October 31

The seaplane carrier, HMS Hermes, is sunk by the German submarine U27 in the Dover Straits.

HMS Hermes

In the Battle of the Yser, with the German offensive having stalled, the Allies claim victory by preventing Germany gaining total control of Belgium.

The Battle of the Vistula River, which began on 29 September, ends in a Russian victory.

The Siege of Tsingtao begins with Japanese forces shelling the port and digging trenches.

The 26th Brigade RFA remains in action all day.

October 30

The hospital ship SS Rohilla is sunk after hitting the Whitby Rock just east of Whitby harbour. 144 lives are saved by the sterling efforts of RNLI lifeboat crews and the community of Whitby. You can read more about this on the BBC Website.

The 26th Brigade RFA is again in action. Firing continues in the area surrounding Poezehoek.

October 29

Prince Louis of Battenberg

Turkey enters hostilities against Russia by bombarding the ports of Odessa, Sevastopol and Theodosia.


Prince Louis of Battenberg resigns as First Sea Lord. His letter to the First Lord of the Admiralty (Winston Churchill) is dated 28 October, to which Churchill replies (on 29th) accepting his resignation. In this letter Churchill stated, "I cannot further oppose the wish, you have during the last few weeks expressed to me, to be released from the burden of responsibility which you have borne thus far with so much honour and success."

The 26th Brigade, RFA was again in action all day. The Germans attacked the British trenches at 5.30am, with the batteries firing against the German batteries.The Germans were eventually driven back near Poezehoer.

October 28

Lord Kitchener announces that a further 100,000 men are urgently needed for the Army.

Punch publishes another political cartoon, "The Limit"

THE LIMIT

The Kaiser: "What are the wild waves saying?"

Wild Waves: "We were just saying, thus far and no farther!"

The 26th Brigade, RFA remains in action all day in the general area of the Ypres-Menin Road.

October 27 - The battleship that didn't sink

HMS Audacious

HMS Audacious sinks after hitting a mine during gunnery exercises off Tory Island. The mine had been laid by the German auxiliary minelayer, Berlin. The Audacious struck the mine at 8.45am, but did not sink until 8.45pm. Assistance was given by the White Star liner the Olympic, whose passengers witnessed the disaster. Admiral Jellicoe urged the Admiralty not to announce the news publicly. The Cabinet agreed and the incident was not officially reported until 14 November 1918 by an announcement in The Times.

Prince Maurice

Prince Maurice of Battenberg is killed in action at Zonnebeke, aged 23 years. He is buried in Ypres Town Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

Prince Maurice is the youngest son of Prince Henry of Battenberg (1858-1896) and Princess Beatrice (1857-1944), the youngest child of Queen Victoria.

Batteries of the 26th Brigade RFA are in action during the day near the Menin-Ypres road, near Becelaere, Terhand and Westhoer.

October 26

Battle of the Yser

In the continuing Battle of the Yser, the Belgians begin to open the sluices on the canal and sea defences at Nieuport to stop the German advance.

The 26th Brigade RFA is now based at Zillebeke. During the day, the 57th howitzer battery is in action at Veldoek firing against Poezehoer; 117 is in action east of Gheluvelt firing against trenches north of Reidelbeek; 116 is in action  at Veldhuer firing against trenches south of Zuidhuer. 

October 25

Sir Charles Douglas (1850-1914)

In the continuing Battle of the Yser, due to unrelenting pressure from the German forces, the Belgians decide to open the canal and sea defences at Nieuport in a desperate bid to stop the German advance.

The 26th Brigade RFA marches to Zillebeke.

The death is announced of Sir Charles Douglas, Chief of the Imperial General Staff.

October 24

The 26th Brigade RFA remains in position around Pilkem.

At 7am, 117 fires to the north east of Inn. At 9.30am, 116 fires on a battery reported by infantry to be north of Inn, and at 11.30am fires on a trench running north-east of Inn.

At 2pm, 118 fires on a battery located north of Inn. At 7pm, 116 is withdrawn and marches to Zillebeke. At 7.15pm the enemy attacks and all batteries return fire.

October 23

The Langemarke Area

The 26th Brigade RFA remains in position near Inn. At 6.15 am, one gun of 118 is pushed forward from road junction south-east of Inn to try and fire directly on Inn which is held by the Germans. This proves impossible but a mill just east if Inn is destroyed.

At 12.45, guns of 117 are turned onto trench reported by infantry just north of the road junction west of Langemarke.

At 1pm, 118 and 57th howitzer battery shoot at the road junction north-west of Inn with aeroplane reconnaissance reporting as effective.

At 1.15pm, 116 shoots at Verbrandennis with aeroplane reconnaissance.

At 5pm the enemy is attacked by batteries firing to the north of Inn.

October 22

The Germans suffer heavy losses in the Battle of Langemarck, part of the Ypres campaign.

The Battle of Langemarck

The war dairy of the 26th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery resumes. Battery 117 is in action north of Pilkem against enemy trenches located north east of Inn. By 10.30am the 57th Howitzer Battery is grouped with the 26th Brigade. At 11.30, 118 is in action three quarters of a mile north west of Pilkem on the Pilkem-Inn road . At 3pm the Germans make a strong attack on Inn, and the British infantry in from of 118 retires with 118 to a position 1 mile west of Pilkem. The batteries are engaged for the rest of the day against German infantry. The 26th Brigade remains in position at night, but the 57th battery is moved to Pilkem.

