My diary of the Great War

5–12 September 1914

First Battle of the Marne

MY DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR

Oct. 26 — The battle of the Vistula has been just as decisively in favor of the Russians as the battle of the Marne was in favor of the allies. The Czar’s soldiers deserve great credit for their tremendous victory, which promises soon to have a marked infiuence on the whole trend of the war. The whole Austro-Gei’man front is retiring. The battle was won a week ago, and still the Russians are keeping the Kaiser’s pets on the run. Be¬ fore the end of November the invasion of Germany may have begun in earnest.

THE YEAR NINETEEN-FIFTEEN

It never should have been printed, even if true. The efforts of allied diplomacy are being balked at every turn by the monstrous utterances of excitable editors who profess to be the only Simon-pure patriots in the United Kingdom. Not one of the last six weeks that the allies have spent in trying to convince the Balkan na¬ tions of their military strength has passed without an alarming declaration of allied weakness by the suppos¬ edly responsible British journals. Ever since the battle of the Marne the allies have grown stronger in the face of severe reverses and the enemy has grown weaker, notwithstanding brilliant success in the field. We may bank on it that Roumania will not act against us this year. If the fortunes of the allies depend solely or main¬ ly on the unfortunate little Serbian army, they are in a bad way indeed. The very nature of the enemy’s Balkan campaign is defensive. It was imposed on the enemy by the impending collapse of the Turk, the main prop of the central empires.

MY DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR

The odds are that the battle of the Marne would not have been won but for the aid of a hundred thousand British troops that fought several times their numbers.

MY DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR

Dee. 13 — A pertinent question is whether it is in the power of the allies to exact much better terms than those now offered by the enemy. The Washington Post holds the opinion that the war will continue for at least three or four years longer. The New York Tribune says that “the German triumph at Bucharest must be regarded as only second to the battle of the Marne in meaning. The Marne abolished vain German hopes; the fall of Bucharest must put a term to equally colossal allied ex¬ pectations. We are marching toward a draw, but a real draw; not a draw which would follow a peace now, a draw based upon the map of Europe, but upon the map of Europe of July, 1914, not of December, 1916.” The Milwaukee Sentinel scoffs at an utterance made some time ago by Lloyd George that the allies would ‘ ‘ fight to a knockout.” We must recognize that no one can posi¬ tively predict the outcome of the struggle. Austria- Hungary no longer has the men to hold her extended front in eastern Europe. In July, Germany had 60,000

11 November – 6 December 1914

Battle of Łódź (1914)

MY DIAEY OF THE GREAT WAR

Nov. 21 — The Germans have staked a great deal on success in the battle between Lodz and Flock, for a de¬ feat would open the way to Breslau and leave a con¬ siderable part of Silesia almost defenceless. The tide has ebbed and flowed strongly over the eastern arena, and the battle line never has had the opportunity to become rigid as in France and Belgium.

MY DIAEY OF THE GREAT WAR

Dec. 9 — Notwithstanding the capture of Lodz by the Germans, the situation in the eastern arena is satisfac¬ tory. The Russians found that the enemy, with troops taken from Belgium, was threateziing to turn their left flank south of Cracow. The death of General the Hon. Christian Frederick Beyers, who until September was Commander-in-Chief of the militia of the South African Union, removes the greatest menace to British rule in that part of the world.

1 July – 18 November 1916

Battle of the Somme

THE YEAR NINETEEN-SIXTEEN

July 4 — The French have advanced an average of a mile a day in the first three days of the Somme drive, and are fully half way to Peronne. The news from the west¬ ern front is so good that there is no excuse for exaggera¬ tion. Despatches from sources that have not yet inti¬ mated that the British lost half their gains— being driven back nearly to their old positions along the northern seven miles of the front attacked — say that the British

MY DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR

July 21 — The work of saving Verdun goes on satis¬ factorily. Frederick Palmer, who is at the front in the Somme region, speaks of German troops and possibly German guns arriving from the Verdun front, which, if true, shows that the Somme offensive is accomplishing one of its principal objects.

THE YEAK NINETEEN-SIXTEEN

July 26 — The Russians have captured the valuable military base of Erzingan in Turkish Armenia, the head¬ quarters in times of peace of the 4th Army Corps. Berlin is convinced that one-half of all the available British divisions outside of the British Isles already have been used in the Somme offensive. On Thursday, it is said, 220,000 British troops engaged in a vain assault. Un¬ official estimates put the total number of combatants in the Somme region at a million and a half, but this is probably twice the real figure.

MY DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR

Sept. 12 — The first Canadian division went into action at the Somme on Friday last. The fourth Canadian divi¬ sion is being initiated in the mysteries of trench warfare somewhere south of Ypres in the vicinity of Ploegstreet, where the second and third divisions had their baptism of fire.

24 October – 19 November 1917

Battle of Caporetto

MY DIARY OP THE GREAT WAR

May 25— The invasion of Austria by Italy has begun. Italian cavalry have crossed the Isonzo River at some points.

THE YEAR NINETEEN-FIFTEEN

June 10 — The capture of Monfalcone shows that the Italians have pressed five miles beyond the lower Isonzo.

MY DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR

May 18 — The Austrians have made further advances from the Trentino in a southeasterly direction towards the rear of the Italian armies on the Isonzo front.

THE YEAR NINETEEN-SIXTEEN

Oct. 12 — Attacking the Austrian lines on the Isonzo south of Gorz along a ten mile front, the Italians have made important gains at two points and taken nearly six thousand prisoners. Greece now has two governments, the provisional or revolutionary government, established by Venizelos, and the government foisted on the people by King Constantine. Probably a third of the nation, including many officers in the army and navy, and the bulk of the reservists who became devoted to the King during the last Balkan campaign, are against the allies, who have to be constantly on guard against possible hos¬ tile acts.

20 November – 7 December 1917

Battle of Cambrai (1917)

MY DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR

This record of The Great War is dedicated to the memory of Richard Henry Hocken, Lieutenant, who laid down his life for The Cause, on October 10, 1918, north-east of Cambrai.

THE YEAR NINETEEN-FOURTEEN

Aug. 28 — With German soldiers little more than a hundred miles from Paris on the northeast, and no im¬ portant fortifications barring the way, the situation in France looks' serious. It is to be feared that the allied line along the whole front has been withdrawn a dis¬ tance of about 25 miles, and that it now extends from Toul to Verdun, to Sedan, to Mezieres, to Hirson, to Le Gateau, to Cambrai, to Arras. Premier Asquith inti¬ mated in the Commons to-day that the British- who possibly number 150,000 men, were attacked on Wed¬ nesday near Cambrai by five army corps and cavalry, which probably means about 250,000 men.

THE YEAR NINETEEN-SEVENTEEN

Feb. 27 — The tremendously significant retirement of the Germans from the Bapaume salient continues. The correspondents at the front supply strong evidence that the important town of Bapaume is about to be surrend¬ ered, and they even hint that the enemy is withdrawing to Cambrai. Were this true, one of the greatest develop¬ ments of the war would be under way, for the enemy could not take up the suggested Arras-Cambrai line with¬ out surrendering his long-cherished positions in the Oise- Aisne elbow, including Roye, Lassigny, Noyon, Ham, and Chauny. Peronne would have to be given up. The writer does not see sufficient evidence to warrant the belief that the Germans are withdrawing to the Meuse River line. Germany will be at the last gasp when that occurs.

CANADA’S PART IN THE WAR

1918 — Second battle of Somme (March and April) ; battle of Amiens (12th August) ; capture of Monchy le Preux (26th-28th August) ; breaking of Queant-Droeourt line (3rd and 4th September) ; crossing of Canal du Nord and Bourlon Wood (27-29th September) ; encirclement and capture of Cambrai (lst-9th October) ; capture of Douai (19th October) ; capture of Denain (20th Octo¬ ber) ; encirclement and capture of Valenciennes (25th Oetober-2nd November) ; advance and capture of Mons (7th-llth November).

15–23 June 1918

Second Battle of the Piave River

THE YEAR NINETEEN-SEVENTEEN 117

Nov. 12 — In the days to come we are sure to hear much about .Mount Grappa on the south of the Piave bend. The British and French troops, if they arrive on the middle Piave front in time to participate in the defence of the Piave line, are likely to fight on the front immedi¬ ately southeast of Mount Grappa.

THE YEAR NINETEEN-SEVENTEEN 119

Nov. 19 — The length of the war depends on the result of this week’s fighting on the Piave line. For a week the Italians have stayed their retreat. They have organized formidable defences, restored order and courage among demoralized troops, improved their supply services and been reinforced by many thousands of British and French troops and large masses of artillery. Allied infantry from the western front has not yet been in action, but British and French cannon have taken part in the artil¬ lery duels over the river. The Italian army is fighting with splendid gallantry. The capture of Jaffa or Joppa without resistance by the Turks indicates that the fieeing Ottoman troops are in no condition to fight. It may be that the announcement of the capture of Hebron will come almost simultaneously with the news that Bethle¬ hem and Jerusalem are in the hands of the armies of a Christian nation. The death of General Maude in Mesopo¬ tamia will not affect the British campaign against the Turks in that arena.

THE YEAR NINETEEN-SEVENTEEN 121

P)ec. 10 — For the first time in 673 years the city of Jerusalem is in the hands of a Christian people. This success by the British following upon the capture of Beersheba, Gaza, Jaffa and Hebron on the Palestine front and the capture of Kut-el-Amara, Bagdad and Tekrit on the Mesopotamian front will have a pronounced moral effect on all the Christian and Mohammedan people of the world and hasten the end of Turkish military resist¬ ance. Large British forces have taken over the Italian battle-front on the upper Piave to the north of Treviso. The beginning of military operations by the French and British on the Italian front was signalized by the greatest aerial offensive yet recorded in the war. No less than 150 aeroplanes of all sizes took part in this terrible on¬ slaught. More than two thousand bombs were dropped, probably twice as many as on any previous occasion in the world’s history.

MY DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR

the Piave River from the Adriatic. n j ■