Great Britain
The United Kingdom in the First World War →Tag
(967)1918
January
- 04
- Sinking of the hospital ship RewaOn 4 January 1918 U-55 torpedoed the lit hospital ship Rewa in the Bristol Channel, carrying wounded from the Mediterranean. Four engine-room men were killed.
- The Hogarth messageIn January 1918 Commander David Hogarth assured King Hussein at Jeddah that Jewish settlement in Palestine would not infringe the freedom of its inhabitants.
- Demand for the surrender of Dutch shipsOn 4 January 1918 the British proposed that the Dutch charter 600,000 tons of shipping to the Allies in return for grain, fodder and coal.
- 28
- Arabs destroy the Dead Sea flotillaAt dawn on 28 January 1918 Abdullah al-Fair's Bedouin raided the Al-Mazraa landing, sank the Turkish grain flotilla on the Dead Sea and took 60 prisoners.
- End of the operations at TafilehOn 28 January 1918 the operations at Tafileh ended. The Arabs held the town and stopped shipping on the Dead Sea, but snow halted their march north.
February
- 15
- German destroyer raid in the Strait of DoverOn the night of 14/15 February 1918 German torpedo boats fell on the British barrage in the Strait of Dover. They sank 7 drifters and a trawler; 89 men died.
- Allied Maritime Transport Council is set upOn 15 February 1918 four powers' representatives settled at the Foreign Office how the Allied Maritime Transport Council would work, and convened it for March.
- 21
- British take JerichoOn 21 February 1918 Australian horsemen rode into Jericho, abandoned by the Turks. The Ottomans withdrew across the Jordan and the British reached the river.
- Ministry of InformationOn 21 February 1918 Bonar Law announced in the Commons the line-up of Lord Beaverbrook's new Ministry of Information. Lord Northcliffe took enemy propaganda.
- 25
- British recognition of EstoniaIn late February 1918 London told Tõnisson in Stockholm it would provisionally recognise the Estonian Constituent Assembly as a de facto independent body.
- Food rationing in BritainFrom 25 February 1918 meat, butter and margarine could be bought in London and the surrounding counties only with cards. They were meant to end the queues.
March
- 07
- Giants raid LondonOn the night of 7 March 1918 German giant bombers attacked London without moonlight. A bomb weighing a ton destroyed houses in Warrington Crescent.
- Note on the Dutch shipsOn 7 March 1918 Britain demanded that the Dutch hand the Allies their ships with no limits on waters, by 18 March. The Hague replied conditionally.
- 21
- Key eventOperation Michael beginsOn 21 March 1918, after a five-hour bombardment and in thick fog, three German armies broke the British front on the Somme. The British lost over 38,000 men.
- Crossing of the JordanOn the night of 21–22 March 1918 London swimmers took ropes across the swollen Jordan at Hajlah. By 23 March the British had built five bridges over the river.
- 24
- Key eventGermans take Bapaume and PéronneOn 24 March 1918 the Germans crossed the old Somme battlefield. Péronne was theirs, the British gave up Bapaume at night, and at Dury Pétain alarmed Haig.
- Fighting at Es SaltOn 24–25 March 1918 London infantry broke weak defences below the hills of Moab; on the evening of the 25th Australian horsemen rode into Es Salt unopposed.
- British occupy KermanshahOn 24 March 1918 the first British detachment reached Kermanshah, fifty riflemen of the Hampshire Regiment with Lt-Col. Capper and Consul Kennion.
- 26
- Germans take Albert, Chaulnes and RoyeOn 26 March 1918 the Germans took Roye and Chaulnes south of the Somme, and in the evening entered the ruins of Albert with its famous "Leaning Virgin".
- Fighting at Khan al-BaghdadiOn 26 March 1918 the 15th Division's infantry took the Turkish trenches at Khan al-Baghdadi on the Euphrates; cavalry and armoured cars cut off the retreat.
- 27
- Key eventFighting at RosièresOn 27 March 1918 six exhausted divisions of British XIX Corps held off an attack by eleven German divisions before Rosières, on the road to Amiens.
