

Germans in strong force in East Africa.

Political, etc.

Greek King and Government give Lord Kitchener assurances that Greece would never attack Allied troops.

The Earl of Derby and Herbert Asquith reiterate that married men are not to be called up until the stock of young unmarried men is exhausted

In 1915 Rudyard Kipling was commissioned by The Daily Telegraph to write a series of six articles on his view of life in less well-known aspects of the defence of the nation on its seas. These were given the general title "The Fringes of the Fleet", and had three sub-titles "The Auxiliaries", "Submarines" and "Patrols", and published between 20 November and 2 December. Each was prefaced by a short poem which did not have a title itself.



In January 1916 Lord Charles Beresford requested Elgar to make songs of some of the verses in Kipling's booklet: Elgar chose four of them, and appropriately set them for four men's voices

The first piece which was published for the first time today was - 'The Lowestoft Boat'

IN LOWESTOFT a boat was laid
Mark well what I do say
And she was built for the herring trade
But she has gone a-rovin’, a-rovin’, a-rovin’,
The Lord knows where !

They gave her Government coal to burn,
And a Q.F. gun at bow and stern,
And sent her out a-rovin’, a-rovin’, a-rovin’,
The Lord knows where !

Her skipper was mate of a bucko ship
Which always killed one man per trip,
So he is used to rovin’, a-rovin’, a-rovin’,
The Lord knows where !

Her mate was skipper of a chapel in Wales,
And so he fights in topper and tails -
Religious tho’ rovin’, a-rovin’, a-rovin’,
The Lord knows where !

Her engineer is fifty-eight,
So he’s prepared to meet his fate,
Which ain’t unlikely rovin’, a-rovin’, a-rovin’,
The Lord knows where !

Her leading stoker’s seventeen,
So he don’t know what the Judgements mean,
Unless he cops them rovin’, a-rovin’, a-rovin’,
The Lord knows where !

Her chef was cook in the Lost Dogs’ Home,
Mark well what I do say
And I’m sorry for Fritz when they all come

A-rovin’, a-rovin’, a-roarin’ and a-rovin’,
Round the North Sea rovin’,
The Lord knows where !

[Hedeby]

November 21st 1915

There WERE NO RECORDED DEATHS ON THIS DAY SUNDAY NOVEMBER 21st 1915

There were also no claims of victories or losses from either side (actually this is a s quiet a day no matter what the year - seems to be an agreed day off) - obviously far too cold to fly. Could be the pattern over the winter months especially on the Western Front, I don't expect may days of dogfighting daring dos.

However there is one great story that took place today amazing away from the war altogether - although you have to be pretty far off the beaten track to be truly away from a 'world war' - but his tale qualifies (see below)

NO VCs today either, we have to wait until Monday for that, then not another one until December 22nd.

Eastern Front

Great shortage of arms, munitions and uniforms in Russia.

Southern Front

Fall of Novi-Bazar.

Serbians driven from last positions in Old Serbia.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Prince Firman Firma, Minister of Interior, takes measures to put end to German activities in Persia.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Tibati (Cameroons) occupied by Allies.

Away from the war (yes seriously)

A century ago a ship sank beneath the ice of the Weddell Sea off Antarctica. Sir Ernest Shackleton had been counting on Endurance to help him make it ashore, ahead of a trek across the continent past the South Pole.



Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE, FRGS (/ˈʃækəltən/; 15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was a polar explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic, and one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in County Kildare, Ireland, Shackleton and his Anglo-Irish family moved to Sydenham in suburban south London when he was ten. His first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Expedition 1901–04, from which he was sent home early on health grounds, after he and his companions Scott and Wilson set a new southern record by marching to latitude 82°S.



During the second expedition 1907–1909 he and three companions established a new record Farthest South latitude at 88°S, only 97 geographical miles (112 statute miles, 180 km) from the South Pole, the largest advance to the pole in exploration history. Also, members of his team climbed Mount Erebus, the most active Antarctic volcano. For these achievements, Shackleton was knighted by King Edward VII on his return home.

After the race to the South Pole ended in December 1911 with Roald Amundsen's conquest, Shackleton turned his attention to the crossing of Antarctica from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–17. Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed. The crew escaped by camping on the sea ice until it disintegrated, then by launching the lifeboats to reach Elephant Island and ultimately the inhabited island of South Georgia, a stormy ocean voyage of 720 nautical miles; Shackleton's most famous exploit. In 1921, he returned to the Antarctic with the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition, but died of a heart attack while his ship was moored in South Georgia. At his wife's request he was buried there.

Away from his expeditions, Shackleton's life was generally restless and unfulfilled. In his search for rapid pathways to wealth and security, he launched business ventures which failed to prosper, and he died heavily in debt. Upon his death, he was lauded in the press, but was thereafter largely forgotten, while the heroic reputation of his rival Scott was sustained for many decades. Later in the 20th century, Shackleton was "rediscovered", and rapidly became a role model for leadership as one who, in extreme circumstances, kept his team together in a survival story described by polar historian Stephanie Barczewski as "incredible".

The 'Endurance' Expedition

"Sir Ernest Shackleton's name will for evermore be engraved with letters of fire in the history of Antarctic exploration" - Roald Amundsen

Ernest Shackleton's Trans-Antarctica expedition of 1914 - 1917 is one of the most incredible adventure stories of all time. It is remarkable even for an era and region that already has far more than its fair share of incredible tales of heroism and fortitude in the face of appalling hardships. The intention was to cross the Antarctic continent from one coast to the other via the South Pole. In the event, the main expedition never set foot on continental Antarctica. The expedition managed to survive the loss of their ship in the middle of the Antarctic pack ice at a time when there was no chance of contacting the outside world, let alone of being rescued.

The dark clouds of World War 1 were beginning to gather however. The Endurance was anchored off Southend on August 4th 1914 when Shackleton read in a daily newspaper the order for general mobilization of troops and supplies along with calls for volunteer soldiers. He immediately returned to the ship, gathered all hands, and told them that he would send a to telegram the Admiralty offering the ships, stores and services to the country in the event of war breaking out. Within an hour after sending the telegram, Shackleton received a reply from the Admiralty with the single word "Proceed". Within two hours, another arrived from Winston Churchill in which he thanked them for their offer but desired that the expedition go on. That night, at midnight, war broke out. On August 8th the Endurance sailed for the Antarctic via Buenos Aires and the sub Antarctic island of South Georgia where there was a Norwegian whaling station. It was thought that the war would be over within six months so when it came time to leave for the south, they left with no regrets.

The Weddell Sea was known to be particularly ice bound at the best of times and the Endurance left with a deck-load of coal in addition to normal stores to help with the extra load on the engines when it came to pushing through pack ice in the Weddell Sea to the Antarctic continent beyond. Extra clothing and stores were taken from South Georgia in the event that the Endurance may have to winter in the ice if caught in the Weddell Sea as it froze, unable to reach the continent first. They left South Georgia on the 5th of December 1914.

The Endurance battled her way through a thousand miles of pack ice over a six week period and was one hundred miles - one days sail - from her destination, when on the 18th of January 1915 at 76°34'S, the ice closed in around her. The temperature dropped dramatically cementing together the loose ice that surrounded the ship as the ship's storekeeper wrote, she was "Like an almond in a piece of toffee".



The ship was drifting to the southwest with the ice. Attempts were made to free the ship when sometimes cracks appeared in the ice nearby, but to no avail. The ice around the ship itself was thick and solid. Men with heavy improvised ice chisels and iron bars breaking the ice up near the ship and the ship at full speed ahead had no effect at all, they continued to drift.

By the end of February, temperatures had fallen and were regularly -20°C, the ship was now clearly frozen in for the winter. The worry was where the drifting ice would take them and would it be possible to break out in the spring? The sides of the ship were cleared so that if the ice began to press together, then hopefully the Endurance would be able to rise above the ice and ride on it rather than being crushed. Everyone knew that one of two things would happen, either the pack ice would thaw, break up and disperse in the spring, so freeing the ship, or it would consolidate and driven by the effects of wind and tide over hundreds of miles of sea would take hold of and crush the ship - like a toy in a vice.

