Day 8 of the Great War, August 4th 1914Newspaper: The Saskatoon Daily Star
Events hour by hour, Monday August 4th 1914
George V, diary, August 4th 1914: I held a Council at 10.45 to declare war with Germany. It is a terrible catastrophe but it is not our fault. An enormous crowd collected outside the Palace; we went on to the balcony both before and after dinner. When they heard that war had been declared, the excitement increased and May and I with David [the Prince of Wales], went on to the balcony; the cheering was terrific. Please God it may soon be over and that he will protect dear Bertie’s life [George VI, serving with the Royal Navy]. Bed at 12.00’
23.10 The King and Queen appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to the cheering crowds.
Photo: Buckingham Palace, on the evening of August 4th 1914
23.02 Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, sends a telegram to the Fleet: ