December 22

The Battle of Sarikamish begins. Forces of the Ottoman Empire attack Russian troops in the Caucasus. They aim to retake Kars and Batum, lost in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78.

December 13

The Battle of Limanowa concludes with Austro-Hungarian forces stalling the Russian offensive.

Lieutenant Norman Holbrook VC

The British submarine B11, in the Dardenelles, torpedoes the Turkish battleship Mesudiye. This ship was anchored near Chanak as a stationary guard ship.

Lieutenant Norman Douglas Holbrook, commander of the B11, is subsequently (22 December) awarded the VC.

December 6

The Battle of Lodz ends with both sides claiming victory. The Russians retain control of Warsaw, and the Germans preventing a Russian offensive into Silesia. However, German forces did not break the Russian lines, whilst the Russians withdraw to form a new and stronger line closer to Warsaw. Casualties on both sides amount to nearly 300,000.

December 1

General Joffre

King George V visits base hospitals in France containing British, Indian and German wounded. He also visits the British Field Headquarters and the fighting line. The King invests General Joffre with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.

On the Eastern Front, the Battle of Limanowa commences in the Carpathian mountains. The Russians begin an offensive and try to advance towards the Hungarian plains.

The death of Rear-Admiral Mahan USN, the writer on the influence of sea power in history, is announced.

The 26th Brigade Royal Field Artillery remains refitting and resting in the billeting are to the west of Strazeele. It remains here until 23 December.

November 18

With the German advance on Paris effectively halted, the French Government begins to move back to the capital.

British Naval losses to date are declared as 3,884 killed, wounded or missing. The figures exclude the loss of HMS Good Hope.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet engages the Trukish battleships the Yavuz Sultan Selim (formerly the SMS Goeben) and the Midilli (formerly the SMS Breslau).

The 26th Brigade RFA enjoys a quiet day near the Ypres-Menin road.

November 4

The Russian advance into Turkish territory in the Caucasus reaches Anzap, allowing the Russians to advance into Armenia within days.

The Russian invasion of the Ottoman Empire

The SMS Yorck, returning to port following the bombardment of Great Yarmouth (see 3 November),  accidentally steams into a German defensive minefield in heavy fog. The ship sinks quickly with heavy loss of life.

Punch publishes "The Excursionist", depicting Kaiser Wilhelm as a "tripper", desperate to go somewhere and anywhere. Note how his suitcase has labels identifying his conquests so far, and the exact location of the ticket office has been censored. Although Punch suggests all the Kaiser's preferred destinations would not fall ("Line blocked"), Warsaw was occupied by the Germans in due course.

THE EXCURSIONIST

TRIPPER WILHELM "First Class to Paris"

CLERK "Line blocked"

WILHELM "Then make it Warsaw"

CLERK "Line blocked"

WILHELM "Well, what about Calais?"

CLERK "Line blocked"

WILHELM "Hang it! I must go somewhere! I promised my people I would"

In Belgium, the 26th Brigade RFA, is ordered to economise on ammunition, and its war diary records "very little fired all day."

November 2

The Battle of Messines comes to an end with neither British or German forces able to force a victory. The Battle of Armentieres also ends.

Russia declares war on Turkey.

Members of the Indian Expeditionary Force B, led by Major General Aitken, begin landing at Tanga, German East Africa.

The 26th Brigade RFA remains in action, entrenched near the Ypres-Menin road.

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 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 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.

September 29 - The "Angels of Mons"

Arthur Machen

The London Evening News publishes "The Bowmen" by Arthur Machen. The article was inspired by accounts that Machen had read of the fighting at Mons and an idea he had had soon after the battle. Machen set his story at the time of the retreat from the Battle of Mons and described phantom bowmen from the Battle of Agincourt summoned by a soldier calling on St. George, destroying a German host. The story is believed by many and forms the basis of one of the most enduring myths of the First World War.

German and French forces reach a stalemate in the Battle of Albert. Hostilities continue as trench warfare, whilst the remaining gap in the front line starts the so-called "Race to the Sea".


The 26th Brigade RFA remains in position, with no firing taking place.

On the Eastern Front, the Russians clash with German and Austro-Hungarian forces in the Battle of the Vistula River (also known as the Battle of Warsaw). The battle continues until the end of October.

September 24

The siege of Przemysl begins with Russian forces surrounding the fortress town held by Austro-Hungarian forces. The siege proves to be the longest of the war, the garrison managing to hold out until 22 March 1915.

The siege of Przemysl

The 26th Brigade RFA remains in position with both batteries engaged all day and shelled by heavy howitzers.

September 17

Lord Kitchener announces that rather more than six regular divisions (each 18,600 strong) and two cavalry division (each 10,000 strong) of British troops are in the fighting line. Kitchener expresses the hope that the New Army of 500,000 men will be ready to take the field in the spring of 1915.

Austro-Hungarian forces retreating from the advancing Russians are assisted by the newly-formed German 9th Army.