October 21 - Unconquerable Belgium

Punch publishes another fine cartoon by Bernard Partridge expressing perfectly Belgium's indomitable spirit.

UNCONQUERABLE

The Kaiser: "So you see - you've lost everything"

The King of the Belgians: "Not my soul"

It is announced that expenditure on the war, which in the first ten weeks averaged about five and a half million pounds a week, has risen to about eight and a quarter million pounds a week.

October 20

The German submarine U17 sinks the SS Glitra off the coast of Norway. It is the first British merchant ship to be sunk by a German submarine in the First World War.

The SS Glitra

The Admiralty announces the provision of "swimming collars" for the men of the Fleet.

October 19 - Battle of Ypres

The first Battle of Ypres begins, with the Germans still hoping to break through the Allied front line and thereby secure a quick victory on the Western Front.

The Battle of Ypres

October 18

The German offensive in the Battle of the Yser begins. Its objective is to overwhelm Allied troops from Nieuport to Arras, to defeat the Belgian and French armies, and to deprive British access to Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk.

October 17 - Battle off Texel

A naval battle off Texel, in the North Sea, sees five British naval vessels destroy a flotilla of four German ships. The British ships involved are HMS Undaunted, HMS Lance, HMS Legion, HMS Lennox and HMS Loyal.

The Battle off Texel

October 16

The Battle of the Yser begins.

Battle of the Yser

Sir John French's Second Despatch is published in the London Gazette. It describes the retreat from Le Cateau to the far side of the Seine and the dramatic turnabout and epic Battle of the Marne. Sir John's Third Despatch, covering the Battle of the Aisne, when the Germans dug in and defended stoutly. Movement was over and trench warfare began, is also published in the same edition.

Troops of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force set sail from Wellington.

October 15

German troops occupy Zeebrugge and Ostend.

The Admiralty announces the sinking of the Hamburg-Amerika liner Markomannia and the capture of the Greek steamer Pontoporos (the SMS Emden's colliers), near Sumatra, by HMS Yarmouth.

HMS Yarmouth

HMS Hawke is sunk by the German submarine U9 in the North Sea. 524 officers and men are killed, including the ship's captain, Hugh P. E. T. Williams.

October 14

The Germans occupy Bruges, and British red Cross nurses are expelled from Antwerp.

Punch publishes the cartoon "A North Sea Chantey" reminding readers of the power of the Royal Navy.

October 13

The Battle of Armentieres begins as Allied forces plan to block the advancing Germans in a further stage of the "Race to the Sea". The battle continues until 2 November.

The Battle of Armentieres

The Belgian Government moves to Havre.

The Germans occupy Lille, destroying over 2,200 buildings and burning an entire area of the town.

The first Canadian troops arrive in Europe, landing at Plymouth.

October 12

The Battle of Messines commences with German and British forces engaged between the Comines-Ypres Canal and the River Douve.

The Messines area

The Germans are reported to have 1,500,000 troops in the west and 1,800,000 in the east.

Martial law is declared in South Africa in the wake of the Maritz Rebellion.

October 11

The Russian cruiser Pallada is torpedoed by the German submarine U26. It blows up with the loss of all hands. The Pallada is the first Russian warship to be lost in the First World War.

The Russian warship Pallada

German forces occupy Ghent.

October 10

The Germans expel British Red Cross nurses from Brussels.

The death of King Carol I of Romania is announced. He is succeeded by King Ferdinand I.

October 9 - Fall of Antwerp

Antwerp, under siege from German forces since 28 September, surrenders. The Germans occupy the city and some British and Belgian troops escape to Holland and are interned for the duration of the war. The remaining troops from Antwerp withdraw to the Yser river, close to the French border. Here they dig in, to begin the defence of the last unoccupied part of Belgium.

The fall of Antwerp and the retreat to the Yser

October 8

Australia announces a gift of £100,000 to Belgium.

October 7

The Belgian Government moves to Ostend, and the evacuation of Antwerp begins.

The British submarine E9 returns safely after sinking a German destroyer off the River Ems.

HMS E9

Japanese forces occupy Yap Island in the Pacific, used by the Germans as a naval communication centre.

October 6

President Poincare visits the headquarters of the Allied armies.

The Canadian Government announces its decision to raise a second overseas army of 22,000 men.

October 5

President Poincare

President Poincare visits the headquarters of the Allied armies.

British forces in Antwerp rise to 8,000.

The Prince of Wales Fund reaches £3,000,000.

October 4

The Battle of Arras

During the Battle of Arras the French 10th Army loses Lens as German forces push towards Flanders.

October 3

The Royal Navy starts to lay mines between the Goodwin Sands and Ostend.

Troops from the Royal Naval Division arrive in Antwerp to assist the Belgians.

October 2

The Germans capture the Belgian city of Dendermonde. Over half its houses are damaged or destroyed.

Destruction in Dendermonde

The Admiralty announces it will be taking measures to counter the German policy of mine-laying in the North Sea.

October 1

The Battle of Arras sees the French trying to outflank German forces and prevent their advance to the coast.

The Germans continue to pound the forts surrounding Antwerp.

HMS Cumberland

The Admiralty reports that HMS Cumberland captured ten German merchant vessels off the Cameroon River in West Africa.