The Endurance finally broke up and sank below the ice and waters of the Weddell sea on November 21st 1915. The men had saved as many supplies as they could (including Frank Hurley's precious photo archive) before she disappeared. The 28 men of the expedition were now isolated on the drifting pack ice hundreds of miles from land, with no ship, no means of communication with the outside world and with limited supplies. What was worse was that the ice itself was now starting to break up as the Antarctic spring got under way. On December 20th Shackleton decide that the time had come to abandon their camp and march westward to where they thought the nearest land was, at Paulet Island.

That the crew kept going during this time was a tribute to Shackleton's leadership skills and his abilities and understanding of the importance of keeping up morale. The whole group were kept together in the monotonous and strenuous task of pulling laden lifeboats across broken up and ridged ice floes. It was now 14 months since the Endurance had become frozen into the ice and nearly 5 months since she had sunk marooning them in a featureless icy wilderness. On April 12th Shackleton found that instead of making good progress westwards, they had actually traveled 30 miles to the east as a result of the drifting ice. They did however spot Elephant Island, part of the South Shetlands group and headed that way in seas that were by now largely open for navigation. They made landfall on Elephant Island being ecstatic to do so. It had been 497 days since they had last set foot on land.

That was far from the end of the tale - we shall pick this thread up again later in to 1916 - I would encourage everyone to read up on this tale as it is one of the most remarkable stories of human endurance you will ever find, and one that ranks Shackleton as one of the greatest leaders of men there has ever been.

http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarc...expedition.php

[Teaticket]

There is a book, 'The Ice Men', on the other ignored half of Shackleton's expedition. Crossing Antarctica was too long a journey to carry enough food so another expedition was sent from the opposite side of the continent to lay out food caches along Shackleton's route. This story is as amazing as the popular one. Unfortunately not everyone in this unknown half of the expedition survived.

[Hedeby]

Thanks for that Pete - I will make sure I read up on that.

[Hedeby]

November 22nd 1915

According to the RAF Daily Roll of Honour there were two recorded losses on this day in 1915...

Leading Mechanic J.P. Tobin Royal Naval Air Service, H.M.S. 'President II' buried at the Pieta Military Cemetery in Malta - Unfortunately I cannot locate any additional information.

2nd Lt. Jasper Gilbert Fagan No.82 Squadron RFC attached from the 119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment), Indian Army - Killed in Mesopotamia 22 November 1915 aged 26. Again more information is unfortunately not forthcoming....

There were no claims of victories from either side on this day and neither were there any Victoria Crosses awarded.

Today (in 1873) does mark the birth date of one Lt. Colonel Raymond Collishaw



Fifteen year old Raymond Collishaw joined the Canadian Fisheries Protection Services in 1908. Over the next seven years he worked his way from cabin boy to first officer. In January 1916, he joined the Royal Naval Air Service as a probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant. Eventually commanding the famous "Black Flight," he was the first pilot to claim 6 victories in one day and the highest scoring ace to fly the Sopwith Triplane (with the correct wing spacing). When the war ended, he remained in the Royal Air Force, rising to the rank of Air Vice-Marshal.Collishaw was the brother-in-law of Canadian ace George Leonard Trapp. He finished the war with 60 confirmed kills....

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Battle of Ctesiphon (25 miles south of Baghdad).

Turks beaten, not routed. 1,300 prisoners; British casualties one-third of force. The british fighting in Iraq - that's not like to happen again is it Mr. Blair?



The Battle of Ctesiphon (Turkish: Selman-ı Pak Muharebesi) was fought in November 1915 by the British Empire and British India, against the Ottoman Empire, within the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I.

Indian Expeditionary Force D, mostly made up of Indian units and under the command of Gen. Sir John Nixon, had met with success in Mesopotamia since landing at Al Faw upon the Ottoman Empire's Declaration of War on November 5, 1914.

One of the primary reasons for initiating the campaign in Mesopotamia was to defend the oil refinery at Abadan at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab. Adopting a forward defence policy, the British army under General Townshend fought off a series of small Ottoman forces. Then after a year of a string of defeats, the Ottoman forces were able to halt the British advance in two days of hard fighting at Ctesiphon. Ctesiphon lies on the Western bank of the Tigris River in the barren Iraqi desert, about 380 miles (610 km) upstream from Basra, 40 miles (64 km) north of Kut al-Amara, and 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Baghdad. It is a good defensive position located in a 6-mile-long (9.7 km) loop of the Tigris river. At the town there are ruins, the remains of the capital of the Parthian and Sassanid Empires. The Ottoman forces had formed a well-camouflaged and formidable line of trenches crossing the river. There were two lines of trenches; there was also a 20-foot-high (6.1 m) ancient wall 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the main line, used for observation by the Ottoman forces.

The Ottoman forces consisted of approximately 18,000 men and 52 guns. The overall commander of the Ottoman army in Mesopotamia was Khalil Pasha. The commander in the field for the previous nine months was Colonel Nureddin also called Nur-ud Din Pasha, but the Ottoman army was as of October under the command of Baron von der Goltz, a well known German general, military historian and, for 12 years, a modernizer of the Ottoman army. Baron von der Goltz was old but he was an expert on military matters and had a deep understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the Ottoman army. General Goltz was still making his way to Mesopotamia and it was Nureddin who was in charge at the battle and the British believed he was still the commander. This may have been a factor in the course of events as the British – with considerable justification based on previous experience – thought poorly of Nureddin's skills as a general.

Nureddin had four divisions. The 35th and 38th Divisions were predominantly Arab. The 38th Divisions' prewar garrison had been Basra, and the 35th's was Mosul. Nureddin also had the 45th and 51st Divisions, newly raised divisions, which were predominantly Turkish. They were made up of a mixture of active and reserve soldiers.He had about 18,000 total infantry.

The British force consisted of the 6th (Poona) Division, at a strength of around 11,000 men. Some British troops had been left behind to garrison the recently captured town and river junction of Kut.

The British advance past Kut was slow, partly due to the bad weather and wet ground and partly due to General Townshend's reluctance to advance further. But the Commander-in-Chief of British forces in the region, General Nixon, ordered Townshend to take Baghdad. So, he commenced his march up the Tigris river. Townshend's plan of attack was to separate his force into four columns. Three infantry columns, designated columns A, B, and C, were scheduled for a frontal attack on different points of the Ottoman lines. The other column, referred to as the flying column, was made up of a mix of cavalry and infantry, and was supposed to swing around the left flank of the Ottoman lines. The attack was to be supported by two river boats, a gunboat and HMS Firefly.



Colonel Nureddin had over 55 days to prepare his defenses, and his forces prepared them well. He deployed his forces in an L shaped formation. The 38th Division occupied the long part of the L. The new and fresh 45th Division held most vulnerable part of the line, the small leg of the L on the left, with one regiment up in the front line trenches and two in reserve. There were 12 strong points along the first trench line, and a complete second line of trenches to fall back into. In general reserve was the veteran 51st Division. The 35th was across the river. The Ottoman artillery was centrally located where it could support his left flank or the central part of his line. The artillery was ordered to fire first on the British gunboats, and then shift fire to support the Ottoman reserves. Townshend, intending to copy his success at Battle of Es Sinn, ordered a night march in the closing hours of November 21, 1915, with the aim of attacking at dawn on the November 22, The attack happened on schedule but due to poor ground conditions on the west bank the British ended up attacking the much stronger east bank positions.

The advance was supposed to be supported by river gunboats, however two things prevented the gun boats from becoming a factor in the battle. First, the Ottoman guns on the west bank rained fire upon them. Secondly, the Tigris was extensively mined and several river obstructions made navigation difficult.