- Germans take MontdidierOn 27 March 1918 French corps at the junction with the British fell back, and the German 18th Army entered Montdidier, south of Amiens, without a fight.
- Attack on AmmanFrom 27 to 30 March 1918 Australian and New Zealand horsemen, the Camel Brigade and London infantry assaulted Amman. In rain and mud they failed to take it.
- 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.
- British occupy AnaOn 28 March 1918 British armoured cars drove unopposed into Ana on the Euphrates, and beyond the town freed two officers whom the Turks had taken prisoner.
- 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
- 01
- Russians leave EnzeliOn 1 April 1918 the last regular Russian troops left the Persian port of Enzeli. A Bolshevik committee still ruled it; the Jangalis held the area around.
- Formation of the RAFOn 1 April 1918 the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service merged to form the Royal Air Force, independent of both the army and the navy.
- 05
- Key eventFighting on the AncreOn 5 April 1918 the Germans attacked on the Ancre. At Dernancourt the Australians lost the embankment but held the ridge. Ludendorff then ended Michael.
- Landing at VladivostokOn 5 April 1918, after a Japanese was killed, Japanese and then British sailors landed at Vladivostok. It was the first step of the intervention in Siberia.
- 10
- Key eventGermans take MessinesOn 10 April 1918 the German 4th Army attacked in fog north of Armentières and took Messines. In the evening the South Africans briefly retook the village.
- Third Military Service ActOn 10 April 1918 the Commons passed on second reading a bill raising the conscription age to 51 and allowing conscription to be extended to Ireland.
- 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.
- 12
- Key eventStart of the Battle of HazebrouckOn 12 April 1918 the German Sixth Army struck at Hazebrouck. It broke through at Pacaut and Doulieu, but the Guards and 5th Division held it at Nieppe Forest.
- Last airship raid with casualtiesOn the night of 12–13 April 1918 five German airships bombed central England, killing seven in Wigan. It was the last airship raid to cause casualties.
- 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
- 03
- Samsam ol-Saltaneh becomes prime minister of PersiaThe British chronology says that on 3 May 1918 the Bakhtiari chief Samsam ol-Saltaneh, hostile to the Entente, became Persia's premier. He resigned on 31 May.
- Landing at PechengaOn 3 May 1918 the British cruiser Cochrane landed sailors and marines at Pechenga on the Arctic Ocean to defend it against the Finnish Whites.
- 19
- Last air raid on LondonOn the night of 19 May 1918 over 40 German bombers attacked London, killing 49 people. The Germans lost seven machines. It was their last raid on England.
- Air raid on ÉtaplesOn the night of 19 May 1918 the Germans bombed the railway bridge at Étaples. Bombs hit hospitals and camps, killing 182 people, including a Canadian nurse.
June
July
- 20
- Last aeroplane raid on BritainOn 20 July 1918 a German aeroplane appeared briefly over Deal in Kent and dropped no bombs. It was the last German aeroplane flight over England in the war.
- Defence of RashtOn 20 July 1918 about 2,500 of Kuchik Khan's Jangalis attacked the British in Rasht. Soldiers of the Hampshires and Gurkhas beat off the assault.
- 26
- French in MurmanskOn 26 July 1918 a French colonial infantry battalion arrived in Murmansk. General Poole had been waiting for it before moving on Archangel.
- Fall of the Baku CommuneOn 25 July 1918 the Baku Soviet voted to invite the British. The Bolsheviks gave up power, and on 1 August the Centrocaspian Dictatorship took over.
- British assurance to RussiaAt the end of July 1918 the British government declared it had no wish to violate Russia's territorial integrity and that its aim was to expel the Germans.
August
- 03
- British land at VladivostokOn 3 August 1918 the 25th Middlesex arrived at Vladivostok from Hong Kong, the first Allied land unit of the intervention in Siberia.
- Sinking of the *Warilda*On 3 August 1918 UC-49 torpedoed the ambulance transport Warilda in the Channel as she carried wounded from Le Havre. 123 people died.
