Few people in these Islands knew in the early part of the summer of 1914 that Europe was on the verge of the greatest war in history. The few men who had foresight and courage enough to warn us of the German menace were ridiculed, and when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand (nephew and heir to the Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria) and his wife were assassinated at Sarajevo, it was not realized that we had reached the opening stages of a long-drawn-out tragedy which would see Europe converted into a vast battlefield and cast a shadow over the whole world.

Austria, at the instigation of Germany, made the Sarajevo occurrence the pretext for beginning a war they had already planned and organized. Serbia was to be made a scapegoat, and Germany was to take advantage of the international situation thus created to launch her schemes for empire development. There was a month’s delay, probably to allow Germany to complete her preparations. On July 25th, Austria sent a note to Serbia charging her with complicity in the Sarajevo crime, demanding the suppression of all Serbian propaganda in the Dual Monarchy, and insisting that an investigation into the assassinations should be conducted on Serbian soil with the assistance of Serbian officials.

GERMAN DASH TO PARIS.

Serbia refused, and this was followed by a declaration on the part of Russia that she would permit no trifling in the Balkans. Meanwhile England was doing her utmost to pour oil on the troubled waters. One of her suggestions was a conference. This was turned down by Austria, who, on July 28th, declared war on Serbia. Thus began the hostilities which led to Armageddon. The challenge was taken up by Russia; in turn Germany declared war on both Russia and France; and finally Great Britain, determined not to tolerate the invasion of neutral Belgium, and refusing to contemplate the harrying of the French north coast, declared war on Germany. The fateful step was taken at 11 p.m. on August 4th.

Germany’s preparedness for war gave her a tremendous advantage at the outset. The first blow was aimed at Paris, and in attempting this coup the Hun armies over-ran Belgium, destroying and plundering some of its greatest treasures and committing crimes which horrified the world. For a time the advancing army was irresistible, but eventually the forces of Sir John French and General Joffre put a stop to the enemy progress and at the first battle of the Marne, commenced on September 6th, caused the Germans to retreat in disorder.

After the first onrush had been checked trench warfare was introduced, the line extending through Belgium, the north-east corner of France, Lorraine and Alsace, and thence to the Swiss frontier. Meanwhile, Lord Kitchener, realizing that the war must of necessity be a long and exhausting one, had commenced his great task of building up an army fit to take its stand with those of Continental Powers. There was a noble response and thousands of recruits were quickly trained and drafted out to play their part in the great adventure.

AFTER THE MARNE.

The relative positions of the Armies in 1915 altered little from those taken up after the battle of the Marne, but there were many historic events during that trying year—the capture by the British of Neuve Chapelle, the two battles of Ypres (in the second of which the Germans introduced poison gas), the heavy campaigning in the Argonne, the bombardment of Rheims, the French offensive in Champagne, and the British offensive at Loos.

During the winter of 1915-1916 Germany’s initial hopes of success began to grow less rosy. The British Army continued to grow; Italy and Rumania joined the Allies; and on almost every side the Central Powers began to feel pressure. The outstanding events during this period included the smashing by the British of an onslaught from Messines Ridge and the repulsing of an advance towards Albert. There was terrific fighting at Verdun (where the French displayed heroic qualities), and the great Allied offensive on the Somme. There was also a British victory on the Ancre, and “tanks” made their initial appearance.

ON THE WAY TO VICTORY.

One of the most tragic events of the war occurred on June 5th, 1916, Lord Kitchener being drowned while on his way to Russia. Politically there were happenings of great importance, one of the principal being the resignation of Mr. Asquith as Prime Minister and the acceptance of office by Mr. Lloyd George, whose work as Minister of Munitions had brought him into much prominence in matters relative to the conduct of the war.

Early in 1917 the United States, after long deliberation, threw in her lot with the Allied cause, followed by Central and South America. Later Greece, chiefly through the influence of Venezelos, compelled King Constantine, the friend of Germany, to abdicate and enter the war on the side of the Allies; while China and Siam followed the example of Japan and protested practically against German lust for world power. Throughout the year there was heavy fighting on the Western front. In April the British captured Vimy Ridge, in June they annexed Messines Ridge, and in November took part in a magnificent episode at Passchendaele. By these operations they became masters of commanding positions, and for the first time the feeling was encouraged that the Allies were on the way to victory.

GERMANS’ LAST BID FOR VICTORY.

One of the most noted successes in 1917 was that at Cambrai on November 20th, while in October the French brought the famous ridge road, the Chemin des Dames, within their lines. “Unrestricted” U-boat warfare was commenced by the Germans early this year, and was a source of considerable anxiety to the Allies. Internally Russia was in the throes of revolution. The Czar abdicated on March 15th and a republic was proclaimed on September 15th. This was followed by the Bolshevist coup d’État on November 8th, and an armistice on the Russian front on December 6th.