At the beginning of the battle, C-Column, the one closest to the river bank came under heavy small arms and artillery fire and failed to reach the first trench line. A-Column, in the middle, was also halted short of the trench line. On the right, B-Column (mainly Punjabis and Gurkhas) reached the first line of trenches, forced the Ottoman forces to retreat and pursued the retreating enemy towards the second line of trenches. Colonel Nureddin committed the reserve regiments of the 45th Division and brought the unengaged 35th Division from the other side of the river to reinforce his lines, and the British-Indian forces were stopped. Townshend then ordered C-Column to fall back, and try and exploit the breakthrough. This movement was rather complicated and the task was made difficult by Ottoman forces firing into their flank. Meanwhile the flying column bogged down in inconclusive fighting against Turkish and Arab Cavalry. Here again Nureddin committed his reserves, in this case the 51st Division, to great effect, halting Townshend's flanking attack.

By the end of the day the 6th (Poona) Division had captured the first line of trenches, but the British sustained heavy casualties. The Ottoman forces had also taken heavy casualties but held their position. On the second day, Townshend again attempted to break through, with a supporting flank attack. The Ottoman forces again stopped it. They then counter-attacked the British positions with all available forces.[9] The fight was hard, but the British line held. Both armies had taken heavy casualties and all troops had endured two days of intense combat and were exhausted. The Ottoman forces had lost 6,188 killed and wounded. The 51st Division lost 12%, the 35th Division lost 25%, and the 45th Division, which bore the brunt of the British attacks, lost 65% of its strength.
On November 24, both generals ordered a withdrawal. On the British side, General Townshend concluded he needed to retreat because his losses had been too great to continue the effort to take Baghdad. Colonel Nureddin also concluded he had to retreat due to the heavy losses. When he realized the British were retreating, he turned his army around and sent it in pursuit of the British-Indian forces.

General Sir H. Smith-Dorrien appointed Commander-in-Chief of British forces in East Africa [Did not take over command owing to illness.]



General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien, GCB, GCMG, DSO, ADC (26 May 1858 – 12 August 1930) was a British soldier. One of the few British survivors of the Battle of Isandlwana as a young officer, he also distinguished himself in the Second Boer War.

Smith-Dorrien held senior commands in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) during the First World War. He commanded II Corps at the Battle of Mons, the first major action fought by the BEF, and the Battle of Le Cateau, where he fought a vigorous and successful defensive action contrary to the wishes of the Commander-in-Chief Sir John French, with whom he had had a personality clash dating back some years. In the spring of 1915 he commanded the Second Army at the Second Battle of Ypres. He was relieved of command by French for requesting permission to retreat from the Ypres Salient to a more defensible position.

Revolt of Persian Gendarmerie organised by German minister.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Ukraina ( Russia): World War I: The sailing vessel was sunk in the Black Sea by SM UC-13 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

Germany offers � (no idea what that was supposed to be ???)1,000 each of American passengers lost in "Lusitania". Offer refused by America.

[Flying Helmut]

the highest scoring ace to fly the Sopwith Triplane (with the correct wing spacing)

[Hedeby]

Too tempting a comment not to add a little something, lol

[Hedeby]

November 23rd 1915

There WERE NO RECORDED DEATHS ON THIS DAY TUESDAY NOVEMBER 23rd 1915

Again there were no claims from either side - now if this was 1916 we would be talking about the loss of Lanoe Hawker - under the guns of the Red Baron - his 11th victory - but that is a story for another day

What we do have today though is the award of a Victoria Cross. It has to be said when it came to the awarding of these it would appear that some were earned through far greater endeavour than others. Today's example is one of those where there is no doubt as to the unbelievable courage and sense of duty and comradeship shown by the recipient - who alas paid the ultimate price for his heroics...



Alfred George Drake VC (10 December 1893 – 23 November 1915) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Drake was born in December 1893 in Mile End, Stepney, London to Robert and Mary Ann Drake.He was 21 years old, and a corporal in the 8th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own), British Army during the First World War, and was awarded the VC for his actions on 23 November 1915, near La Brique, Belgium. He was killed in his VC action.



His citation read as follows....

For most conspicuous bravery on the night of 23rd Nov., 1915, near La Brique, France. He was one of a patrol of four which was reconnoitring towards the German lines. The patrol was discovered when close to the enemy who opened heavy fire with rifles and a machine gun, wounding the Officer and one man. The latter was carried back by the last remaining man. Corporal Drake remained with his Officer and was last seen kneeling beside him and bandaging his wounds regardless of the enemy's fire. Later a rescue party crawling near the German lines found the Officer and Corporal, the former unconcious (sic) but alive and bandaged, Corporal Drake beside him dead and riddled with bullets. He had given his own life and saved his Officer.

He was interred in La Brique No 2 Military cemetery near Ieper.[1]

The officer rescued by Corporal Drake was Lieutenant Henry Tryon also of the Rifle Brigade. After Tryon recovered from his wounds he returned to his former unit and was killed in action at Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916.


Drake's grave in Plot I. C.2.

His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, London.

Eastern Front

Russians successful in struggle for Tsarzemunde (Riga front).

Southern Front

Fall of Mitrovitsa and Prishtina (keys of plain of Kosovo).
Germans claim 17,000 prisoners and 35 guns. Serbians driven west from Kosovo Plateau.

French capture Brusnik and protect Krivolak from Bulgar bombardment.

Austrians evacuate Mori and Rovereto (Trentino) and ask for German help on Isonzo.
Rovereto (Trentino) taken by Italian forces.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Operations about Yaunde (Cameroons) by English and French contingents. Enemy losses heavy.
British military operations against the Senussi commence

Marusja Raja ( Russia): World War I: The sailing vessel was sunk in the Black Sea off Sotschi by SM UC-13 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Unione ( Italy): World War I: The sailing vessel was sunk in the Adriatic Sea (41°46′N 19°32′E) by SM U-16 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived. (I didn't know the AUstrians has any submarines...)

Political etc

Entente Powers send Note to Greek Government demanding non interference with Allied troops, and guaranteeing eventual restoration of occupied Greek territory
British Government conclude preliminary agreement with the Netherlands Overseas Trust for rationing of Holland
The War Office announces regulation on Christmas mail to the troops, which had to be limited “in military interests
A “well-known boxer” is court-martialled for inciting men in his platoon to mutiny and refusing to go on parad

and finally the Daily Telegraph carried the story of how a British Submarine Commander had escaped internment in then Neutral Denmark...



Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton GBE KCB KCMG DSO (20 April 1884 – 4 September 1964), was a British Royal Navy officer.

He was the son of a Liverpool solicitor, George Layton and was educated at Eastman's Royal Naval Academy. He joined the Royal Navy as a naval cadet on 15 May 1899 on HMS Britannia. Following this he served as a Midshipman aboard cruisers in the English Channel and off the south coast of the United States. He took his Lieutenant's course and was promoted to that rank on 30 November 1905. Layton then he joined the submarine branch of the navy, in which he had his first command. From 1910 he did two years general service and returned to submarines in 1912, commanding several of them during the First World War. On 18 August 1915 his submarine HMS E13 was ordered to the Baltic to assist the Russians, but he ran aground on Saltholm off the Danish coast. E13 was destroyed early the following morning by a German torpedo boat, killing half his men. Layton and the others were interned at Copenhagen. Three months later, disguised as a local sailor, he managed to return to Britain. In 1916-17 he commanded the experimental steam submarine S-1. At the end of the war he was awarded the DSO.



HMS E13 had a relatively short career during World War I. On 14 August 1915, she was despatched from Harwich, accompanied by her sister vessel HMS E8. The two submarines had orders to sail to the Baltic Sea to interdict German shipping, particularly vessels carrying iron ore shipments from Sweden.[1] At around 01:00 on 18 August 1915, the submarine ran aground in shallow water near Saltholm island in the Øresund between Malmö and Copenhagen, because of a defective gyrocompass. At dawn she became clearly visible. At 05:00 the Royal Danish Navy torpedo boat Narhvalen appeared on the scene and hailed the E13's commander, Lt Cdr Geoffrey Layton, informing him that he had 24 hours to refloat his vessel and leave before he and his crew would be interned for violating Denmark's neutrality.

