100 Years Ago Today

[Jimbuna]

2nd January 1915

Eastern Front

Russian success on the Bzura and Ravka.

Hard fighting near Gorlitse.

Russian progress near the Uzsok and Rostoka Passes.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Battle of Sarikamish continues.

Naval and Overseas Operations

H.M.S.s. "Fox" and "Goliath" bombard Dar-es-Salaam.

Political etc.

Britain announces the creation of 6 new armies, with each composed of three army corps.

Ship Losses:

Bjørgvin ( Norway): The cargo ship foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 60 nautical miles (110 km) north of Rockall, Inverness-shire, United Kingdom. Her crew were rescued by Brynhild (flag unknown).
Jamaica ( Norway): The cargo ship was driven ashore at Angeiras, Portugal with the loss of all hands.
Maryetta ( Norway): The barque foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 15 nautical miles (28 km) north west of Fair Isle, United Kingdom with the loss of eleven of her seventeen crew.
Sunlight ( United Kingdom): The steam barge collided with Snowdrop ( United Kingdom in the River Mersey at Liverpool, Lancashire and sank. Her crew were rescued by Snowdrop.

[Sailor Steve]

January 2:

Cape Horn: HMS Bristol and Glasgow take their search through the Beagle Channel to Lapataia Bay at the western side of Tierra del Fuego.

Captain Charles Amherst Milward, British consul at Punta Arenas, receives information that SMS Dresden is hiding in Weihnachts Bay. He reports this to Commodore Stoddart and to the Admiralty. Thinking the information might have been planted by the Germans to throw the British off the track, the report is ignored.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

December 2:

Cape Horn: HMS Bristol and Glasgow take their search through the Beagle Channel to Lapataia Bay at the western side of Tierra del Fuego.

Your out by a month

[Jimbuna]

3rd January 1915

Western Front

French fail in attack on Boureuilles (Argonne), but carry a height near Cernay (Alsace).

Eastern Front

Russians occupy Suczava (Bukovina).

Southern Front

Austrians occupy Ada Tsiganlia, an island near Belgrade.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Very heavy fighting at Sarikamish, and at Ardahan (Transcauc.).

Political, etc.

Arrest of Cardinal Mercier (Belgium) for Pastoral Letter.


Two Austro-Hungarian Generals, von Frank and Przyborski, submit their resignations after failing in the Serbian campaign.

Thomas Edison predicts that the war will last two years and that warships can be built to negate the torpedoes of submarines.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Your out by a month

You're right.

[Sailor Steve]

January 3:

The Admiralty, London: First Sea Lord Jacky Fisher finally responds to Admiral Doveton Sturdee's earlier reply, this time demanding that Sturdee "Explain why neither Inflexible, Invincible nor any other vessel of your command proceeded immediately on completion of action to Punta Arenas."



Cape Horn: HMS Bristol and Glasgow return to Picton Island at the eastern end of the Beagle Channel.

[Jimbuna]

4th January 1915

Western Front

French advance near St. Georges (Flanders), and complete capture of Steinbach (Alsace) after several days' fighting.

Eastern Front

General von Hindenburg abandons plans to advance on Warsaw after repeated failures and decides to concentrate elsewhere.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Russian victories at Sarikamish and Ardahan; Turkish army corps destroyed at the former.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Italian warships bombard Albanian rebels in Durrës and rescues the French and Serbian legation there.

North Sea

C.31, submarine, C-class, c290/320t, 1909, 2‑18in tt with 4 torpedoes, 13/7½kts, c16 crew, Pennant No.I.61, 4th Submarine Flotilla, Dover Patrol, Lt George Pilkington, sailed Dover 4th to investigate German naval activity off Zeebrugge, then report to Harwich on 7th, never heard from again, “overdue, presumed lost”. On or after 4th (ke - possiby 4th) - Lost off Belgium coast, cause unknown, possibly mined in German field off Zeebrugge or by accident, RNAS aircraft failed to observe any salvage operations off Zeebrugge that may have been connected with her loss, Cdre Keyes went out night of the 9th/10th with destroyers Lurcher and Firedrake in the forelorn hope of finding her. Declared lost on the 7th; 3 officers and 14 ratings lost, no survivors.


Political etc.

Arthur Hoffman, retiring President of Switzerland, states the country intends to remain absolutely neutral.

London Stock Exchange reopens.

Ship Losses:

HMS C31 ( Royal Navy): The C-class submarine struck a mine in the North Sea off the coast of Belgium and sank with the loss of all sixteen crew.

[Sailor Steve]

January 4:

Cape Horn: HMS Bristol and Glasgow depart Picton Island for Possession Bay, where HMS Carnarvon is patrolling.



Atlantic Ocean: HMS Canopus is still patrolling the area around the Abrolhos Rocks.

