Great Britain
The United Kingdom in the First World War →Tag
(967)1915
January
- 19
- Key eventFirst airship raid on EnglandOn 19 January 1915 the airships L 3 and L 4 bombed Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Norfolk villages. Four people died. It was the first airship raid on England.
- Germans capture JasinOn the morning of 19 January 1915 the Jasin garrison, out of ammunition and water, surrendered to Lettow-Vorbeck. 276 Indian and African soldiers were captured.
- 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.
- 26
- Turkish march on the Suez CanalAt the end of January 1915 Djemal Pasha's Ottoman army crossed the Sinai desert. On 26 January its troops clashed with the British at Kantara.
- London agreement extended to TurkeyAccording to the British chronology, on 26 January 1915 the Entente agreed the Pact of London's ban on a separate peace also applied to the war with Turkey.
February
- 02
- Turkish advance guards on the Suez CanalOn 2 February 1915 the leading Turkish units approached Ismailia. In a sandstorm they clashed with Indian troops and dug in a few kilometres from the canal.
- Turks enter the Aden ProtectorateOn 2 February 1915 Ottoman troops from Yemen attacked the sultanate of Al-Bayda on the edge of the Aden Protectorate. Local tribes repulsed the attack.
- 03
- Fighting begins on the Suez CanalBefore dawn on 3 February 1915 the Turks tried to cross the Suez Canal on pontoons near Tussum. Indians, Egyptians and warships beat off the attack.
- Uganda–Congo boundary agreementOn 3 February 1915 Britain and Belgium signed an agreement in London that finally confirmed the course of the boundary between Uganda and the Belgian Congo.
- 11
- US note on neutral flagsOn 11 February 1915 the US ambassador in London delivered a note urging the British not to let their ships fly the American flag in the war zone.
- Dacia sails for BremenIn February 1915 the steamer Dacia, bought from a German shipowner by an American, set off across the Atlantic with cotton intended for Bremen.
- 15
- Mutiny in SingaporeOn 15 February 1915 part of the Indian 5th Light Infantry mutinied in Singapore. More than 30 soldiers and civilians were killed before it was put down.
- Anglo-French prize agreementOn 15 February 1915 London and Paris began agreeing a supplement to the prize convention letting one ally's courts seize cargoes from the other's ships.
- 16
- A British division for the DardanellesOn 16 February 1915 British ministers chose to send the 29th Division to Lemnos to support the fleet at the Dardanelles. Three days later Kitchener backed out.
- Trading with the enemy ban extendedOn 16 February 1915 a proclamation by George V extended the trading with the enemy ban to German-occupied lands and treated captured colonies as Allied soil.
March
- 01
- Blockade of German East AfricaOn 1 March 1915 Britain declared a blockade of the whole coast of German East Africa, to cut the colony off from supplies and hem in the Königsberg.
- Anglo-French declaration against German tradeOn 1 March 1915 London and Paris, in reprisal for the German war zone, announced they would stop ships carrying goods to or from Germany.
- 09
- Bombardment of Smyrna endsOn 9 March 1915 an envoy of the governor of Smyrna came to the British admiral. The shelling stopped and a truce was agreed until the morning of 11 March.
- British reply on LemnosOn 9 March 1915 London replied to the Greek request for an explanation of the occupation of the island of Lemnos, citing military necessity.
- 12
- Netherlands warns against misuse of its flagOn 12 March 1915 the Netherlands announced that foreign ships passing themselves off as Dutch in its ports and waters, e.g. under its flag, would be held there.
- London agrees to a Russian ConstantinopleOn 12 March 1915 Britain agreed that Russia would get Constantinople and the Straits after the war. In return it wanted, inter alia, Persia's neutral zone.
- Ian Hamilton to command the Mediterranean forceOn 12 March 1915 Kitchener gave General Ian Hamilton command of the land forces that were to support the fleet attacking the Dardanelles.
- 17
- France lays claim to Syria and CiliciaIn mid-March 1915 France demanded Syria and Cilicia for itself after the war. It was the price of its consent to Russian rule over Constantinople.
- Hamilton takes command at the DardanellesOn 17 March 1915 General Ian Hamilton reached Tenedos and conferred with Admiral de Robeck. The fleet still wanted to try to force the Straits on its own.
- 18
- John Nixon takes command in MesopotamiaOn 18 March 1915 General Sir John Nixon became commander of the British forces in Mesopotamia. Force D was to grow to two divisions.
- Agreement on American cottonIn March 1915 London agreed with American exporters to let through or buy up cotton already contracted. Cotton became contraband only in August.
April
- 12
- Battle of Shaiba beginsOn 12 April 1915 Turkish troops and the Arab allies of Süleyman Askerî attacked the British camp at Shaiba near Basra. The attacks were repulsed.