The E13's crew sought to lighten the submarine by pumping out tanks and discharging fuel, but she had grounded in only 10 feet (3.0 m) of water and would not move. Layton realised that he would not be able to refloat the E13 before the deadline passed and sent his first lieutenant ashore to arrange a tow or, if this was impracticable, to negotiate terms for internment. He was unable to contact the Admiralty for assistance, as the Germans were jamming radio frequencies.

At 10:28 the German torpedo boat G132 arrived but withdrew when the Danish torpedo boats Støren and Søulven approached. A third Danish torpedo boat, the Tumleren, arrived shortly afterwards.

Meanwhile, the commander of the G132, Oberleutnant zur See Paul Graf von Montgelas, had informed Rear Admiral Robert Mischke by radio about the E13's grounding. German naval operations against the Russian-held city of Riga were at a critical stage and Mischke felt that he could not afford to let the E13 pass into the Baltic, where it could threaten the German offensive in the Gulf of Riga. He ordered G132 and another torpedo boat to destroy the submarine. The two vessels returned to Saltholm and opened fire on the E13 with torpedoes, machine-guns and shell fire from a range of 300 yards. The submarine was hit repeatedly and set on fire. Seeing this, Lt Cdr Layton ordered the submarine to be abandoned, but the firing continued while his men were in the water. The engagement ended when the Danish torpedo boat Søulven placed herself between the submarine and the two German ships, which withdrew. Fourteen of the E13's crew were killed in the attack and one was missing, presumed killed. The E13's fifteen surviving crew members were interned at the Copenhagen Navy Yard by the Danes for the rest of the war. Layton refused to give his parole and eventually escaped along with his first officer, returning to England to continue the war. He went on to have a distinguished career and commanded the British Eastern Fleet during the Second World War.

The Danish government fitted out the mail steamer Vidar as a temporary chapel to transport the bodies of the casualties back to Hull, accompanied by the Danish torpedo boats Springeren and Støren.[6] Notwithstanding Denmark's neutrality, the dead British sailors were given full honours when their bodies were brought ashore, as a contemporary report described:

There was a touching funeral scene to-night in the Sound. In a brilliant sunset the Danish torpedo boat Soridderen passed slowly in with her flag at half-mast. A naval squadron formed a guard of honour around the bodies of the British dead. At all the fortifications, and on the whole of the ships, flags were immediately lowered as a mark of respect. Hundreds of spectators were gathered at Langelinie, all of whom reverently saluted. On shore a naval and military salute was given.

The incident caused outrage in Britain and Denmark, since it was clearly a serious breach of international law. The Danish newspaper National Tidende published an indignant leading article protesting at the Germans' violation of Danish neutrality. Politiken reported that the Danish government had protested to Germany, pointing out that the E13 had not been destroyed in any kind of pursuit but while she was lying damaged on neutral territory. The London Times fulminated in a leading article that "the unjustifiable slaughter of the men of the E13 is one more notch in the long score we had to settle with the homicidal brood of Prussia." The German government subsequently apologised to Denmark, stating that "instructions previously given to commanders of German vessels to respect neutrality have once more been impressed upon them."

Although the E13 was refloated by the Danes and towed to Copenhagen, she was so badly damaged by the German attack that her repair was not viable. On 6 February 1919, she was sold by the British government to a Danish company for 150,000 Danish kroner (about £8,330 at 1919 prices).[11] On 14 December 1921, she was resold for scrap.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Thanks for covering my absence Chris. would you like me to take over the compositor's job again from today?
Rob.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

24th November 1915.


R.F.C. No deaths are recorded for Wednesday November 24th 1915.

No losses by any of the protagonists reported for this day.


Western Front.

Derbyshire Territorials.

Nov 24th. Set off to trenches at 9-30 a.m. to salvage boxes of bombs, but unable to get them in daylight, so went up again after tea, but could not find them in dark. Got rather wet.

3105 Pte James Edgar Brocklehurst, a miller from Wheatsheaf Farm in Matlock, was killed in action on this day and was the first man of the 1/6th Battalion to be buried in ST. VAAST POST MILITARY CEMETERY in RICHEBOURG-L’AVOUE.

Private David Richards (South Staffordshire Regiment) is killed at age 17 when the Germans detonate a mine under his battalion’s positions at Gibson Crater, near Cuinchy. His cousin was killed last month.



In all 213 died on this day.



Winston Churchill (second from right) in France during
World War I. Churchill commanded an infantry battalion on
the Western Front.


"I am happy here … I always get on with soldiers. I do not certainly regret the step I took … I know that I am doing the right thing out here … Do you know I am quite young again?"
Churchill to his mother, Lady Randolph, 24 November 1915

Eastern Front.

Russians turn German left flank by capture of Yanopol, north of Illukst (Dvina); Germans abandon salient.

Southern Front.

Serbian Government moved to Skutari (Albania).

11th Batt Worcestershire Reg. Half Batt arrived in Salonica aboard HMS Magnificent under Lt Col. WF Barker CMG, DSO. They marched 2 miles to Camp Lembet. Weather warm but clouds of dust.


Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres.




Change of command in Mesopotamia.Field-Marshal von der Goltz (see December 10th, 1914 and April 19th, 1916) takes command of Turkish forces in Mesopotamia.




At Ctesiphon British consolidated; Turks fell back on second position. More Turkish reinforcements arrive. By this morning the 6^th (Poona) Division has lost more than half its strength, which at only 8,500 men is well under establishment before the battle began. Townshend realizing that the situation is now hopeless orders a withdrawal and the retreat is followed by the Turks and an epic retreat back to the defences of Kut-el-Amara is begun.
Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Cecil Hamilton Smithett (commanding 76^th Punjabis) dies of wounds at age 52. He served in Hazara in 1888.

Naval and overseas.

SS City of Lahore warded off U-Boat by gunfire 10 miles east from Cape de Gata.


U33, Captained by Konrad Gansser captured and then sank the Italian Steamer Liguria south of Marseilles'




Political, etc.

Permanent organization of Allied countries for supply of munitions announced by M. Thomas.

Conference in London.

Greek Government accept Entente demands of the 23rd.

Danish merchants and manufacturers conclude agreement with the British Government to restrict supplies to Germany.

Rob.

[Hedeby]

I like the local bit from Derbyshire Rob - very poignant

[Flying Officer Kyte]

25th November 1915.


RFC. No deaths are recorded for Thursday November 25th 1915.

191 died on this day.

Today’s highlighted casualties include:

• Captain Arthur William Balders (Norfolk Regiment attached West Africa Frontier Force) is killed in the Cameroons at age 28. He is the grandson of Major General E M Boxer.
• Captain Charles Gordon Bond (Wiltshire Regiment) is killed in action at age 34. He is the son of the Reverend Gordon Bond and his son will be killed in April 1945 in Germany serving in his father’s regiment as a Major.
• Private Arthur Thomas Wagg (Norfolk Regiment) dies in Egypt. His brother will die of wounds in May 1917.
• Private Edward Amon (Duke of Wellington’s Regiment) is killed in action at age 28. His brother will be killed in December 1917.
• Private Bernard William Dunkley (Norfolk Yeomanry) is killed on Gallipoli. His brother will be killed in October 1918.

Southern Front.

Degeagatch-Constantinople railway bombed by British aeroplanes.
Salonika to be base of Allied operations.
Reply of Greek Government concurred in Allied Note.

Turkish activity in Gallipoli.





General Sir Charles Monro appointed Commander-in-Chief reconstituted Mediterranean Expeditionary Force with Sir William Birdwood General Officer Commanding Dardanelles Army.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres.




British retirement from Ctesiphon to Kut via Azizia.






The 6th (Poona) Division had sustained a 40% casualty rate, losing about 4,600 troops.
They were exhausted from the heavy fighting of the past two days and had an effective strength of about 8,500.





