AUGUST 4, 1914

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 209, 4 August 1937, Page 2

AUGUST 4, 1914

BRITAIN’S ENTRY INTO THE WAR. TO-DAY’S ANNIVERSARY.. To-day is the 23rd anniversary of Great Britain’s entry into the Great War —a war for which more than 42,000,000 men were mobilised, and which resulted in 5,125,000 lives being lost, and in more than 22,000,000 casualties. The Empire’s contribution was in keeping with her great tradition. Nearly a million out of the 8.900,000 mobilised troops were killed or died of wounds or sickness, the total casualties numbering 3,190,000. The assassination at Serajevo of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on June 28, 1914, was the first of a series of related events which preceded the British declaration of war. The day following the assassination, the secretary of the Austro-Hungarian Legation at Belgrade sent a despatch to his Government. suggesting Serbian complicity in the outrage. Within a week the German Council of Ministers held' a meeting at Potsdam to discuss the situation, and on July 7 the AustroHungarian Council of Ministers, including the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, the Chief of the General Staff, and the Naval Commander-in-Chief held a meeting that lasted all day. It was apparent, from these meetings, that the Central Powers had determined upon some stern action. Count Tisza announced in the Hungarian Chamber on July 15 that certain matters concerning relations with Serbia “must be cleared up,” and five days later it became evident that AustroHungary was making military preparation along the Serbian frontier. The following day the French Ambassador at Berlin informed his Government that Germany had taken the first steps towards mobilising her military forces.

Despite the efforts of various Governments to prevent a crisis, and their offer to give Austria any reasonable satisfaction, the latter appeared determined upon miltarv punishment of Serbia, and on July 23 served the now famous ultimatum, attached to which was a demand for a favourable reply within 48 hours. Acting upon the advice of Russia, Serbia accepted all of Austria’s demands except two. which she requested should be referred to the Hague Tribunal. However, Austria and Germany were bent upon the humiliation of Russia or war, and Austria, . rejectng Serbia’s reservations, opened hostilities. Russia, still conciliatory, announced that she could not remain indifferent to the fate of Serbia, and would mobilise on the Austrian frontier if Austrian troops crossed the Serbian frontier. Russia was officially informed by Germany that partial Russian mobilisation must be followed by war with Germany. The last chance of peace occurred on July 30 when Russia proposed to Germany that mobilisation should cease, provided Austria eliminated the clauses in the ultimatum that were damaging Serbian Sovereignty. Amstria refused to alter the Note. The British Foreign Secretary (Sir Fidward Grey) went to the farthest possible limit in an endeavour to persuado Germany to assist in composing matters between Austria and Serbia. He asked France and Germany whether, in the event of war, they would respect the neutrality of Belgium. Franco promptly replied in the affiimative, hut Germany refused to re rb'- , , , On August 1 Germany declared war on Russia. On the following day her troops entered France at four points, and that evening she informed Belgium that her troops must violate Belgian territory in order to “anticipate” a F’rench attack in Belgium, at the same time demanding an assurance within 12 hours that Belgium would remain passive. The German demand was rejected, and the King of the Belgians, on August 3, appealed to King George for diplomatic intervention to safeguard Belgian inDespite British protests against the violation of the treaty, Germany declared war on Belgium. The Chancellor in a speech in the Reichstag, acknowledged that Germany was doing wrong. “The wrong that we now do”” he said, “we will try to make good again as soon as our military ends have been reached.” Meanwhile Sir Edward Grey had announced in the Commons that an assurance had been given France that the British fleet would stop the German fleet it the latter attacked French shipping in the Channel. After the Bntsh ultimatum with regard to Belgium neutrality had been rejected, the German Chancellor deprecated going to war “for the sake of neutrality—for a scrap of paper.” At 11 p.m. on August 4, Britain declared that a state of war existed between herself and Germany.