- 04
- The British in BakuOn 4 August 1918 the first British detachment, a few dozen men strong, reached Baku from Enzeli. The next day the city's defenders repulsed a Turkish assault.
- Arrest of the committee at EnzeliIn early August 1918 the British arrested the Bolshevik revolutionary committee in Enzeli, accusing it of collaborating with the Jangalis.
- 13
- Key eventCzechoslovaks declare war on GermanyOn 13 August 1918, per the British chronology, the Czechoslovaks declared war on Germany too. They had three armies, in Russia, France and Italy.
- Britain recognises the CzechoslovaksOn 13 August 1918 the Balfour note of 9 August was published. Britain recognised the Czechoslovaks as an Allied nation and their council as a proto-government.
- 15
- End of the Battle of MontdidierOn 15 August 1918 Haig persuaded Foch not to attack Roye frontally. The French First Army called off its attack and returned to Pétain's orders.
- Battle of BayramalyIn mid-August 1918 the Bolsheviks routed the forces of the Transcaspian government at Bayramaly. Their retreat was covered by Indian machine guns.
- 18
- Key eventCapture of Outtersteene RidgeAt noon on 18 August 1918 the Scottish 9th Division surprised the Germans near Bailleul and took Outtersteene Ridge. The clearing of the Lys salient had begun.
- Bolsheviks take MervIn August 1918 the Bolsheviks from Tashkent took Merv and its oasis from the Transcaspian government. Ashkhabad lost its main source of food.
- 26
- Key eventStart of the Battle of the ScarpeAt 3 a.m. on 26 August 1918 the Canadians attacked east of Arras and retook Monchy-le-Preux by 8 a.m. The Allied offensive spread to the First Army front.
- Defence of Baku beginsOn 26 August 1918 the Turks took the Mud Volcano near Baku. A North Staffordshire company fought without Armenian support and lost more than half its men.
- 27
- British occupy KrasnovodskIn late August 1918 British infantry from Enzeli reached Krasnovodsk, a port on the eastern Caspian shore, with the consent of the Transcaspian government.
- Second wave of the Spanish fluOn 27 August 1918 the first sailors fell ill in Boston. Almost simultaneously the second and deadliest wave of the Spanish flu broke out in Brest and Freetown.
- 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.
- Macready resigns as adjutant-generalIn late August 1918, after the London police strike, General Sir Nevil Macready gave up the post of Adjutant-General to become head of the Metropolitan Police.
- 31
- Germans abandon KemmelOn 31 August 1918 troops of the British Second Army occupied Mount Kemmel, taken by the Germans in April and now abandoned. Americans fought at its foot.
- Murder of Francis CromieOn 31 August 1918 Chekists burst into the British embassy in Petrograd. The naval attaché, Francis Cromie, was killed defending the building, weapon in hand.
- Key eventSecond Battle of Bapaume beginsOn 31 August 1918 Australians attacked Mont Saint-Quentin above Péronne as the Third Army beat off counter-attacks beyond Bapaume. The battle began.
September
- 04
- The Allies take ObozerskayaOn 4 September 1918 the Allies took Obozerskaya station on the Archangel–Vologda railway. Its defence collapsed when a Red regiment went over to them.
- Americans arrive in ArchangelOn 4 September 1918 about 4,500 Americans, mainly of the 339th Infantry Regiment, arrived in Archangel. The British sent them straight to the front.
- 11
- Battle of UkhtaOn 11 September 1918 Colonel Woods's Karelians routed Finnish volunteers at Ukhta in Karelia. General Maynard wrote of the complete defeat of their main base.
- Macdonogh appointed adjutant-generalOn 11 September 1918 the Director of Military Intelligence, General George Macdonogh, became Adjutant-General of the British Army in place of Nevil Macready.
- 12
- Key eventBattle of Havrincourt beginsOn 12 September 1918 Byng's Third Army took Havrincourt and Trescault in front of the Hindenburg Line, while New Zealanders fought the elite Jäger Division.
- Fighting at ChamovoIn mid-September 1918 the British, supported by a river flotilla, drove the Bolsheviks out of Chamovo on the Dvina. The monitor M25 disabled a Red steamer.
- 18
- Key eventBattle of ÉpehyOn 18 September 1918, in rain and fog, the British and Australians attacked the outposts of the Hindenburg Line. They took over 9,000 prisoners and Épehy.
- Battle of Doiran beginsOn 18 September 1918 the British and Greeks attacked the Bulgarian defences by Lake Doiran. The Greeks took the forward line, but the main attack broke down.
- 20
- Capture of Nazareth and BeisanOn 20 September 1918 British cavalry reached the Jezreel Valley, took Afula and Beisan and burst into Nazareth. Liman von Sanders barely escaped capture.
- Execution of the Baku commissarsOn 20 September 1918, in the desert beyond Krasnovodsk, Transcaspian SRs shot 26 leaders of the Baku Commune, among them Stepan Shaumian.
- 29
- Allies retake PasschendaeleOn 29 September 1918 the Belgians consolidated on the retaken Passchendaele ridge, took Moorslede and recovered Diksmuide, lost in November 1914.
- The Ma'an garrison surrendersOn 29 September 1918 at Ziza, south of Amman, the Turkish garrison of Ma'an, surrounded by Bedouin, surrendered to Australian light horsemen.
October
- 01
- End of the Battle of the Canal du NordOn 1 October 1918 the Canadians attacked north of Cambrai for the last time. They gained 1.5 km and a hill above the city, after which Horne halted the advance.
- Capture of DamascusOn 1 October 1918 Australian horsemen galloped through Damascus, followed by Faisal's Arabs with Lawrence. Four hundred years of Turkish rule were over.
- Canadians in ArchangelOn 1 October 1918 the 16th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, arrived at Archangel. General Edmund Ironside came with the same convoy.
- 03
- Key eventStart of the battle of the Beaurevoir LineOn 3 October 1918 the British and Australians broke the Beaurevoir Line, the Hindenburg Line's last position. Montbrehain fell, but the Germans retook it.
- The British retake Armentières againIn early October 1918 the Germans abandoned Armentières, taken in April on the Lys. The British returned to a town that had been reduced to ruins.
- Clash at Lake PyaozeroIn early October 1918 Red Finns of the Murmansk Legion routed the last White Finnish detachment at Lake Pyaozero in Karelia.
- British take LensOn 3 October 1918 the British entered Lens, abandoned by the Germans. After four years of occupation the mining town was a field of rubble.
- 06
- Occupation of SidonOn 6 October 1918 the vanguard of the Indian 7th Division, advancing along the coast from Haifa towards Beirut, entered Sidon. It was supplied by sea.
- Sinking of HMS OtrantoOn 6 October 1918 off Islay, in a storm, the transport Kashmir rammed Otranto, which was carrying American soldiers. About 470 people died.
- 14
- Key eventBattle of Kortrijk beginsOn 14 October 1918 the Belgians, British and French attacked again in Flanders. They broke through the last German position and retook Roeselare.
- Ironside takes command at ArchangelOn 14 October 1918 General Poole sailed from Archangel for England and never returned. Command of the Allied forces passed to his chief of staff, Ironside.
- Battle of DushakOn 14 October 1918 Punjabis and Indian cavalry took Dushak station in Transcaspia. They suffered heavy losses, but the Bolsheviks soon fell back.
- 15
- Allies take MenenOn 15 October 1918 the British entered Menen on the Lys, abandoned by the Germans, and at Comines crossed the river to its southern bank.
- Capture of HomsIn mid-October 1918 the British 5th Cavalry Division and Faisal's Arabs occupied Homs, abandoned by the Turks. The road to Aleppo lay open.
- Britain recognises the Polish ArmyOn 15 October 1918 Arthur Balfour informed the Polish National Committee that Britain recognised the Polish Army as autonomous, allied and co-belligerent.
- 25
- End of the Battle of the SelleOn 25 October 1918 the Battle of the Selle ended. The British reached the Sambre–Oise Canal and the Forest of Mormal, taking about 20,000 prisoners.
- British retake KirkukOn 25 October 1918 the Turks left Kirkuk at dusk, and General Lewin's column entered the town after dark. The British returned five months after withdrawing.
- 30
- Key eventArmistice of MudrosOn 30 October 1918, aboard the battleship Agamemnon at Mudros, the Ottoman Empire signed an armistice with the Entente. Fighting ended at noon on 31 October.
- Surrender at SharqatOn 30 October 1918 the encircled Turkish Tigris Group surrendered on the Tigris at Sharqat. Ismail Hakki Bey gave himself up with several thousand men.
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.
- End of the Battle of Vittorio VenetoAt 3 p.m. on 4 November 1918 the guns fell silent on the Italian front. Before that the Allies crossed the Tagliamento and whole enemy divisions surrendered.
- British occupy MosulOn 3 November 1918, after the armistice with Turkey, British cavalry entered Mosul. Ali Ihsan Pasha protested, but by 10 November the Turks had left the city.
- 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.
- 08
- German envoys before FochOn 8 November 1918 Erzberger's delegation stood before Foch in the Forest of Compiègne. It heard the armistice terms and was given 72 hours to reply.
- British retake MaubeugeOn the night of 8/9 November 1918 a Grenadier Guards battalion entered Maubeuge unopposed, the Sambre fortress the French had surrendered in September 1914.
- 09
- Occupation of AlexandrettaOn 9 November 1918 British and French warships entered the Gulf of Alexandretta. Mustafa Kemal wished to defend the port, but Constantinople made him yield.
- Lettow-Vorbeck takes KasamaOn 9 November 1918 Lettow-Vorbeck's vanguard took the abandoned town of Kasama in Northern Rhodesia. The Germans pushed south towards the Chambeshi depots.
- Sinking of HMS BritanniaOn 9 November 1918 UB-50 torpedoed the battleship Britannia at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. About 50 sailors died; more than 700 survived.
- Anglo-French DeclarationIn early November 1918 Britain and France declared that they sought the "complete liberation" of Syria and Mesopotamia and governments chosen by their peoples.
- Czechoslovaks in YekaterinburgAround 9–10 November 1918 the Czechoslovaks in Yekaterinburg solemnly celebrated the birth of their state. The legion's regiments received colours.
- 11
- British retake MonsOn the morning of 11 November 1918 the Canadians entered Mons, where the British had fought their first battle in 1914. The war ended where it had begun.
- Key eventArmistice of CompiègneAt dawn on 11 November 1918 Germany signed an armistice with the Entente in Foch's railway carriage in the Forest of Compiègne. At 11 a.m. the guns fell silent.
- Recognition of Latvia and EstoniaOn 11 November 1918 Balfour confirmed in writing the recognition of the Latvian National Council. In Tallinn the Estonian Provisional Government resumed work.
- 20
- Surrender of the U-boatsOn 20 November 1918 the first 20 German submarines surrendered off Harwich to Rear-Admiral Tyrwhitt's force. By the spring of 1919, 176 had been handed over.
- Marushevsky in ArchangelIn November 1918 General Vladimir Marushevsky arrived in Archangel, taking command of the Northern Region's Russian troops and the post of governor-general.
- 26
- Allies reach the German borderIn late November 1918 the last Germans left Belgium and Allied troops reached the German border. On 1 December all of them moved on towards the Rhine.
- Allies in SevastopolIn late November 1918 an Allied squadron entered Sevastopol and took over from the Germans the old Black Sea Fleet ships, including the dreadnought Volya.
December
- 04
- Sinking of HMS CassandraOn the night of 4–5 December 1918 the British cruiser Cassandra, sailing with a squadron to help Estonia, struck a German mine off Saaremaa. 11 sailors died.
- Demobilisation beginsIn early December 1918 British Army demobilisation began. Men needed by the economy went first, which soon angered front-line soldiers.
- 14
- Armistice extendedOn 13 December 1918 at Trier Foch and Erzberger extended the armistice to 17 January 1919. The Allies reserved the right to occupy the neutral zone.
- General election in BritainOn 14 December 1918 women voted for the first time in Britain. Lloyd George's coalition won a landslide, and Ireland backed Sinn Féin.