Townshend decided a retreat back towards Kut was necessary to rebuild the strength of his army.
A British soldier, commenting on the attempts of his officers to pronounce the name "Ctesiphon", wrote “we calls it Pistupon”.
The Ottoman Army had sustained casualties of 6,188, but they had short supply lines and were able to get reinforcements from Baghdad and the northern provinces. Colonel Nureddin, learning that the British were also retreating, turned his army around and pursued the British. The Ottoman forces under the command of Nureddin followed the British to Kut.
Ctesiphon and its aftermath revealed a key British weakness in this campaign: an inadequate supply line. The British troops were under-supplied, and their medical corps was understaffed, considering the number of troops and rate of casualties (both from battle and disease). In the later campaign which led to the capture of Baghdad by General Maude, logistics were much better dealt with.
The battle also demonstrated that the Ottoman Army could fight well on its own. Colonel Nureddin had taken an army that had been beaten a number of times, put it in a carefully prepared defensive position, and held off the British and Indian forces. He also did this without any German advisors.

Naval and overseas.

Once again U33 Captained by Konrad Gansser struck at the French in the Med. This time it was the Steamer Algerien sunk 27 miles NNW of San Pietro, Sardinia with the loss of 30 souls.





Political, etc.

M. Albert Thomas announces arrangements completed for inter Allied organisation of munitions.
New recruiting campaign in Australia. Mr. Hughes, the Premier, announces voluntary enlistment will be adhered to; very successful results.


Addendum.



One Hundred years ago, on 25 November 1915, Einstein published the gravitational field equations of general relativity, the so-called Einstein equations. This event marks one of Einstein’s most significant achievements, even in comparison to his three most famous papers of his miracle year 1905. It also presents the end of a long and winding path that began soon after Einstein published his theory of special relativity as an unknown patent expert in 1905. At the end of this path he had risen through the ranks of academic hierarchy to being a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin. The experimental confirmation of his theory by a British eclipse expedition in 1919 then irreversibly catapulted Einstein to world fame, making him the first celebrity in the history of science. In the talk I will give an account of Einstein’s search for a theory of gravitation and a generalized theory of relativity in those years. I will show how an analysis of some of Einstein’s research notes helps us understand his heuristics, and will also comment on his competition with the mathematician David Hilbert in the final days of the discovery of general relativity.

Rob.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

26th November 1915.

2 airmen have fallen on Friday November 26th 1915.

2Lt William Henry Bastow Royal Naval Air Service 3 (N) Wing, Eastern Mediterranean.
Killed while flying 26 November 1915 with Flt. Sub. Lieutenant J. H. Rose at Kephalo Advanced Base.

Wounded in action on this day.

Flt.Lt. Harold Spencer Kerby Royal Naval Air Service/
The son of Rev. George W. Kerby of Calgary, Harold Spencer Kerby graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto. He enlisted in the army and was wounded at Gallipoli. He transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service in February 1915. Flight Sub-Lieutenant Kerby received Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate 1214 on a Grahame-White biplane at the Grahame-White school, Hendon on 5 May 1915. He was posted to Naval 3 in the Dardanelles on 12 June 1915 and wounded on 26 November 1915. Flying the Sopwith Pup, Kerby scored nine victories during 1917. While serving at Walmer Air Station, he scored his last two victories in August 1917, shooting down two Gotha bombers. Kerby remained in the Royal Air Force after the war ended and served in India from 1923 to 1927. He was then attached to the Royal Canadian Air Force for two years and later commanded a squadron in Britain and was air attache at Shanghai for two years. Promoted to Air Vice Marshal, he assumed command of the Royal Air Force in East Africa in 1943. He retired from the R.A.F. in 1946.
Flt. Lieut. Harold Spencer Kerby, R.N.A.S.
For the great courage and initiative shown by him on many, occasions, notably on the 12th August, 1917, when he attacked hostile machines returning from a raid on England. One hostile machine was driven down by him to the water, where it was observed to turn over.

Western Front.

Raid of 23 aeroplanes on German camp near Albert.

Southern Front.

Lord Kitchener visited Italian front.

Bulgarians crossed River Tcherna and threaten Monastir.

Serbians refuse German Peace Offers; condition being that they allow Germans free passage.

Gallipoli.


BEF 1914-15
Gallipoli
Yeomanry
Indian Army
Posted 15 July 2011 - 02:13 PM
On the night of 26th Nov 1915, a blizzard hit the Gallipoli peninsula. I have seen many references over the years to this event in War Diaries and personal accounts. The one below, by Capt R Gee * of the 2nd Royal Fusiliers is particularly harrowing - the Bn suffered nearly 90% casulaties. I found it buried in the National Archives [Ref CAB 43/224] . It is truly staggering what these men went through. The words speak for themselves....

"It was a dark night in the trenches at Suvla Bay and the 26^th Nov will long be remembered and perhaps spoken of in years to come. The men had just "stood to" and the Sgt Major reported "Garrison correct, Sir" when a terrible clap of thunder, worse than a bombardment of HE broke the stillness of the night. This was followed by zig-zags of lightening which appeared to split the heavens in two and then the rain fell as only it can fall in the tropics. Within half an hour the trenches held a foot of water rushing so quickly that it was difficult to stand. At 7 pm the Barricade gave way and a solid wall of water 7 ft high swept the trench carrying everything and everybody before it. By 8 pm the flood had reached its height and the force of the water had somewhat abated so that I was able to swim from a tree to No.1 Platoon. The men were on the parados of the trench up to their breasts in water, it was the same with No.2 Platoon,only about 9 rifles had been saved. No.3 Platoon had gathered on a high bit of land and having no trees to hang on to had formed groups and were clinging to each other. No.4 Platoon were fighting for their lives, their part of the line being a maze of trenches many of which had been washed away burying the men in the mud and making it v difficult for the man to retain a footing anywhere.

At 2 a.m.the water began to subside and the men were set to work to construct a breastwork behind the trenches. No tools being available we had to do this by scooping up handfuls of earth and by dawn a resemblance of cover had been formed and we found it useful for the enemy gave us about a dozen shrapnel. To add to our comforts it began to freeze hard and a snow blizzard came down and the whole of the place was soon covered by snow; many of the survivors of the flood died from exposure. With the help of the Sgt Major I counted the Company and of the 139, only 69 remained.


Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres.

Russians defeat Turks and Kurds and occupy Karaj and Yengi Iman, 40 miles from Teheran.

Naval and Overseas.

U33 and Gansser strike again. This time the victim is the British steamer Tringa, sunk 30 miles NExN of La Galite Island, with the loss of three lives.




Political, etc.

Mr Stanton, Independent Labour candidate, stands as protest against pacifist and anti-recruiting policy of late Keir Hardie, and wins seat by 4,206.

Rob.

[Пилот]

November 25th 1915, Southern Front: Vojvoda (Field Marshal) Radomir Putnik ordered a full retreat of the Serbian military south and west through Allied Montenegro and into neutral Albania.

November 26th 1915, Suthern Front: Serbian High Command starts retreat from Prizren through Ljum Kula to Skadar (Skutari).


Serbian King Petar I Karadjordjević at Kosovo Field, riding on oxen drawn ammunition wagon, leaving Old Serbia with Government, Army and civilians soon after.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Great Stuff. Stop Press from our newly engaged Special Foreign Corespondent Heмaњa.
No expense spared by our Editor in chief Hedeby in his search for the most uptodate news.
Kyte.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

27th November 1915.

Slow news day today excepting the attack by aircraft on the SS. Balgownie.

RFC. No deaths are recorded for Saturday November 27th 1915.

Western Front.

German attack north of "Labyrinth" (Artois) repulsed.

Home Front.

CITY POLICE COURT
SATURDAY – Before Messrs. W. Moore, A.H. Constance and J. Ward
Absentee – Thomas Rowland Staples (26), of 48, Newport Street, and a private in the 3/3rd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment, was charged with being an absentee from his Battalion. He admitted it. Detective Handley said defendant said he had been ill. He was remanded to await an escort.

Southern Front.

Large supplies munitions arrives Ruschuk.
40,000 Austro-Germans expected.

Romanian precautionary mines laid in Danube.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres.

Grand Sheikh of the Senussi maintains friendly attitude towards Egyptian Government.

Gallipoli.

Worcestershire Reg.

2nd Batt: Enemy machine gun firing along our front line parapets but a British gun on Sidbury Hill silenced it.

