War

The Great War was the first major conflict in which airborne vehicles played a significant role. This included the use of airplanes on the battlefield, but also bombing raids by airships. On January 19th, Germans made the first of many air raids against England itself, beginning with a raid on Norfolk County, causing several deaths and damaging homes and buildings. Although the raids were expected, they still caused considerable panic in England itself.

The unsettling nature of this new type of warfare caused concern as far away as Waterloo County, Canada. On January 21st, the Waterloo Chronicle-Telegraph reported on the raid with mild sensationalism. The raids were presented as direct attempts on the lives of the royal family, who kept a county residence in one of the targeted areas: “German aircraft made their long-threatened raid on England last night and attempted to blow up with bombs the King’s royal residence in Sandringham, County Norfolk.” In fact, the raids were supposed to take place much farther north, but were diverted due to poor weather conditions.

(“Air Raid at Last,” Waterloo Chronicle-Telegraph, 21 January 1915; Christopher Cole and E. F. Cheeseman, The Air Defence of Great Britain, 1914-1918 (London: Putnam, 1984); “A Target Such as Our British Airmen Aim at When They Make a Raid Upon a German Zeppelin Shed,” Elmira Signet, 21 January 1915.)

German submarines had been harassing British and allied vessels in the North Sea and around the United Kingdom for some time. But, on February 18th, Germany announced publicly that their submarines would step up the frequency and intensity of their attacks on vessels around the UK:

“The waters around Great Britain and Ireland, including the whole English Channel, are declared a war zone from and after Feb. 18, 1915. Every enemy merchant ship found in this war zone will be destroyed, even if it is impossible to avert dangers which threaten the crew and her passengers.”

The same dispatch from the German Admiralty also warned neutral nations that they too were not necessarily safe from its new polices:

“Also, neutral ships in the war zones are in danger, as in consequence of the misuse of neutral flags ordered by the British Government on Jan. 31, and in view of the hazards of naval warfare, it cannot always be avoided that attacks meant for enemy ships endanger neutral ships.”

The policy was almost universally derided at the time, and would become a source of increased anti-German sentiment both internationally and in the Waterloo Region. The Elmira Signet, who reported on the announcement on February 19th, called it a “reckless war on passenger and freight traffic.”

(“Sink all Ships in Channel,” Elmira Signet, 19 February 1915.)

Although the Ottoman Empire was unaligned at the outset of the Great War, the Ottomans had begun taking on German military advisors and military equipment as the fall progressed. In October, the Turks closed the Dardanelles and commenced naval raids on Russian fortifications along the Black Sea. On November 2nd, the Russian Empire declared war on the Ottoman Empire and Britain followed suit four days later. French and British plans to open the strait of the Dardanelles had begun that fall, with the hopes of reestablishing supply routes to Russia.

It would be February, however, before French and British ships began their bombardment of the strait. Waterloo Region newspapers reported on the hostilities within days, presenting official reports not only from Britain and her allies, but also from the Ottoman Turks. Nevertheless, the article marvelled at the scale of the operation and the firepower brought to bear by the British and French navies.

Despite early successes, however, the naval actions at the Dardanelles would come to a standstill over the following weeks, eventually leading to a full-scale invasion of Gallipoli by Commonwealth and French forces in April 1915.

(“Shelling Forts in Dardanelles,” Ayr News, 25 February 1915; Hew Strachan, The First World War (London: Penguin Group, 2004).)

Local newspapers published almost weekly predictions that the war would soon be over. Military officers reported important victories, and there were rumours that the Central Powers were running low on resources. Often, this optimism was reported as the banner headline of the Berlin Daily Telegraph.
Predictions of imminent success came from many sources including the British government, Edgar Crammond (a financial writer), Professor F.V. Riethdorf (a local defender of German Canadian loyalty), British Commander John French, French Marshal Joseph Joffre, and Stanley Dancey (a news correspondent from Guelph). The date predicted for the war’s end ranged from July to the end of September, and almost all were confident of a great victory for the Allies.
On March 9, the Telegraph also published one letter from a British lord to the Press Bureau in which he criticized them for “foolish optimism” and predicted, at best, many more months of cruel war.