- First advance on JaundeIn April 1915 Col. Mayer's columns set out from Edea towards Jaunde, the capital of German Kamerun. On 14 April they fought their way across the Kele river.
- 14
- End of the battle of ShaibaOn 14 April 1915 British and Indian troops took the Turkish trenches by Barjisiyah wood. The Turks fled Basra and their commander Süleyman Askerî shot himself.
- Harcourt promises the dominions a voice on peaceOn 14 April 1915 Colonial Secretary Lewis Harcourt told the House of Commons that the British government would consult the dominions when peace talks came.
- Japan reveals German peace feelersAccording to the British chronology, on 14 April 1915 Japan informed London of German attempts to persuade it to make a separate peace.
- 17
- Allies advance on GaruaIn April 1915 Col. Cunliffe brought reinforcements and a naval gun to Garua. The Allies began to tighten the ring around the German fortress in Kamerun.
- Skirmish at Hafiz KorIn mid-April 1915 Mohmand tribesmen invaded British Indian territory near Shabkadar. Troops from Peshawar drove them back at Hafiz Kor.
- 28
- First attack on KrithiaOn 28 April 1915 the British and French attacked from Helles towards Krithia village and the hill of Achi Baba. Turkish resistance halted the weary troops.
- British treaty with al-IdrisiIn late April 1915 Britain concluded a treaty with Muhammad al-Idrisi, ruler of Asir. Idrisi undertook to fight the Turks in return for arms and protection.
May
- 07
- Key eventSinking of the LusitaniaOn 7 May 1915 U-20 torpedoed the British liner Lusitania off Ireland. Within 18 minutes almost 1,200 people died, including more than a hundred Americans.
- Japanese ultimatum to ChinaOn 7 May 1915 Japan gave China 51 hours to accept its demands. It set aside most of the far-reaching fifth group for later.
- 27
- Churchill leaves the AdmiraltyAt the end of May 1915 Winston Churchill ceased to be First Lord of the Admiralty. Blamed for the Dardanelles, he became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
- 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.
- 28
- Arthur Balfour becomes First Lord of the AdmiraltyIn late May 1915 the former prime minister Arthur Balfour replaced Churchill at the Admiralty. He was the only Conservative with real influence on the war.
- Henry Jackson becomes First Sea LordAt the end of May 1915 Admiral Henry Jackson, a wireless pioneer and planner of overseas expeditions, succeeded Fisher as professional head of the Royal Navy.
- 31
- Siege of Garua beginsOn 31 May 1915 British and French troops began bombarding the German fortress of Garua in Kamerun. Heavy guns quickly silenced its artillery.
- Key eventFirst airship raid on LondonIn the night of 31 May – 1 June 1915 the German airship LZ 38 bombed east London. Seven people were killed, including children, and 35 were injured.
- Second Battle of Qurna beginsOn 31 May 1915 Townshend's division attacked Turkish posts north of Qurna in Arab boats across flooded marshes and took them before noon.
June
- 03
- British take AmaraOn 3 June 1915 a few British launches carrying Townshend sailed up the Tigris to Amara. Over a thousand Turkish soldiers surrendered to a handful of sailors.
- First Allied conference on economic warfareOn 3 June 1915 delegates of France, Britain, Russia and Italy met in Paris to agree jointly on the struggle against contraband flowing to Germany.
- 07
- First meeting of the Dardanelles CommitteeOn 7 June 1915 the Dardanelles Committee met for the first time. Kitchener persuaded it to send Hamilton three New Army divisions and new warships.
- Allies abandon the march on JaundeOn 7 June 1915 Gen. Dobell, still without news of Aymerich's columns, halted the march on Jaunde. Col. Mayer's troops were to fall back to the Ndupe river.
- 28
- Start of the fighting for Gully RavineOn 28 June 1915 British troops and Gurkhas at Helles took five lines of Turkish trenches by Gully Ravine. A Scottish brigade alongside lost half its men.
- End of the first advance on YaoundéOn 28 June 1915 German attacks on Col. Mayer's troops, withdrawn to the Kele line, ceased. The failed advance on Yaoundé cost the Allies over 300 casualties.
- Allies take NgaundereOn 28 June 1915 Lt-Col. Webb-Bowen's column fought its way in a storm onto the plateau near Ngaundere in Kamerun. Next day the Allies took the town unopposed.
July
- 02
- End of the fighting for Gully RavineOn 2 July 1915 the Turks attacked across open ground to retake lost trenches above Gully Ravine at Helles. British batteries and a destroyer broke the attack.
- Munitions of War ActOn 2 July 1915 the British Munitions of War Act came into force. It banned strikes in the armaments industry and placed factories under state control.
- Ministry of MunitionsFrom 2 July 1915 Lloyd George's Ministry of Munitions, at work for a few weeks, could take control of factories and direct workers to jobs.
