August 25 - Louvain destroyed

Louvain is destroyed by German forces.

Destruction in Louvain

A contemporary caption to this photograph states, "All that remains of the world-famous library at Louvain, the intellectual metropolis of the Low Countries. The wreckage represents the triumph of German "culture" over the scholarly culture [of] Louvain ..."

The bombing of Antwerp

Antwerp is bombed by a Zeppelin. This artist's impression (left) was accompanied by this caption, "The Zeppelin bombardment of Antwerp, in defiance of the Hague Convention. The airship dropped shrapnel bombs ... These raids aroused much indignation both in Europe and America ..."



In Galicia, Austria-Hungarian 1st Army defeats the Russian 4th Army.


The Allies continue to retreat, fighting rearguard actions. The 26th Brigade, RFA, retires from La Longueville to Dompierre.


The Royal Flying Corps claims its first victory, Increasing numbers of reconnaissance flights take place during the "Great Retreat". On this day, three aircraft of No.2 Squadron chase an enemy monoplane and force it to land. It was destroyed by the RFC on the ground. Another German aircraft was also captured later.

August 13 - The RFC in France

The first aircraft from the Royal Flying Corps land in France. Three squadrons cross the Channel, flying from Dover to Amiens. The first aircraft of 2 Squadron took off at 6.25am with the first aircraft landing at 8.20am. This aeroplane was flown by Lieutenant Hubert Dunsterville Harvey-Kelly, who was subsequently killed in action in 1917. Aircraft from 3 Squadron and 4 Squadron followed, with those from 5 Squadron arriving on 15 August. These squadrons represented the first organised national air force to fly to war overseas.

The first aeroplane of the Royal Flying Corps to land in France - a Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c

On the previous day the RFC suffered its first casualties even before reaching France, when an aircraft flown by Flight Lieutenant Robert Reginald Skene and his engineer Sergeant Raymond Barlow, crashed shortly after taking off en route to Dover. Both airmen were killed.

Skene's family lived at Broadmead House, Send, near Woking. Flight Lieutenant Skene was subsequently buried in Send, in his mother's grave, who had passed away in December 1913. On 12 August 2014 a special service to honour Flight Lieutenant Robert Reginald Skene was held at Send Parish Church to mark the centenary of his passing. You can read more here.



The Austrian-Lloyd steamer, the SS Baron Gautsch, is sunk by a mine in the Adriatic. 150 lives are lost.

The SS Baron Gautsch