Military
Category
(381)1915
January
- 24
- Murray leaves the BEF staffOn 24 January 1915 John French sent the BEF chief of staff, General Archibald Murray, on sick leave. The next day he demanded his resignation.
- Robertson ceases to be BEF quartermaster generalOn 24 January 1915 General William Robertson stepped down as Quartermaster General of the BEF to take over as chief of staff from Murray.
February
March
- 25
- Indian Expeditionary Force F merged into Force EOn 25 March 1915 Indian Expeditionary Force F in Egypt was formally merged into Force E. Its brigades were already leaving for other fronts.
- Liman von Sanders takes command at the DardanellesAt the end of March 1915 Enver Pasha gave General Otto Liman von Sanders the new 5th Army, tasked with defending the Dardanelles and the Gallipoli peninsula.
April
May
- 26
- Italy declares a blockade of the Austro-Hungarian coastOn 26 May 1915 Italy declared a blockade of the whole Austro-Hungarian coast and of neutral Albania. Neutral ships were given time to leave the zone.
- British squadron assembles at MaltaFour British battleships withdrawn from the Dardanelles assembled at Malta. On 26 May 1915 Rear-Admiral Cecil Thursby led them out to Italy.
- 27
- British squadron joins the Italian fleetOn 27 May 1915 Rear-Admiral Thursby's four British battleships entered Taranto and joined the Italian fleet. The light cruisers were sent to Brindisi.
- Explosion of the minelayer Princess IreneOn 27 May 1915 the minelayer Princess Irene blew up on the Medway off Sheerness. About 350 people died, including several dozen dockyard workers.
June
July
August
September
- 25
- James Wolfe Murray dismissedOn 25 September 1915 Gen. James Wolfe Murray ceased to be Chief of the Imperial General Staff. For almost a year he had remained in Kitchener's shadow.
- Bulgaria begins mobilisationIn late September 1915 hundreds of thousands of reservists poured into Bulgarian barracks. Rifles and uniforms were short, and zeal was lower than in 1912.
October
- 28
- Wreck of the cruiser ArgyllOn 28 October 1915 the British cruiser Argyll ran onto the Bell Rock at night in a storm, because the lighthouse was unlit. Destroyers saved the whole crew.
- Bryan Mahon takes command of British forces in the BalkansOn 28 October 1915 Gen. Bryan Mahon became commander of the British forces in the Balkans. His Irishmen in Salonika were only preparing to move into Serbia.
- Charles Monro takes command at GallipoliOn 28 October 1915 General Charles Monro took command of the Gallipoli forces on Imbros. Three days later he advised London to evacuate the peninsula.
November
- 04
- Kitchener leaves for the DardanellesOn the night of 4/5 November 1915 Lord Kitchener left London to decide the fate of Gallipoli on the spot. Asquith took charge of the War Office.
- Monro and Birdwood receive new commandsOn 4 November 1915 Kitchener gave General Birdwood the command at Gallipoli and moved General Monro, who had advised evacuation, to Salonika.
- 10
- Indian Corps leaves FranceOn 10 November 1915 the Indian Corps was finally relieved on the front in France. Its two infantry divisions set off via Marseilles for Mesopotamia.
- Kitchener arrives at the DardanellesOn 10 November 1915 Lord Kitchener held talks at Mudros on the fate of Gallipoli. After seeing the beachheads he leaned towards a partial evacuation.
December
- 22
- Kiggell replaces RobertsonOn 22 December 1915 Gen. Launcelot Kiggell became Chief of the General Staff of the BEF in succession to William Robertson, who was leaving for London.
- Resignation of Archibald MurrayOn 22 December 1915 Gen. Archibald Murray stepped down as Chief of the Imperial General Staff. He left behind a plan to concentrate forces in France.
- 23
- British boats on Lake TanganyikaOn 23 December 1915 the British motor boats Mimi and Toutou, brought from England across half of Africa by rail, tractor and river, took to Lake Tanganyika.
- William Robertson becomes Chief of the Imperial General StaffOn 23 December 1915 General William Robertson became Chief of the Imperial General Staff, on condition that he, not Kitchener, advised the cabinet on strategy.