HMS Invincible arrives at St. Vincent, in the Cape Verde Islands, off the west coast of Africa.

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Why did they have bicycles on deck?

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

Why did they have bicycles on deck?

I really don't know (nor did I notice TBH) but perhaps the photograph was taken whilst she was transitting from one area of a port to another area.

Possibly the local harbour pilots bike?

[Jimbuna]

5th January 1915

Western Front

French blow up half-a-mile of German trenches in the Argonne.

Caucasus

At the battle of Sarikamish, thousands of Ottoman troops, including four generals, are captured by advancing Russian troops.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Union forces occupy Schuit Drift on the Orange River.

Fire is exchanged between the Ottoman forts on the Dardanelles and the Anglo-French blockading fleet.

German S.S. "Dacia" (interned in the United States) sold to Mr. Breitung, an American citizen.

Political etc.

Though not being at war, US tests 'newest and most deadly' explosive, to be used at land & sea.

[Sailor Steve]

January 5:

"It would be quite easy in a short time to fit up a number of steam tractors with small armoured shelters, in which men and machine guns could be placed, which would be bullet-proof. Used at night, they would not be affected by artillery fire to any extent. The caterpillar system would enable trenches to be crossed quite easily, and the weight of the machine would destroy all barbed-wire entanglements."
-First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, letter to Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, January 5th, 1915



The Admiralty, London: First Sea Lord Fisher sends a message to Admiral Sturdee repeating his demand for an explanation, ending with "...your previous reply does not answer the question."

From his anchorage at St. Vincent Sturdee replies "Their Lordships selected me as Commander-In-Chief to destroy the two hostile armoured cruisers and I endeavoured to the best of my ability to carry out these orders. I submit that my being called upon in three separate telegrams to give reasons for my subsequent action was unexpected."



Cape Horn: HMS Bristol and Glasgow arrive at Possession Bay and anchor near Carnarvon.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

December 5:

Your doing it again...I'll have a pint of whatever it is your drinking, surely not Dr Pepper

[Jimbuna]

6th January 1915

Western Front

French occupy woods north of Altkirch (Alsace).

Eastern Front

Russians occupy Kimpolung (Bukovina) and reach Hungarian frontier.

Naval

North Sea
BANYERS or The Banyers, Admiralty trawler, 448/1914, South Western Steam Fishing, Grimsby-reg GY128, hired 12/14 as minesweeper, Admiralty No.450, Lt Hubert Boothby RNR, sweeping. Mined in Scarborough field laid by German cruiser Kolberg between Fiely and Scarborough, sank “very quickly” off Cayton Bay, S of Scarborough (wi - in 54.15.07N, 00.15.24W); 2 ratings lost (He/wi - 6 crew), Skipper escaped through wheel-house window, 11 survivors rescued by other ships. Lt Boothby lost HMS Orianda less than a month before, was awarded the DSC and later wrote about his experiences in “Spunyarn”, published 1935.


Battleship HMAS AUSTRALIA sinks German steamer ELEONORE WOERMANN near Falkland Islands.
As the threat of a German naval attack had been removed by the destruction of the East Asia Squadron, Australia was free for deployment elsewhere. Initially, the battlecruiser was to serve as flagship of the West Indies Squadron, with the task of pursuing and destroying any German vessels that evaded North Sea blockades. Australia was ordered to sail to Jamaica via the Panama Canal, but as it was closed to heavy shipping, she was forced to sail down the coast of South America and pass through the Strait of Magellan during 31 December 1914 and 1 January 1915—Australia is the only ship of the RAN to cross from the Pacific to the Atlantic by sailing under South America. During the crossing, one of the warship's propellers was damaged, and she had to limp to the Falkland Islands at half speed. Temporary repairs were made, and Australia departed on 5 January. A vessel well clear of the usual shipping routes was spotted on the afternoon of the next day, and the battlecruiser attempted to pursue, but was hampered by the damaged propeller. Unable to close the gap before sunset, a warning shot was fired from 'A' turret, which caused the ship—the former German passenger liner, now naval auxiliary Eleonora Woermann—to stop and be captured. As Australia could not spare enough personnel to crew the merchant ship, and Eleonora Woermann was too slow to keep pace with the battlecruiser, the crew was taken aboard and the ship was sunk.



Political, etc.

Lord Kitchener reviews the military situation in the House of Lords.

Meeting is held at the home of U.S. Secretary of War Garrison by Congressmen to discuss strengthening the Army and Navy.

Ship Losses:

HMT The Banyers ( Royal Navy): The naval trawler struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off Scarborough, Yorkshire with the loss of six of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Your doing it again...I'll have a pint of whatever it is your drinking, surely not Dr Pepper

When you only get three or four hours of sleep on any given night, it starts to tell.

And so are you. It's "you're", not "your".