The winter of 1917-1918 was in the nature of the calm which precedes the storm. On March 21st, the Boche made his last desperate bid for victory, attacking on a 50-mile front between the Scarpe and the Oise. Results unlooked for by the Allies were the outcome. Peronne was captured in three days, and on March 25th the Germans had reached their original line of July, 1916, on this sector. This, for the Allies, was the blackest moment of the war, inasmuch as it brought within the range of possibility the achievement by the enemy of his original plan—the capture of the Channel ports and the consequent domination of British shores.

The Allies prepared for a great effort. In England the military age was raised to 51; General Foch was appointed commander-in-chief of the Allied armies; there were effective naval raids on Zeebrugge and Ostend; a million Americans were shipped to France; and by the beginning of June the German advance had been checked.

THE ARMISTICE.

The last German offensive began on July 15th on a 50-mile front before Rheims. It failed and was converted into an Allied victory. Thenceforward the Allies achieved victory after victory. At every point the enemy was forced back, Flanders was evacuated, a wedge was driven into the Boche line at Sedan, and along the whole line from Ostend to Switzerland the German position was so desperate that the Kaiser, faced with disaster in the field and naval mutiny and revolution at home, asked for an Armistice on October 6th.

Austria sued for peace on October 20th and surrendered to the Allies on November 3rd, while Turkey, having been granted an armistice on October 30th, threw down her arms subsequently. Following the proclamation of Bavaria as a Republic, and the renunciation of his throne by the Duke of Brunswick, and the suspension of payment by the Berlin banks, the Kaiser sued for peace. On November 9th he and the Crown Prince abdicated and the armistice terms of the Allies were accepted by the Germans two days later.

BRITISH TROOPS IN OTHER THEATRES.

Apart from the operations on the Western Front British troops figured in many historic battles in other theatres of war. In the ill-fated expedition to Gallipoli the soldiers of the Empire showed an undaunted spirit and came near achieving what was regarded by many as an impossible task. Much the same spirit under even more trying circumstances was displayed in Mesopotamia and other parts of the Far East, as is evidenced by the recapture of Kut and the taking of Baghdad. German influence in far waters was destroyed by the seizure of German New Guinea and Samoa; while a great blow to German colonization schemes was dealt by the conquest of East Africa and the Cameroons.

THE FALL OF RUSSIA.

The record of Russia during the war and since provides one of the most tragic episodes of the great struggle. One of the first Powers to accept the challenge, Russia accomplished much in the early days of the war on the Eastern Front, and was of invaluable assistance to the British and French armies by engaging the attention of large numbers of German forces. Insidious treachery, however, brought about the downfall of what had hitherto been regarded as a mighty empire. During the winter of 1916-1917 the effect of this treachery began to be felt. The civilian population had for long suffered many privations, and the troops had been sent into battle badly armed and insufficiently fed. Demands for representative government were ignored by the Emperor, swayed by the pro-German Empress, who was under the influence of the notorious monk Rasputin. In December, 1916, the monk was murdered; on March 15th, 1917, the Emperor abdicated and was subsequently murdered; and the Empress and her children are said to have shared a similar fate. A new and democratic government with Kerensky at the head had a short reign, and ultimately, in November, 1917, Russia, under Trotsky and Lenin, who were, it is believed, in the pay of Germany, was given over to the horrors of Bolshevism.

THE CAMPAIGN IN ITALY.

Serbia was invaded by the Austrians and Germans in October, 1915, and the campaign was conducted by the Central Powers with characteristic ruthlessness. Rumania fought gamely, but eventually had to yield under the Treaty of Bucharest, and Montenegro was also quickly disposed of. The Austrians were thus established in Northern Albania and were led to take up an offensive in Trentino. This was begun in May, 1916, and honours were first with one side and then with the other until in October, 1917, with the help of the Germans, Austria forced the Italians to retreat to the line of the Piave. British and French troops were sent to the assistance of Italy, and the invaders were disastrously defeated, being swept back across the Piave.

The morale of the Austrian troops, except when aided by the Germans, was never satisfactory, and the condition of her home affairs became worse as the war progressed. The Emperor Francis Joseph died in November, 1916, and he was succeeded by the Emperor Karl, who was suspected of having strong leanings in the direction of peace. The food problem in Austria also became a very difficult one, and this, combined with industrial and political unrest, tended to undermine the Empire’s military efficiency until eventually the operations against Italy came to be regarded as of secondary importance, and overtures were made for peace.

The Allies recognised the Czeko-Slovaks as a separate nation; the Croatians recognised themselves; and a promise was made that Bohemia should be divided into national districts. Following unsuccessful attempts to obtain peace through President Wilson, the Austrians acknowledged the inevitable and asked for peace on October 27th, 1918. Bulgaria had surrendered on September 29th.

TURKISH POWER BROKEN.