The 26th Brigade RAF remain in position. The war diary records, "Enemy made an attack in morning ... 118 withdrawn to north east of Tour de Paissy. About 3pm Enemy attacked from direction of Cerny. Both batteries searching north of Cerny."

September 16

In the Cameroons, HMS Dwarf is rammed by the German merchant ship Nachtigal, which is wrecked. The Captain of HMS Dwarf claims the wreck as his prize bounty. You can read a newspaper account of this incident here. (Note the newspaper give the wrong date for the action as 16 December 1914). You can also read the original entry in the ship's log here.

HMS Dwarf

At 4.30am, 118 battery of the 26th Brigade RFA remains in the same position but entrenched. 117 also entrenched near Les Creutes. The war diary records, "Engaged with enemy's artillery all day".

Punch publishes another Bernard Partridge cartoon as a tribute to the Russian victory in Galicia (see 11 September). Here Russia is depicted as trampling over a defeated Austria-Hungary. 

September 14

The first Battle of the Masurian Lakes ends in a German victory. The Germans push the Russian First Army back, ejecting it from German soil. Further progress was hampered by the arrival of the Russian Tenth Army on the Germans' left flank. Despite its numerical superiority and heavily fortified defensive position, the Russians suffer defeat and are forced to retreat in disarray. Russian  losses are great, and Russian plans on the Eastern Front are left in disarray.

The Eastern Front, September 1914

In the Battle of the Aisne, a stalemate ensues. Sir John French orders the BEF to begin digging defensive positions - the beginning of trench warfare on the Western Front.

At 4am, 116 of the 26th Brigade RFA is with the 1st Brigade forming an advanced guard. 117 and 118 marches to Tour de Paissy. At 8am 117 and 118 are in action at Arbre de Paissy.At 10.30am 118 advances to a position south of Chemin des Dames.

The British armed merchant cruiser RMS Carmania sinks the German auxiliary cruiser SMS Cap Trafalgar off the Trinidade and Martim Vaz archipeligo. The action is otherwise known as the Battle of Trinidade.

The Battle of Trinidade

The Australian submarine AE1 disappears while patrolling the St George's Strait between New Britain and New Ireland. It is the first vessel of the Royal Australian Navy to be lost in the war.

September 11

The Russians secure a victory against Austria Hungary at the Battle of Rawa. Causalties on both sides number more than half a million.

The Battle of Rawa (3-11 September)

Troops from the Australian Expeditionary Force capture Rabaul, on German New Guinea. The Australian losses are six dead and four wounded, the first Australian military casualties of the First World War.

In France, the Allies are reported to have advanced over 37 miles in four days.

The 26th Brigade RFA marches with the 1st Brigade as Divisional Advance Guard to Trugny.

September 2

Due to the continuing advance of the Germans, the French Government relocates to Bordeaux.

The Russian Government renames St Petersburg "Petrograd", meaning "Peter's City", to remove the German words Sankt and Burg.

The 26th Brigade RFA marches to Chambry.

The Prince of Wales' National Relief Fund reaches £2,000,000 (see August 15).

Punch publishes another fine cartoon by Bernard Partridge, depicting the classical figures of Liberty and Belgium.

LIBERTY (To Belgium) "TAKE COMFORT. YOUR COURAGE IS VINDICATED; YOUR WRONGS SHALL BE AVENGED"

August 30 - Battle of Tannenburg

German Samoa is occupied by New Zealand forces, representing New Zealand's first military action in the war.

The end of the Battle of Tannenburg Fought between the Russian Second Army against the German Eighth Army between 26 August and 30 August, the battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army, and the suicide of its commanding general, Alexander Samsonov

The latter stages of the Battle of Tannenburg

The 26th Brigade RFA marches from St Gobain to Allemant.

August 20 - Brussels Falls

Brussels, abandoned by the Belgians for strategical reasons, is occupied by the Germans.

The Germans parade in occupied Brussels

The Battle of Gumbinnen takes place on the Eastern Front. The Germans launch an offensive against the advancing Russians, but the Russians emerge victorious.

In Picardy, the 26th Brigade RFA, detrains at Le Nouvion at 1.30am. At 5am the brigade marches to Boue where they are billeted in the 1st Brigade (Guards) area.

August 19 - Louvain Falls

The Germans occupy Louvain in their ongoing advance through Belgium.

Belgian troops on the outskirts of Louvain awaiting the advance guard of the German Army

Russian forces defeat the 1st German Army Corps near Eydtkuhnen.

In Boulogne, the 26th Brigade RFA entrains at 9am. The Brigade travels via Abbeville, Amiens and Busigny towards its final destination (where they arrive on 20th).

Punch publishes another Bernard Partridge cartoon where the Kaiser is depicted as the World's Enemy rather than a common thief. 

THE WORLD'S ENEMY

THE KAISER - "WHO GOES THERE?"

SPIRIT OF CARNAGE - "A FRIEND - YOUR ONLY ONE"