- 14
- Borden attends a British Cabinet meetingOn 14 July 1915 Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden attended a British Cabinet meeting. The London press called it a precedent of the greatest importance.
- Sharif of Mecca opens talks with the BritishOn 14 July 1915 a letter was sent from Mecca to Cairo in which Sharif Hussein demanded recognition of Arab independence. So began the McMahon correspondence.
- 25
- British capture NasiriyahOn 25 July 1915 General Gorringe's troops entered Nasiriyah, abandoned by the Turks at night after a lost battle. The whole Basra vilayet was in British hands.
- Britain promises Mytilene to GreeceAccording to the British chronology, on 25 July 1915 London assured Greece that after the war Turkey would give up Lesbos, where the British had a base.
August
- 10
- End of the Battle of Sari BairAt dawn on 10 August 1915 the Turks under Mustafa Kemal retook Chunuk Bair and drove the British off the Sari Bair ridge. The Anzac offensive was over.
- Loss of airship L 12On the night of 9–10 August 1915 guns at Dover hit airship L 12. It came down in the sea, was towed to Ostend and was bombed there by RNAS airmen.
- Ōkuma becomes acting foreign ministerOn 10 August 1915 Japanese Prime Minister Shigenobu Ōkuma reshuffled his cabinet and took the foreign ministry himself. He held it until mid-October.
- 15
- End of the landing at Suvla BayOn 15 August 1915 Hamilton removed Gen. Stopford from command of IX Corps at Suvla. That day the Irish took the summit of the Kiretch Tepe ridge.
- National Registration DayOn Sunday 15 August 1915 Britons aged 15–65 filled in national register forms. About 29 million of them were distributed.
- 21
- Attack on Scimitar HillOn 21 August 1915 the British attacked the hills above Suvla Bay. Twice they took the top of Scimitar Hill, but lost 5,300 men and returned to their positions.
- Lifeboats of the Ruel fired onOn 21 August 1915 a German U-boat sank the British steamer Ruel and fired on the lifeboats with the crew. One seaman was killed and the master wounded.
September
- 28
- British win at KutOn 28 September 1915 Townshend's division skirted the marshes by night and took the Turkish redoubts at Es Sinn. That night the Turks fell back up the Tigris.
- Subsidy for PersiaOn 28 September 1915 Britain and Russia agreed to Persia's request for a monthly subsidy. The money was to keep the Tehran government on the Entente side.
October
- 13
- Airship raid on TheatrelandOn the evening of 13 October 1915 the airship L 15 bombed London's Theatreland. The raid by five airships killed 71 people and injured 128.
- Britain breaks off relations with BulgariaIn mid-October 1915 Britain broke off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria. The Bulgarian minister left London, and the Bulgarian army moved against Serbia.
- Kikujirō Ishii becomes foreign ministerOn 13 October 1915 Kikujirō Ishii, ambassador in Paris, became Japan's foreign minister. A supporter of closer ties with the Entente, he took over from Ōkuma.
- 15
- Britain declares war on BulgariaOn 15 October 1915 the Foreign Office announced that from 10 p.m. Britain was at war with Bulgaria, an ally of the Central Powers fighting Serbia.
- Charles Monro to succeed HamiltonOn 15 October 1915 Kitchener informed General Ian Hamilton that the government was recalling him from Gallipoli. His successor was to be General Charles Monro.
- 28
- 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
- 03
- First meeting of the War CommitteeOn 3 November 1915 the British government's new War Committee met. It did not decide on evacuating Gallipoli and sent Kitchener to the Dardanelles.
- Port and Transit Executive CommitteeOn 3 November 1915 Asquith set up a committee with executive powers to clear the congestion in British ports and speed up the turn-round of ships.
- 04
- Attack on Mount BanyoOn 4 November 1915, in fog, four Nigerian companies under Cunliffe attacked the fortified Mount Banyo in Kamerun. At night the Germans threw dynamite at them.
- 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.
- Britain introduces licences for shipsFrom 10 November 1915 British ships of 500 tons or more needed a licence to carry cargo between foreign ports. They were to return to serving the home country.
- Requisitioning of ships to carry foodOn 10 November 1915 the Board of Trade was empowered to direct ships to carry grain. A committee for the carriage of foodstuffs was to increase wheat supplies.
- 17
- Anglo-French conference in ParisOn 17 November 1915 British and French ministers in Paris discussed Greece and Salonika, rejected Kitchener's plan and agreed to a joint war council.
- Sinking of the hospital ship AngliaOn 17 November 1915 the hospital ship Anglia, carrying wounded from France, struck a mine laid by UC-5 off Folkestone. Between about 130 and over 160 died.
- 22
- Battle of Ctesiphon beginsOn 22 November 1915 Townshend's division took the first Turkish trench line at Ctesiphon, but a counter-attack stopped it before the second. Losses were huge.
