British Expeditionary Force
Tag
(202)1914
August
- 25
- Siege of Maubeuge beginsOn 25 August 1914 German troops began to encircle the French fortress of Maubeuge on the Sambre, left behind by the retreating Allies.
- First air patrol over the British retreatOn 25 August 1914 British airmen patrolled the skies over the retreating army and forced a German aircraft to land. It was one of the first air combats.
- 26
- Key eventBattle of Le CateauOn 26 August 1914 Smith-Dorrien's II Corps stood and fought at Le Cateau against the wishes of GHQ. It paid a high price but halted the German pursuit.
- Germans occupy NoyonA British chronology says the Germans took Noyon on 26 August 1914. French sources date the German entry into the town to 30 August.
September
October
- 10
- British retake Hazebrouck and EstairesThe British chronicle records the recapture of Hazebrouck and Estaires on 10 October 1914. British cavalry entered Hazebrouck; Estaires was still under threat.
- Key eventBattle of La Bassée beginsOn 10 October 1914 the British II Corps, moved from the Aisne, marched towards Béthune and La Bassée. So began the British fighting in Flanders.
- 19
- Key eventFirst Battle of Ypres beginsOn 19 October 1914 a British attack on Menin ran into new German corps. This was how the First Battle of Ypres began.
- British complete their move to FlandersOn 19 October 1914 Haig's I Corps finished detraining near Hazebrouck. The whole British army, moved from the Aisne, now stood in Flanders.
- First Indian soldiers at the frontA British chronicle records the arrival of the first Indian soldiers at the front on 19 October 1914. They entered the trenches at Messines on 22–23 October.
November
- 02
- End of the battles of Messines and ArmentièresOn 2 November 1914 the Germans took Wytschaete from the French, who relieved the British cavalry. The battles of Messines and Armentières end.
- End of the Battle of La BasséeOn 2 November 1914 the Battle of La Bassée ended. The Indian Corps took over the front between Givenchy and Fauquissart from the exhausted British II Corps.
December
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
April
May
- 09
- Key eventBritish attack Aubers RidgeOn 9 May 1915 the British First Army attacked Aubers Ridge to support the French in Artois. Machine-gun fire stopped the attack in no man's land.
- First New Army division crosses to FranceOn 9–12 May 1915 the 9th (Scottish) Division crossed to France, the first division of Kitchener's volunteer New Armies to reach the front.
- 25
- End of the Second Battle of YpresOn 25 May 1915 the Second Battle of Ypres died down. After five weeks of fighting and gas attacks the Germans had shrunk the salient but not taken Ypres.
- End of the Battle of FestubertOn 25 May 1915 the London 47th Division took a German trench at Festubert and French decided to halt the offensive. Ten days of fighting cost 16,600 men.
September
October
November
December
1916
February
May
June
July
September
- 03
- Key eventBattle of Guillemont beginsOn 3 September 1916 British and Irish troops took Guillemont on the Somme in under three hours, after it had been fought for in vain since late July.
- Battle of Delville Wood endsOn 3 September 1916, by British naming, the Battle of Delville Wood ended. An attack on the wood's eastern edge, supporting an assault on Ginchy, failed.
- End of the Battle of Pozières RidgeOn 3 September 1916 the Australians attacked Mouquet Farm for the last time. They held it for a few hours, but kept only a stretch of trench on the ridge.
- 28
- End of the Battle of MorvalOn 28 September 1916 the Battle of Morval died down. The British held the villages taken and handed part of the front to the French, but could not go on.
- End of the Battle of Thiepval RidgeOn 28 September 1916 the British broke into the Schwaben Redoubt above Thiepval. The Germans, however, held part of the redoubt until mid-October.
October
- 01
- Key eventStart of the Battle of the Transloy RidgesOn 1 October 1916 the British Fourth Army attacked on the Somme at Eaucourt l’Abbaye and the Flers Line, aided by tanks and New Zealanders. Next day it rained.
- Key eventStart of the Battle of the Ancre HeightsOn 1 October 1916 the Canadians attacked Regina Trench beyond the Thiepval ridge on the Somme. Uncut wire and German marines repelled almost the whole assault.
November
- 18
- Key eventEnd of the Battle of the SommeOn 18 November 1916, in the first snowstorm of winter, the British attacked on the Ancre for the last time. After four and a half months the Somme was over.
- End of the Battle of the AncreOn 18 November 1916, in the first snowstorm, Canadians and British attacked Desire Trench and Grandcourt on the Ancre. At Serre the attack failed again.
1917
January
February
March
April
- 09
- Key eventBattle of Arras (1917) beginsOn Easter Monday, 9 April 1917, the British and Canadians attacked at Arras. In one day they advanced 5 km and took thousands of prisoners.
- Key eventAssault on Vimy RidgeOn 9 April 1917, in a snowstorm, four Canadian divisions attacked Vimy Ridge. By evening they held almost all of it except the highest point, Hill 145.
May
- 03
- Key eventThird Battle of the Scarpe beginsAt 3.45 a.m. on 3 May 1917, still in darkness, three British armies struck again at Arras. They failed almost everywhere. Only the Canadians succeeded.
- Key eventBattle of Bullecourt beginsOn 3 May 1917 the Australians broke into the Hindenburg Line east of Bullecourt. The 6th Brigade held the breach, but the British 62nd Division's attack failed.
June
July
August
September
October
- 12
- Key eventFirst Battle of PasschendaeleOn 12 October 1917 Anzacs advanced in the rain on Passchendaele. By evening they were back on their old lines, and 845 New Zealanders were dead.
- Union government in CanadaOn 12 October 1917 Borden announced a coalition government of Conservatives and pro-conscription Liberals. The next day the first call-up was proclaimed.
November
December
1918
January
March
- 28
- Key eventGerman attack at ArrasOn 28 March 1918 the Germans attacked at Arras in Operation Mars. The British defence held; in the evening Ludendorff called it off and turned to Amiens.
- Dismissal of GoughOn 28 March 1918 Gen. Hubert Gough handed the retreating Fifth Army to Gen. Henry Rawlinson. The government made him the scapegoat for defeat on the Somme.
April
- 11
- Germans take Armentières and MervilleOn 11 April 1918 the Germans entered Armentières, abandoned by the British, and broke into Merville that evening. The Lys front fell back towards Hazebrouck.
- The "Backs to the Wall" orderOn 11 April 1918 Douglas Haig issued an order of the day telling his troops to fight "with our backs to the wall" and hold every position to the last man.
- 15
- Germans take BailleulOn 15 April 1918 the Germans took the Ravelsberg ridge east of Bailleul. That night the British left the town, which in later months was reduced to ruins.
- End of the Battle of HazebrouckOn 15 April 1918 the front before Hazebrouck settled at Nieppe Forest. Artillery broke up German attempts to attack the 5th Division and the Australians.
May
- 27
- Key eventThird Battle of the Aisne beginsOn 27 May 1918, after a bombardment by over 1,000 batteries, the Germans took the Chemin des Dames, broke British IX Corps and crossed the Aisne to the Vesle.
- Germans retake CraonneAt dawn on 27 May 1918 the Germans took the Californie plateau and the ruins of Craonne, held by the British. The Allies had held the village since May 1917.
June
July
August
- 30
- Battle of the Scarpe (1918) endsOn 30 August 1918 the Canadians took the rest of the Fresnes–Rouvroy line at Vis-en-Artois. Horne and Currie put off the Drocourt–Quéant attack to 2 September.
- British retake BailleulOn 30 August 1918 British patrols entered Bailleul, abandoned by the Germans. The town, lost in April, lay in ruins. The Germans were retreating from the Lys.
September
- 29
- Key eventBattle of the St Quentin Canal beginsOn 29 September 1918 the British 46th Division crossed the St Quentin Canal in fog, while Americans and Australians stormed the Hindenburg Line at Bellicourt.
- Allies retake PasschendaeleOn 29 September 1918 the Belgians consolidated on the retaken Passchendaele ridge, took Moorslede and recovered Diksmuide, lost in November 1914.
October
November
- 04
- Key eventBattle of the Sambre beginsOn 4 November 1918 the British crossed the Sambre–Oise Canal and Mormal Forest in fog, and the New Zealanders took Le Quesnoy. Wilfred Owen fell at Ors.
- Death of Wilfred OwenOn 4 November 1918, a week before the Armistice, Wilfred Owen, 25, one of the greatest English poets of the war, was killed crossing the canal at Ors.