9th Batt: Still raining , difficult to dry things out. Not much firing. Several Turks surrendered

Again on 27 and 28 November, severe rain and thunderstorms, which turned into blizzards, hit Gallipoli. More than 280 men died and there were 16,000 cases of frostbite and exposure.

Naval and Overseas.

Once again U 33 and Gansser were on the rampage in the Med, accounting for no fewer than two British and one French Vessels.

The British Steamers Kingsway sunk 20 miles ESE of Cape Bon, and Tanis 3 miles N of Zembra Island, Tunisia. Also the French Steamer Omara 20 miles north of Cape Bon, Tunisia. There were no casualties recorded in any of the sinkings.

The British, cargo steamship Balgownie, J & A Davidson, Aberdeen, sailing London for Rotterdam with general cargo.was subjected to a Bomb and machine gun attack by aircraft near N Hinder LV. Bombs missed, damaged by machine gun fire.

UC1 Egon Captain von Werner also sank the British Steamer Klar which was Mined off the N Foreland and Elbow buoy in line about 2 miles from latter.



Egon von Werner is on the right.

Political.

27th November 1915 - No-Conscription Fellowship holds its first national meeting in London to resist forcible conscription into the army and support conscientious objectors.

Rob.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

28th November 1915.

RFC. No deaths are recorded for Sunday November 28th 1915.


Western Front.

Claims.

Lieutenant Jack Armand Cunningham, RFC. flying a Vickers F.B. with his Observer AM1 Smith, shot down an LVG C over La Bassee.













Duncan William Grinnell-Milne RFC.(Author of "Wind in the wires") with his Observer Cpt. Strong, flying in a BE 2C over Sequedin shot down an Albatros C.









German aeroplane raid on Verdun.

Eastern Front.

Russian success near Pinsk, German 82nd Divisional Staff, including two generals, captured.

Bulgarians and Austro-Germans advancing on Monastir.


Southern Front.

Bulgarian and Austro-Germans advancing on Monastir.
Successful Italian attacks on the Carso and slopes to the north-west.
Lord Kitchener visits Greece, south-east and Italian fronts.


German HQ reported “With the fight of the scanty remnants of the Serbian Army into the Albanian mountains our main operations are closed’.



Serbian Army in retreat.


Gallopoli.



22nd Australian Infantry Bttn.

The end of November was bitterly cold, and bodies weakened by the monotonous diet of bully-beef and biscuits. Water was so scarce that snow had to be melted in biscuit tins. The machine guns were taken out of the trenches and thawed at the cooks fire. The men’s boots were now suffering from wear and weather, and frost-bitten feet caused some evacuations.
Machine guns were fired at short bursts during the night at selected targets to prevent the water in the jacket freezing.

Mesopotamia.

General Townshend in retreat from Ctesiphon reached Aziziyeh (Tigris).


Naval and Overseas Operations.

HMS Shaitan aground, abandonment.

German submarine and aeroplane destroyed by British seaplanes off Middelkerke Belgium.

UC7 captain Franz Wagner sank the British Navy Trawler William Morris which was Mined near the Sunk Head Buoy with three casualties.

Political, etc.

Patriotic proclamation by King Nicholas of Montenegro.

Greek Government replies to Allies.

German memorandum on Baralong case.

Rob.

[Пилот]

Southern front, November 28th*:
Three Serbian armies start retreat from Peć, through Andrijevica and Podgorica to Skadar (Skutari).
Army of Timok (Timočka vojska) and western Macedonia detachments retreat from Pishkopeya through Debar to Elbasan.
New Provinces troops retreat from Djakovica through Vezirov Most and Ljum Kula to Elbasan.

*According to some accounts, on November 30th

[Flying Officer Kyte]

29th November 1915.


1 airman has fallen on Monday November 29th 1915.

Air Mechanic2. George Arthur Butcher RFC. of the 11th Reserve Aero Squadron.


Western Front.

Lord Kitchener in Paris.



Eastern Front.

Successful Russian action at Illuskt (Dvina).
. German counter-attack failed. Russians in outskirts of town.

Southern Front.

Bulgars claim 17,000 prisoners at Prizrend.

Dardanelles.
A few hours of intense bombardment from enemy naval guns in the Dardanelles. Lone Pine suffered the most. Considering the volume of fire, damage was slight with the parapets knocked about and in some places blown in.
Worcestershire Reg.1st Batt. Sun thawing the freezing condition; MFA: Severe cold spell ended. 4th Batt: Men boiling up tea with rum and also Bovril available. Rifles will not work in the freezing cold. There is an exemplary cheerfulness in the men and a willingness to work if well enough.

Mesopotamia.

British Cavalry (14th Hussars and 7th Hariana Lancers) in rearguard action east of Kutunieh

Naval and overseas.



UC 5 commanded by Herbert Pustkuchen sank the
British Steamer Dotterel mined off Boulogne Pier, five lost..





U33 Konrad Gansser sank the British Steamer Malinche 50 miles E of Malta and Greek Steamer Zarifis about 100 miles ESE of Malta. There were no casualties reported.




UC3 Erwin Waßner sank the British Auxiliary Minesweeper Duchess of Hamilton in the mouth of the Thames with nine casualties.



Political, etc.

Canadian output munitions largely increased.

The Government issues a bill prohibiting increases in rent and mortgage interest are prohibited in certain areas.

Dr. A. Augusto da Costa succeeds Dr. J, de Castro as Portuguese Premier.

Rob.

[Mike George]

I love this thread and read it every day thanks again.

[Flying Helmut]

I love this thread and read it every day thanks again.

Me too - fascinating stuff, which I would never have time to find out on my own.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

30th November 1915.

RFC. No deaths are recorded for Tuesday November 30th 1915.

Claims.

Major Charles Gordon Bell RFC. Flying a Bristol Scout shot down a German LVG near Henin Lietard.






A well known pre-war aviator, Charles Gordon Bell was an experienced and aggressive pilot when he joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1914. The highest scoring Bristol Scout pilot of the war, he was posted to 10 Squadron and claimed 5 victories in 1915 before ill health forced his return to England at the end of the year. Famous for his stammer and the monocle he sometimes wore, he helped train James McCudden. He was killed during a test flight in 1918.

Western Front.

German aeroplanes raid on Dunkirk.

Artillery activity along whole front.

Southern Front.

The Italian Front Italians progress towards Gorizia, Isonzo.

Serbian retreat through Albania begins.

Prizrend was taken by Bulgarians.

Gallipoli.

In memoriam of the funeral of Jonah Lomu.



A Maori soldier stands in the Apex trenches, 30 November 1915.



Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres.

Rearguard actions on Tigris; Turks strongly reinforced.

British in retreat to Kut reached Umm-Al-Tubal.
British casualties during retreat of 80 miles, 4,567 men and two gunboats.

Naval and overseas.

Three British steamers sunk by U-Boat in Mediterranean.

U33 Konrad Gansser.sank SS Colenso 95 miles ESE of Malta with one casualty, and SS Langton Hall 112 miles of ESE Malta. 35.32N, 16.32E with no casualties.


U39 Walter Forstmann sank the SS Middleton 75 miles SWxW of Gavdo Island. 33.44N, 23.18E with four casualties.





First Motor Launches, under Commander Hamilton Benn, arrived at Dover.

A long-time member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Benn saw active service in the First World War, being commissioned into the Royal Naval Reserve with the temporary rank of lieutenant-commander on 12 October 1914,^[6] and receiving promotion to temporary commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 10 April 1915.^[7]
For three years he was the commander of a flotilla of motor launches in the Dover Patrol,^[8] taking part in the Zeebrugge Raid and the First and Second Ostend Raids.^[1]
He was Mentioned in Despatches three times,^[1] and on 20 July 1917 was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of his services at Zeebrugge on the 11-12 May 1917, and at Ostend on 4-5 June 1917.^[9] He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre by France in recognition of his services at Zeebrugge and at Ostend on 22-23 April 1918,^[10] and on 28 August 1918 was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division), in recognition of his distinguished services during the Second Ostend Raid.^[11]



Political, etc.

In Foreign Affairs Lord Kitchener returned to London.

