November 1 - Battle of Coronel

The Battle of Coronel takes place off the coast of Chile. German naval forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee defeat a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock. Neither admiral expects to meet the other in full force. Once the two meet, Cradock understood his orders were to fight to the end.

Spee has an easy victory, destroying two British cruisers (HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth) for just three men injured. The total loss of British lives is 1,570, including Rear-Admiral Cradock.

Coronel is the first British naval defeat for more than a century. But the action also cost von Spee half his supply of ammunition, which was impossible to replace.

Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock

The First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, subsequently wrote of Cradock, "Admiral Cradock was an experienced and fearless officer, and we are of opinion that feeling he could not bring the enemy immediately to action as long as he kept with the Canopus, he decided to attack them with his fast ships alone, in the belief that even if he himself were destroyed in the action, he would inflict damage upon them which in the circumstances would be irreparable, and lead to their certain subsequent destruction. This was not an unreasonable hope; and though the Admiralty have no responsibility for Admiral Cradock's decision they consider that it was inspired by the highest devotion, and in harmony with the spirit and traditions of the British Navy."

Shock at the British losses results in more ships being sent to the South Atlantic which in due course avenged Coronel on 8 December. You can read more about the Battle of Coronel on the BBC Website.

Austria-Hungary invades Serbia intending to conquer the nation responsible for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This attempt ends in failure.

The 26th Brigade, RFA remains in action near Zillebeke.

June 29 - Reaction to the assassination

Press reaction to the Archduke's assassination appeared on Monday 29 June. Here is the headline from the Daily Telegraph:

The newspaper began its leading article: "A dark cloud of Fate seems to overhang the fortunes of the House of Habsburg ... The circumstances are so peculiar that it is very difficult to understand the reasons for the crime or the exact motives of the murderer ... His death is, we believe, a serious loss to Europe at large, as well as to Austria-Hungary herself ... At a period when the world suffers from a lack of great personalities, the death of a man so strong and self-reliant as the Archduke Franz Ferdinand is a real disaster, of which it is difficult to overestimate the importance."

(The Daily Telegraph is publishing an archive of its wartime editions at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/ )

A J P Taylor (The First World War: An Illustrated History, Penguin Books, 1966) draws attention to some curious facts regarding the Archduke's visit to Sarajevo:

• As the Countess Sophie was a "mere countess" she did not fall within the permitted social class for an imperial Habsburg marriage. Therefore she did not become an archduchess or an imperial highness, and could not sit by his side on any public occasion
• A loophole to this protocol was that since the Archduke was a field marshal and Inspector General of the Austro-Hungarian Army, his wife could enjoy the recognition of his rank when he was acting in this capacity. Hence the decision to inspect the army in Bosnia.
• Taylor also suggests the visit to Sarajevo coincided with their wedding anniversary ("For his wedding day [28 June 1900] ultimately set the fuse to the First World War"). According to the Wikipedia article on the Countess Sophie, 28 June 1900 was the date when the Archduke signed the document agreeing that it would be a morganatic marriage, with their wedding taking place on 1 July 1900.

June 28 - Sarajevo

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot dead while on a state visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo with his wife Sophie.

There is a lot of interesting information posted on the BBC website about this infamous incident. 

Relics from this day are on display in the Museum of Military History at Vienna. These include the car they were assassinated in, and the Archduke's uniform.



 

The Look and Learn website also contains some useful information.