- Smith-Dorrien appointed to command in East AfricaOn 22 November 1915 London chose Gen. Horace Smith-Dorrien to lead the expedition against German East Africa. Illness prevented him from taking up the post.
- 23
- British abandon SollumOn 23 November 1915 the Egyptian garrison left Sollum and sailed to Mersa Matruh, where the Western Frontier Force was gathering to fight the Senussi order.
- Entente note to GreeceOn 23 November 1915 four Entente envoys demanded assurance that Greece would not disarm their troops. They promised to return seized land and pay damages.
- 24
- Greece accepts the Entente demandsOn 24 November 1915 Skouloudis's government replied to the Entente note. It gave assurances that Greek troops would not disarm or intern Allied soldiers.
- Agreement with Danish merchantsIn November 1915 Danish merchants and industrialists guaranteed London that imported goods would not reach Germany. In return the blockade was to spare them.
- 25
- Retreat from CtesiphonOn the evening of 25 November 1915 Townshend pulled his bled-white division back from Ctesiphon to Lajj. The march on Baghdad was over; the retreat led to Kut.
- Inter-Allied munitions organisationIn November 1915 the Entente munitions ministers agreed in London on a joint munitions bureau. Albert Thomas's idea, however, never got beyond paper.
- Monro becomes commander-in-chief in the MediterraneanAt the end of November 1915 Gen. Monro took command of the British forces in the eastern Mediterranean, and Gen. Birdwood of the Dardanelles Army.
December
- 06
- British economic pressure on GreeceOn 6 December 1915 Britain placed Greece under export restrictions. Halted supplies and detained ships were meant to force Athens to make concessions.
- Second Chantilly ConferenceOn 6–8 December 1915, at Joffre's headquarters in Chantilly, the Allied commanders agreed on simultaneous offensives on all the main fronts in 1916.
- 07
- Key eventSiege of Kut beginsOn 7 December 1915 Ottoman troops began to surround Kut, where Townshend's division stood at bay. Nureddin called on the British to surrender.
- Fighting at KosturinoOn 7 December 1915, in thick fog, the Bulgarians broke the front of the British 10th Division at Kosturino. The British retreat from Serbian Macedonia began.
- 11
- Bulgarians take Dojran and GevgelijaOn 11–12 December 1915 the French and British withdrew into Greece and the Bulgarians entered Dojran and Gevgelija. The pursuit stopped at the border.
- Greece rejects the Entente demandOn 11 December 1915 Athens replied to the Allies. The Greeks kept Salonika and Fort Kara Burun but promised not to hinder the Allied defence of the city.
- Yuan Shikai accepts the throneOn 11 December 1915 China's Council of State announced the vote for monarchy and offered Yuan Shikai the throne. He declined, and accepted it the next day.
- 13
- Clash at Wadi SenabFrom 11 to 13 December 1915 a column from Mersa Matruh twice fought the Senussi. The Senussi forces were driven off, but Lieutenant-Colonel Snow was killed.
- Easing of pressure on GreeceOn 13 December 1915 London partly eased its economic pressure on Greece. Greek ships were released, but supplies of goods to Greece were still restricted.
- 15
- Last Entente troops leave MacedoniaIn mid-December 1915 the last Entente troops left Serbian Macedonia. The Bulgarians halted at the Greek border and the Allies fell back towards Salonika.
- Resignation of John FrenchUnder 15 December 1915 a chronology records Field Marshal French's resignation. The government forced him to give up the British command in France after Loos.
- 19
- Key eventStart of the evacuation of Suvla and AnzacOn the night of 18/19 December 1915 half of the last garrisons left Suvla and Anzac. Next day the remaining troops staged an ordinary day for the Turks.
- Haig becomes commander of British forces in FranceOn 19 December 1915 General Douglas Haig took over command of the British Expeditionary Force from John French. He was to command it until the end of the war.
- 23
- 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.
- British blacklistOn 23 December 1915 a British act allowed trade to be banned with firms in neutral countries linked to the enemy. Their names were to be put on a blacklist.
- 25
- Christmas Eve assault on KutOn 24 December 1915 the Turks made their biggest assault on the Kut fort. Fighting lasted into the night; on Christmas Day the defenders held the ruined fort.
- Farmanfarma becomes prime minister of PersiaAt the end of December 1915 Prince Abdol-Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma of the Qajar dynasty, long tied to the British, became prime minister of Persia.
- 29
- Austro-Hungarian raid on DurrësOn 29 December 1915 the cruiser Helgoland and five destroyers raided Durrës. Two destroyers sank on mines and the rest barely escaped pursuit.
- Draft rules for an inter-allied war councilUnder 29 December 1915 a British chronology records the adoption of draft rules for an allied war council. Briand struck a permanent secretariat out of them.