4th July 1915
Western Front
Battle of the Argonne dies down; Crown Prince fails to break the French lines.
Eastern Front
Austro-Germans reach the Zlota Lipa.
Southern Front
Heavy attack by Turks against Naval and 29th Divisions repulsed (Gallipoli).
Serbians enter Durazzo (Albania).
Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres
Lahej (near Aden) attacked by Turks.
Naval and Overseas Operations
French liner "Carthage" torpedoed and sunk off Cape Hellas.
Atlantic off S Ireland
Anglo-Californian, cargo ship, nitrate carrier converted to horse transport, 7,333/1912, Lawther Latta & Co/Nitrate Producers SS, not armed, Montreal for Avonmouth with 927 horses for Western Front, 150 crew, master, Lt Frederick Parslow RNR aged 60.
U.39 (Walter Forstmann) (dx - U.38; ge - U.20 or U.39) surfaced about 0800 a mile or more away on port beam 90 miles SW of Queenstown (L - in 50.15N, 9W; dx - 50.10N, 09W), ship turned stern on and went to full speed, reached 14kts, submarine opened a steady fire about 0900 frequently hitting, Anglo-Californian continued to manoeuvre in an attempt to escape while transmitting SOS’s. Ordered at 1030 by the U-boat to stop and abandon ship, the master decided to do so, then in response to his signals, destroyers
Mentor and
Miranda requested him to delay as long as possible. He got under way again, but now
U.39 opened a heavy fire wrecking the bridge, all the port-side lifeboats and hitting the superstructure. By the time the U-boat had closed to 50yds, the master was dead and the Germans fired on anything that moved. Throughout the action, the master's eldest son, Fred Parslow was at the wheel or what remained of it. When the destroyers arrived,
U.39 dived away and
Anglo-Californian was brought into Queenstown on the 5th; 21 lives lost including
Lt Frederick Daniel Parslow RNR who was awarded the Victoria Cross. His son and the chief engineer received the DSC and others MID. Sunk 9 June 1918.
Frederick Daniel Parslow
Political etc.
Negotiations to exchange incapacitated wounded German and French soldiers succeed, and it will take place in Switzerland.
Gunther Plüschow escapes the POW camp in Donington Hall in Leicestershire (he is the only German POW in both world wars to escape Britain).
PM Asquith’s daughter Violet announces engagement to Sir Maurice Bonham Carter (grandparents to Helena Bonham Carter).
Ship Losses:
Carthage ( France): The passenger ship was sunk off Cape Helles, Turkey by
SM U-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). There were no casualties.
Oscar II ( Sweden): The cargo ship collided with another vessel in the Atlantic Ocean 80 nautical miles (150 km) west of the Butt of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, United Kingdom and was abandoned by her crew.
Sunbeam ( United Kingdom): The three-masted schooner was shelled and sunk in the North Sea 16 nautical miles (30 km) east of Wick, Caithness by
SM U-25 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.