When war broke out the position of Turkey was an uncertain one, but she eventually fell a victim to German machinations and threw in her lot with the Kaiser. In the early days she gave shelter to the runaway German cruisers, the Goeben and the Breslau—and later both these vessels were used to bombard Sebastopol and Theodosia. The campaign against Turkey was in three sections—the attack on the Dardanelles, the expedition to Mesopotamia, and the preservation of Egypt and the advance through Palestine. Although the Dardanelles attack was not successful and we had a set-back at Kut, the British forces eventually broke the Turkish power in Mesopotamia and Palestine, and on October 30th, 1918, the Turks were granted an armistice.

THE BARBARITY OF THE HUN.

One of the outstanding features of the war was the ruthlessness which marked German methods throughout. In the invasion of Belgium and Northern France no measure was too base to adopt in order that the spirit of the invaded countries might be broken. Looting on the part of officers and men was officially recognised, as also was the wholesale destruction of property, machinery and valuable works of art.

Later, the barbarity of the Hun method was demonstrated by the submarine campaign, in the course of which defenceless merchant and passenger vessels, and even hospital ships were “sunk at sight” and the survivors either shot or left to drown. German warships also bombarded such “fortified” places as Scarborough, Whitby, Lowestoft and Margate; while their Zeppelins, and subsequently their aeroplanes, visited England again and again, causing many casualties—a large proportion of them women and children—in a vain endeavour to create panic in this country.

Other methods by which the Germans revealed their inhumanity in warfare included the abominable treatment of prisoners of war; the deportation of thousands of the civilian population of France and Belgium to serve as slaves behind the German lines; and the execution of Nurse Cavell and Capt. Fryatt.

THE BRITISH NAVY’S GREAT WORK.

The operations of the British Navy were undoubtedly one of the dominating factors in the war. For more than four years the silent service watched unceasingly and offered an effectual bar to such naval enterprise as the Germans appeared capable of. The first naval engagement was off the coast of Chili in November, 1914, in which the Good Hope and Monmouth were sunk and Admiral Craddock lost his life.

This early disaster was retrieved on December 8th, when Admiral Sturdee annihilated a German squadron under Admiral von Spee off the Falkland Islands. For some time there was a good deal of activity on the part of commerce raiders, principally by the Emden and the Appam. On January 24th, 1915, there was a naval battle off Dogger Bank in which the Blucher was sunk, and six months later the Konigsberg, a German raider, which had taken refuge in the Rufigi River, was destroyed by British monitors.

The most serious naval engagement of the war took place off Jutland on May 31st, 1916. This proved to be the last attempt of the Germans to defy British sea-power. The enemy lost eighteen ships, and the British losses were by no means light, but the flight of the enemy fleet to the shelter of their mine fields left no doubt as to the issue. Probably the country will never know the extent of the navy’s work in maintaining the blockade, safeguarding our food supply from all parts of the world, and securing safe passage, not only for our own troops, but also for thousands of American soldiers.

Perhaps the most daring enterprise of the war from a naval standpoint was the raid on Ostend on April 22nd, 1918, which resulted in the destruction of the enemy’s submarine depots. The last act in the naval drama was the handing over of the German Fleet to Admiral Beatty, as part of the Armistice conditions, and the subsequent scuttling of it by the German crews while it was riding at anchor in Scapa Flow.

THE SIGNING OF PEACE.

The peace treaty was signed on Saturday, June 28th, in the Galerie des Glaces, Versailles, by the German delegates and representatives of all the Allied Powers except China. The German delegates, in a statement to the Press, declared they had signed the Treaty without any reservations and in the honest intention of carrying out its provisions to the best of their ability. They hoped, however, that some of its provisions would in time be modified.

The signing was received with great rejoicing throughout Britain, a notable demonstration being made outside Buckingham Palace, where the King, the Queen, their three sons and Princess Mary appeared on the balcony and were enthusiastically greeted.

The Chinese refusal to sign was due to the fact that the Council of Four could not see their way to reserve the question of Shantung for future consideration instead of its being settled as provided for in the Treaty.

The scene in the historic chamber was remarkable for the absence of pomp or martial show. M. Clemenceau presided over the formal proceedings, and with him were the French delegation, MM. Pichon, Klotz, Tardieu and Cambon; President Wilson and the American representatives, Mr. Lansing, Col. House and General Bliss; the British delegation consisting of Mr. Lloyd George, Mr. Bonar Law, Mr. A. J. Balfour, Lord Milner and Mr. G. N. Barnes; with the following representatives of the Empire: Canada—Sir George Foster, Mr. Doherty and Mr. Sefton; Australia—Mr. Hughes and Sir Joseph Cook; New Zealand—Mr. Massey; South Africa—General Botha and General Smuts.

Subsequent to the signing the King issued a formal message in which he stated that he shared the people’s joy and prayed that the years of peace might bring to them ever-increasing happiness and prosperity.