Africa Another quick note from Africa, where a British Empire brigade continues preparations for the attack on German East Africa by evicting the Schutztruppe from Continue reading Conscription | Gallipoli | 24 Jan 1916
Erzurum Offensive We open today in the Caucasus. You may recall that General Yudenich, the Russian commander, has been planning an audacious attack on eastern Continue reading Erzurum Offensive | The end of Gallipoli | 9 Jan 1916
Evacuation of Cape Helles They’ve nearly done it. An odd last-day-of-term feeling washes about the men as they wait for nightfall. One way or another, Continue reading Blowing up Cape Helles | Battle of Sheikh Sa’ad | 8 Jan 1916
Housekeeping note: I’m currently having trouble with my internet connection. Entries may be a bit spotty through Sunday. Gallipoli The intermediate phase of the evacuation Continue reading Cape Helles | Mother | 7 Jan 1916
Evacuating Cape Helles Liman von Sanders, the German commander of Ottoman forces on the Gallipoli peninsula, is deeply suspicious. The evacuation of Suvla Bay and Continue reading Evacuating Cape Helles | Sheikh Sa’ad | 5 Jan 1916
Last day of the year. Let’s do something unusual and start with Flora Sandes. Flora Sandes Private Flora Sandes has reached the Adriatic Sea coast. Continue reading End of the year | 31 Dec 1915
Gallipoli The year is dribbling unhappily to an end. When the good news is “a complete and total farce is about to finish”, you know Continue reading Gallipoli | 29 Dec 1915
Today, General Sir William Robertson, usually known by “Wully”, takes up his new role as the head of the British Army. It’s hard to underestimate Continue reading Wully Robertson | CIGS | 23 Dec 1915
Evacuation of Gallipoli Time for the ANZACs to leave ANZAC Cove. Before we get into the details of what they’re doing, first we must take Continue reading Evacuation of Suvla & ANZAC | Gallipoli | 20 Dec 1915
Gallipoli The intermediate stage of the evacuation of ANZAC Cove and Suvla Bay has now been completed. You may have noticed that there’s been a Continue reading Evacuating Gallipoli | 18 Dec 1915
Gallipoli Let us, at last, talk evacuation. The men on the ground have been preparing for it since General Monro recommended it; all they needed Continue reading Louis Barthas’s Memorial | Gallipoli | 10 Dec 1915
Evacuation of Gallipoli Yes, you read that right. Sing Hallelujah and ring the church bells. The British Cabinet has a meeting today, where it’s faced Continue reading Gallipoli | Chantilly | 7 Dec 1915
Calais Conference It’s a French-British military conference. And it’s at Calais. The primary issue here is of course the Mediterranean, where there are, ahem, some Continue reading Calais Conference | Gallipoli | 4 Dec 1915
Quick note: the gap back to the 28th should be filled in by tomorrow. It’s been a busy week. Anyway. Lukuga Back to Lake Tanganyika! Continue reading Lukuga | Greece | 2 Dec 1915
Retreat from Ctesiphon General Townshend is determined to preserve his regatta, and so sends out his cavalry to clear the local Arab snipers from around Continue reading Shaitan | Fourth Isonzo | 29 Nov 1915
Retreat from Ctesiphon It’s a Good News/Bad News day for General Townshend, on the retreat from Ctesiphon. The good news is that his blokes have Continue reading Shaitan | 28 Nov 1915
Hurricane on Gallipoli There’s still just enough bullshit and uncertainty washing around about Gallipoli for nobody important to have taken a firm decision yet about Continue reading Hurricane on Gallipoli | 27 Nov 1915
Battle of Ctesiphon As often happens with these kinds of things, the (spoilers) impending and slow-unfolding military disaster in Mesopotamia caught rather a lot of Continue reading Battle of Ctesiphon | 22 Nov 1915
Mesopotamia The final advance on Ctesiphon and Baghdad has now begun. General Townshend’s force is proceeding up the River Tigris in cautious leapfrogs. He has Continue reading Churchill | Ctesiphon | Isonzo | 15 Nov 1915
SS Californian You may be familiar with the Californian if you’ve ever looked into the Titanic disaster in any detail. Californian was the passenger liner Continue reading Californian | 9 Nov 1915
Gallipoli Lord Kitchener’s farcical journey to Gallipoli continues. Admiral Keyes has failed to make it to Marseilles in time to take ship with him. It Continue reading Lemon’s Wheel | 6 Nov 1915
Third Isonzo The battle has been suspended. Time to pick up the pieces. That first of all means looking at the casualties. For the Italians, Continue reading Isonzo goes ever on and on | 5 Nov 1915
Third Isonzo The already-ridiculous rainfall continues with even greater intensity, and now the writing’s on the wall for the battle. Any hope of an Italian Continue reading The end of Third Isonzo | 4 Nov 1915
The British government and Gallipoli The British government hocks up a giant hairball and attempts to do something to assert a little control over the Continue reading War Committee | 3 Nov 1915
Gallipoli The weather on Gallipoli is deteriorating alarmingly. They’re yet to have any serious rain, but high winds are ripping across the peninsula. Out at Continue reading Serbian Army | 1 Nov 1915
Gallipoli General Monro fires off his report to Lord Kitchener, in which he sets out the problems of Gallipoli as a battlefield in great and Continue reading Evacuating Gallipoli | 30 Oct 1915
Aristide Briand Time for some lovely crunchy French politics. Rene Viviani’s last, desperate play to save himself as Prime Minister was to select a new Continue reading Aristide Briand | 29 Oct 1915
The King Before we get into things today, let’s start with an extended metaphor. As we know, George V of Britain is in France at Continue reading Never work with children or animals | 28 Oct 1915
Serbia Before we get onto the events of the day, someone has just made me aware that 1,001 years ago (give or take a couple Continue reading Strumica | Sava | Salonika | 23 Oct 1915
Serbia The Germans and Austro-Hungarians continue making steady progress. The course of the rivers Sava and Danube form a large pocket around Belgrade, and the Continue reading Krivolak | 17 Oct 1915