King Nicholas appeals for help to Diplomatic Corps.

Formal signature of the Allied Governments Pact of London by Great Britain, France, Russia, Japan, and Italy.

Large German post-war copper order to U.S.A.

Rob.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

1st December1915.

1 airman has fallen on Wednesday December 1st 1915.
Flt Sub-Lt Basil Frederick Murray Hughes Royal Naval Air Service Gibraltar Naval Air Station.




© IWM (HU 116008)

Drowned in aeroplane accident 1 December 1915 aged 19.

Western Front.


Intense artillery activity at various points on the French front.

• The mud-encrusted timepiece stopped at 8pm on December 1915, the exact moment Harold Llewellyn Twite was killed in action in northern France.

The 36-year-old was blown up by a German mine while fighting for the British Army in the Somme region

• His comrades sent belongings, covered in the mud where he'd died, back to his widow Lucy Muriel Twite in Sutton, Surrey
• But she could not bear to open the parcel and they were only discovered 99 years later by grandson David Chilcott.

• The items are on display at a museum in Lieutenant Twite's home village in St Agnes, Cornwall.

Southern Front.

Prizren (Serbia) taken by Bulgarian forces.




Marshal Mackensen detached 105th Prussian Division from his army and transferred it from Nish to Black Sea coast.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatre.


General Townshend, retreating from Ctesiphon, fights a rearguard action at Umm-Al-Tubal (Mesopotamia), and retires to within a few miles of Kut-el-Amara; two river boats HM SS Comet and Firefly disabled and abandoned.


Firefly.

Naval and Overseas Operations.



Grand Fleet proceeded to sea for battle exercises, during which H.M.SS. Barham and Warsprite were damaged in collision and had to leave for Invergordon and Devonport for repairs.

SS Clan Macleod sunk by U33 captain Konrad Gansser, 100 miles ESE of Malta with twelve casualties, and SS Umeta also sunk 112 miles ESE of Malta 14 lost.




German naval control over Swedish boats exposed.

Political, etc.

Reopening of the Italian Parliament; Baron Sonnino announces Italian adhesion to the Pact of London; aid for Serbia promised.

"Transito" Syndicate formed, to expedite goods via Sweden to Russia.

A suggestion is made to provide holly as a Christmas decoration in war hospitals.

Imports of all machine tools and parts thereof into the UK are banned save for those under Board of Trade license.

“Impudent frauds” concerning people attempting to obtain money from the War Office with falsified claims on dead soldiers’ estates are condemned by a judge when sentencing perpetrators.

Rob.

[Hedeby]

Like the personal touches, especially the watch, very poignant. Thanks Rob

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Glad you liked it, your being editor in chief sir. I'm flattered.
However, as you are well aware it's just what shows up on the day in most cases, so I can't really claim the Kudos for it. I just found it when disparately hunting for copy.
Rob.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

2nd December1915.


1 airman has fallen on Thursday December 2nd 1915.

A Mech 1. William Charles N. Brandon Royal Naval Air Service, H.M.S. 'President II'
Died from injuries 2 December 1915, received in accident at Hendon Aerodrome, aged 22. At inquest on 3 December 1915 by Hendon Coroner, Dr Cohen, a verdict of 'Death by Misadventure' was returned.


Eastern Front.

Enemy driven back left bank Styr river (Galicia).

Southern Front.

4th battle of Isonzo ends for the winter.




Austrians on the march.

The fourth battle of the Isonzo was the final Italian offensive of 1915, and made little more progress than the previous three. Both sides had increased the size of their armies on the Isonzo since the start of the third battle in mid-October, the Italians from 19 to 28 divisions, the Austrians from 11 to 15, although the Italians maintained the same ratio of superiority as before.




The Isonzo river gorge.



The main targets of this battle were the town of Gorizia, on the eastern bank of the Isonzo, and the Carso plateau to the south. Around Gorizia the Italians twice held and then lost the village of Oslavia, north of the town but on the western bank of the river, and on 29 November captured Oslavia ridge.
On 18 November the Italians began to bombard Gorizia with their heavy guns. Before the start of the bombardment Italian aircraft had dropped leaflets over the town warning the citizens to leave before the bombardment began.




Italian troops cross the Carso.

On the Carso the Sardinian Brigade captured Trincea dai Razzi, beginning the slow process of gaining a foothold on the plateau.
The fourth battle of the Isonzo cost the Italians 48,967 casualties and the Austrians 30,000. The first four battles of the Isonzo had cost the Italians 66,000 dead, 190,000 wound and 22,500 captured. The Austrians had lost 165,000 men, but had managed to hold off four Italian offensives, despite being outnumbered by almost two-to-one in each battle. After a three month gap over the winter of 1915-16, the fighting on the Isonzo would begin again in March 1916 with the fifth battle of the Isonzo, the first of five such battles during 1916.



Invasion of north-western Montenegro reported by German H.Q.

Monastir (Serbia) taken by Bulgarian forces (see November 19th, 1916).

French retreat from Serbia to Salonika begins: Krivolak evacuated.

Naval and overseas.

U33 captain Konrad Gansser sank the British Steamer Commodore
160 miles ESE of Malta. 35.15N, 17.28E per KTB. there was one casualty.


Political, etc.

Reasons for non-entry of U.S.A. into War?

http://www.threeworldwars.com/world-war-1/ww1.htm

Rob.

[Hedeby]

Me too - fascinating stuff, which I would never have time to find out on my own.

We aim to please - makes it worthwhile to know that people are reading it, hopefully enjoying it, maybe learning something new, speaking personally I have learnt so much about the war beyond the trenches whilst researching stories, it has been fascinating. As we move into 1916 and the war in the air really gets going I feel it is going to be fantastic...

[Hedeby]

Never understood why there has to be 11 battles of Isonzo - surely things could have been sorted out after a couple of good scraps... poor show Italy and Hungary, poor show

[Rebel]

Never understood why there has to be 11 battles of Isonzo - surely things could have been sorted out after a couple of good scraps... poor show Italy and Hungary, poor show

Would you want to fight your way up those mountains? About 5 years ago I took a trip to the Hartmanvillerskopf in the French Voges Mountains in Alsace. Here you can still visit the trenches which are perched on the side of the mountain in places less than 20 yards apart. As usual the Germans have the advantage of overlooking the French Front line. The Italian Isonso front was a lot more precipitous and rugged! I'll stick to the air I think!

[Flying Officer Kyte]

3rd December1915.

RFC. No deaths are recorded for Friday December 3rd 1915.


Claims.

Ernst Freiherr von Althaus, Kek Vaux, flying a Fokker E.I shot down a BE 2c west of Roye for his first victim.



BE 2c.

Ernst Althaus joined the 1st Royal Saxon Hussar Regiment as an Ensign at the age of 16 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1911. Awarded the Military Order of St. Henry and the Iron Cross, second class, on 27 January 1915, he transferred to the air service on 4 April 1915. Nicknamed Hussar Althaus, he completed his training and was promoted to Oberleutnant before joining FA 23 on 20 September 1915. Two months later he joined Kampf Kommandos Vaux and scored 5 victories before he was wounded in action in April 1916. When he recovered, he was awarded the Iron Cross, first class, the Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, and in July 1916, the highly prized Orden Pour le Mérite. Wounded again on 4 March 1917, Althaus recovered and was posted to Jasta 14 shortly before Manfred von Richthofen selected him to command Jasta 10. With this unit he flew an Albatros D.V (1119/17) with his personal marking, the letters H and A (for Hussar Althaus), spelled out along the fuselage in morse code. He scored one more victory with this aircraft in July 1917 but the following month, due to failing eyesight, he was forced to relinquish command of Jasta 10 to Werner Voss. He then assumed command of Jastaschule 11 but his eyesight worsened and he returned to the army, commanding a company of infantry near Verdun. There he was captured by the Americans on 15 October 1918. Although completely blind by 1937, post-war, Althaus became a lawyer and was the Director of the County Court of Berlin during World War II. Before his death due to illness in 1946, he served as an interpreter for the Allies.

Ernst Althaus


Western Front.






