Kizzia Mildmay

A look at the major events of the conflict during April 2016

Saturday 1^st
British forces on the River Tigris renew their attempts to break Turkish lines and relieve the besieged garrison at Kut-al-Amara.

Sunday 2^nd
More than 100 men and boys die in an explosion at the Explosives Loading Company munitions factory in Faversham, Kent as a store of TNT and ammonium nitrate blows up.

Further pictures and details can be found here: http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=5923.15

Monday 3^rd
The Greek Government refuse to allow an overland route for Serbian troops from Corfu to Salonika.

Tuesday 4^th
Russian General Aleksei Brusilov replaces General Nikolay Iudovich Ivanov as commander of the Southern Front.

Wednesday 5^th
Allies make a final attempt to relieve the garrison at Kut-al-Amara but despite initial success in Falahiya the Turks hold the garrison.

Thursday 6^th
German troops push forward toward Bethincourt and Hill 265 in the Battle of Verdun.

Friday 7^th
Russian foreces renew their offensive at Lake Naroch, with limited success

Saturday 8^th
French forces evacuate Bethincourt at Verdun.

http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2016/02/Bataille_de_Verdun_1916.jpg

Sunday 9^th
German forces launch a co-ordinated attack on both side of the Meuse and capture part of Le Mort Homme (which includes Hill 256 and Hill 296), northwest of Verdun.

Monday 10^th
In Paris the international Olympic Committee confirm that the Games will not be held until the War is over.

Tuesday 11^th
Portuguese troops occupy Kionga in German East Africa.

Friday 14^th
Aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service fly from Mudros and attack Constantinople and Adrianople.

Saturday 15^th
The Serbian Army land at Salonika (having sailed from Corfu).

Sunday 16^th
German forces bombard Hill 304 at Verdun.

Monday 17^th
British forces in German East Africa launch and attack on Kondoa Irangi.

http://40.media.tumblr.com/994860e3507fa39528e978f4c310c988/tumblr_o5qfp6S4tz1szkmvlo1_1280.jpg

Tuesday 18^th
Russian forces capture Trebizond on the Black Sea from Turkey with no opposition.

Wednesday 19^th
British forces capture Kondoa Irangi in German East Africa

Thursday 20^th
Russian troops arrive at Marseilles form the Far East to fight in France.

Friday 21^st
Irish revolutionary Roger Casement lands at Tralee Bay in County Kerry, Ireland from a German Submarine and is arrested by British authorities.*

The Declaration that was read out on the steps of Dublin’s General Post Office by Patrick Pearse (who had written most of it) http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/534af24ebdee0f5d5c91f09dce64db38fa73f5d4.gif

Tuesday 25^th
A German naval squadron bombard Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth on the east coast of Britain.

Wednesday 26^th
An agreement is signed in Berlin for the repatriation of sick and wounded British and German POWs to Switzerland.

British Gunboat Helga bombards the city of Dublin from the River Liffy and destroys Liberty Hall.*

Thursday 27^th
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Wimborne, proclaims martial law in Ireland.*

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c5/1906_Ivor_Guest.jpg/220px-1906_Ivor_Guest.jpg

Saturday 29^th

After nearly five months besieged, General Charles Townshend surrenders the garrison at Kut-Al-Amara to the Turks.

General Sir Charles Townshend http://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2014/05/19/20/Townshend.jpg

Sunday 30^th

The Lake Naroch offensive ends with German victory after the Russian attack peters out.

* The story of the Easter Risings in Ireland deserve their own post, which I have not had time to write. In an attempt to make amends, I recommend checking BBC iPlayer for several programmes and documentaries they broadcast on the subject over the centenary and also seeing if your local library can get hold of the following books for you to start your researches with:

• The Easter Rising: A Guide to Dublin in 1916 by Conor Kostick and Lorcan Collins
• The Rising, Ireland: Easter 1916 (Centenary Edition) by Fearghal McGarry
• Easter 1916 – The Irish Rebellion by Charles Townshend