(“Premier Asquith Confident of Victory,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 1 March 1915.; “Press Bureau Criticized,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 9 March 1915.; “War to End in July,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 17 March 1915.; “Prophecies on the Present Great War,” Elmira Signet, 18 March 1915.; “War Over in Few Months,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 22 March 1915.; “Sir John French Declares There Is No Doubt as to Outcome of the War,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 25 March1915.; “Gen. Joffre Predicts War Will Soon Be Over,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 3 April 1915.; “Predicts War Will Be Over by the End of September,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 30 April 1915.
Visual: “Germans Will Evacuate Antwerp on May 1st,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 23 March 1915.)

By the beginning of March, the Canadian Press Service was reporting that the German advance along the Eastern front had been reversed. With the exception of heavier resistance from the Austrians in the Carpathian Mountains to the south, a large portion of the Eastern Front from the Baltic Sea to the Romanian border was reported to be advancing westward. By the middle of March, the Russians had defeated Austrians in the Carpathians, reportedly taking 4000 prisoners and pushed further into present-day Slovakia and Poland. Within a few days, the fortress at Przemysl was taken by the Russians. This was a large victory since Russia had been trying to capture it since December, it was believed to be essential to German General von Hindenburg’s northern strategy, and it was the media’s focus throughout this push along the Eastern Front. By the end of March, Austrians were reportedly “in full retreat” over the Carpathian Mountains.
These successes occurred alongside optimistic outlooks for the British fleet in the Dardanelles and the Entente along the Western Front. Together, they contributed to the estimates that the Entente would win the war within a few months.

(“German Invasion of Russian Soil Has Completely Failed,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 1 March 1915.; “Line Moving West,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 6 March 1915.”; “German Defeat in Poland,” Ayr News, 18 March 1915.; Przemysl Surrendered Today,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 22 March 1915.; “North Poland Clear of Enemy,” Ayr News, 25 March 1915.; “Austrians Retire,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 29 March 1915.)

Throughout March and April, the Canadian Press Service regularly reported on the progress of the Allied fleet through the Dardanelles, the strait which leads from the Mediterranean Sea to Turkey’s capital, Constantinople.
The fleet of British warships systematically bombarded the Turkish forts in the strait. The forts were unable to slow their advance because of the inferior range of their guns. The only thing that slowed the fleet’s advancement was mines in the water. Meanwhile, the Russian fleet was applying pressure in the Black Sea to the north of Constantinople.
The Entente optimistically assumed they would “hammer” their way through the Dardanelles by Easter (April 4). Although they did not meet this objective, by April 21, 20 000 British and French troops landed in Turkey, and by the end of the month the Entente were reportedly capturing entire battalions of Ottoman forces. Their successes bolstered the confidence of the Entente.

(“Pounding at the Forts,” Ayr News, 11 March 1915.; “Turks in Terror,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 6 March 1915.; “Allies Will Hammer Way Through the Dardanelles by Easter,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 13 March 1915.; “British and French Troops in Turkey,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 21 April 1915. “Entire Turkish Battalion Captured by Allies,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 29 April 1915.
Visual: “Turks Batteries Reduced.” Ayr News, 18 March 1915.; “Scene of History Making Bombardment by the Allied Fleets in Turkish Waters,” Waterloo Chronicle, 18 March 1915.)

The Second Battle of Ypres, a town in Belgium, was the first major battle in which Canadians fought. As the week went on, the dispatches from London reported the important contributions of Canadians including the recapture of four 4.7-inch guns and the capture of a large number of German prisoners. A number of British officials and Prime Minister sent their congratulations and appreciation to the Canadian officers at the front for their valour and gallantry.
This was also the first battle in which the Germans used chlorine gas that in many cases caused acute bronchitis and resulted in death by asphyxiation. By the end of the week, the British government was responding to an outcry from the public to supply the troops with gas masks.
By the time the battle was over, Canada suffered 6000 casualties. This amounted to one third of their effective strength in April 1915. This would contribute to the call for increased strength in the coming months.

(James Wood, Militia Myths: Ideas of the Canadian Citizen Soldier, 1896-1921, (Toronto: UBC Press, 2010): 224-225.; “British Troops Score Big Triumph in Ypres District,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 20 April 1915.; “Canadians Saved the Line,” Ayr News, 29 April 1915.; “Canadians Praised,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 26 April 1915.; “Die of Acute Bronchitis,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 29 April 1915.; “Request for Respirators Was Prompt,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 29 April 1915.
Visual: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/The_Second_Battle_of_Ypres.jpg)

“The Second Battle of Ypres” by Richard Jack