General Joffre Chief of French General Staff from July 28th, 1911, appointed Commander-in-Chief French Armies. Appointment of Chief of General Staff lapses.




REGIMENTAL SERGEANT MAJOR SAMUEL TUCKER MC.
14TH BATTALION, ROYAL WELCH FUSILIERS




Samuel Tucker was born at Martock, Somerset and
lived at 45 St. Fagans Street, Caerphilly with his wife
Emily Mabel. He enlisted in the town in September
1914, joining the 14th Battalion of the Royal Welch
Fusiliers and after receiving training went to France on
3 December 1915.
Samuel Tucker’s actions were mentioned in several
newspapers and he appears in the battalion diary on
more than one occasion. The South Wales Echo on 14
June 1917 ran the headline “Caerphilly Distinction.” It
reported that, “First Class Officer S. Tucker, Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, of St. Fagans Street Caerphilly has
been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
DIED OF WOUNDS, 8 SEPTEMBER 1918.


Eastern Front.

Austrian offensive repulsed at several points in Galicia.

Southern Front.

Defeat of Serbians by Bulgars on the White Drin river: much booty taken.

Serbian Government and military headquarters set up at Scutari (Shkodra)


Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres.




British forces, retreating from Ctesiphon, reach Kut-el-Amara.
The British Empire forces arrived at Kut around 3 December 1915. They had suffered significant losses and were down to around 11,000 soldiers (plus cavalry). General Townshend chose to stay and hold the position at Kut instead of continuing the march downriver towards Basra. Kut offered a good defensive position because it was contained within a long loop of the river. The problem was how to get supplies, since Kut was a long way from Basra.

Naval and Overseas Operations.

British submarine sinks Turkish T.B.D Yar Hissar in Sea of Marmora, two officers and 40 men saved.

Martin Dunbar-Naismith, commanding British submarine E-11, has penetrated Turkish defenses in the Hellespont and is patrolling inside the enemy-held Sea of Marmara. On December 3rd, 1915, he torpedoes Turkish destroyer Yarhisar, commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Ahmet Hulusi. The destroyer, originally built in France, breaks in two and sinks with the loss of 42 of her crew.


In Mediterranean SS Benalla warded off U-Boat: rescued.

U boat sinkings continued today.



U 39 captained by Walter Forstmann sank Italian Steamer Dante off Sollum, and British Helsmuir 66 miles SxE of Gavdo Island. there were no casualties in either case.



Egon von Werner is on the right.


UC 1 captained by Egon von Werner sank British Navy Trawler Etole Polaire off the South Goodwin LV with the loss of three lives.


Political, etc.


British casualties in all theatres of war given by Prime Minister. Not recorded in my sources though.

Recall of Captains Boy-Ed and von Papen requested by U.S.A.




Boy-Ed, who entered the Germany Navy at a young age of German parentage (his father was a merchant in Lubeck), and was something of a protégé of Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, worked with the Naval Secretary in seeking to boost the overall size of the Navy, a strategy that played dividends with the ambitious (and frustrated) Kaiser Wilhelm II.

As a Captain Boy-Ed was despatched to the U.S. in 1911 as his country's naval attaché. With war underway in Europe from August 1914 Boy-Ed worked closely with Franz von Papen in establishing a spy ring and a group of saboteurs, each determined to hinder U.S. economic aid to the Entente Powers.




Von Papen was effectively expelled from the U.S. in 1915 although Boy-Ed remained. Nevertheless his activities grew both in scale and in notoriety, to the point where the peaceable U.S. President Woodrow Wilson felt obliged to instruct Germany to recall Boy-Ed early in 1917. The U.S. shortly afterwards entered the war on the side of the Allies.
Back in Germany Boy-Ed continued to serve his country, this time as Director of the Navy's press department. Following the armistice he married an American woman (from Virginia) and settled north of Hamburg.
Boy-Ed died following a horse-riding accident on 14 September 1930; he was aged 58.



Swedish shipping grievances against England. Nothing new there then.

Rob.

[Hedeby]

Good one today Rob thank you

[Пилот]

December 3rd, Southern front:
Serbian army destroyed or buried it's heavy and field artillery pieces and continued to Montenegro and Albania.

[Rebel]

RFC. No deaths are recorded for Friday December 3rd 1915.

Claims.

Ernst Freiherr von Althaus, Kek Vaux, flying a Fokker E.I shot down a BE 2c west of Roye for his first victim.

Presumably then the BE 2c Crew survived the downing. I wonder which side of the line they landed?

[Flying Officer Kyte]

4th December1915.


RFC. No deaths are recorded for Saturday December 4th 1915.


Home Front.

From today's Telegraph.

“Reichstag to debate peace” runs the banner headline on page 9 today. So would readers be able to think that Germany was wearying of the war and wished to bring it to an end? No was the answer, if they read the answer below, as this was a country which clearly thought it was in a position of strength, as apparently “nobody understands why our enemies, after their diplomatic defeats in the Balkans and their military failures, have not yet begun peace negotiations” although the suggestion was made that the Allies were blind to reality and will not treat any peace suggestions from the Germans “in a sensible fashion.”
“The cunning of the nursery” is how the Telegraph in a leader on page 8 regarded all this, giving short shrift to what it saw as an attempt to appeal to “all that is faint-hearted, mean-spirited, treacherous and slavish in the camp of the Allies” which was doomed to fail.

Also in today’s paper

- A Reuters correspondent reveals German U-boats as sending out false wireless signals in an attempt to trap shipping.
Lord Derby’s recruiting campaign appeals for canvassers ahead of its final push (page 7), a push which stats with a letter on the manhood of the nation on page 9

A patriotic protest in German-occupied Warsaw is met with gunfire, reports a despatch from Petrograd on page 11.

Eastern Front.

Published in the Spectator on 4th December 1915.



MR. BERNARD PARES, who has been " Official British Observer " with the Russian Armies in the field, gives us here the contents of his diary. A diary should be printed as it was written, and, like a straightforward man, Mr. Pares has not attempted to modify statements or predictions which have been falsified by events. It is a very great mistake to suppose that a diary is without worth because the subsequent course of events has been unkind to some of the hopes and beliefs expressed in it.
Full text here:-
http://archive.spectator.co.uk/artic...e-russian-army


Southern Front.


British land fresh forces at Salonika and quantities war material.



Gallipoli.

With the Worcestershire Regiment at the Front.

4th December 1915 - Trench reliefs held up by bad conditions.


Rolling casualty count: 2576.
1st Batt: hostile machine gun fire between 6 and 9pm. Hand grenades thrown near “White City”, enemy seem to be searching for our Battery near Culvert Farm.
2nd Batt: Rapid fire to cover parties moving up with ration and materials for repairing trenches. Relief from trenches delayed as trenches are in such a bad state and men were falling in the mud. After dusk relief was carried out over the top of the trenches-to billets in Harley St.
SMD RFA: Uneventful but most trouble from “Minenwerfers.”


Naval and overseas.


UC 14 captained by Casar Bauer attacked and sank the Italian Destroyer Intrepido off Valonawith 4 casualties, and Steamer Re Umberto, Mined off Cape Linguetta with 53 casualties.



Intrepido

Political, etc.

War Conference at Calais, Lord Kitchener present.

Mr. Ford's peace expedition starts from U.S.A. in the "Oscar II"




The Peace Ship was the common name for the ocean liner Oscar II, on which American industrialist Henry Ford organized and launched his 1915 amateur peace mission to Europe; Ford chartered the Oscar II and invited prominent peace activists to join him. He hoped to create enough publicity to prompt the belligerent nations to convene a peace conference and mediate an end to World War I, but the mission was widely mocked by the press, which referred to the Oscar II as the “Ship of Fools” as well as the “Peace Ship”. Infighting between the activists, mockery by the press contingent aboard, and an outbreak of influenza marred the voyage. Four days after Oscar II arrived in Norway, a beleaguered and physically ill Ford abandoned the mission and returned to the United States. The peace mission was unsuccessful, which reinforced Ford’s reputation as a supporter of unusual causes.

Punch cartoon.



Rob.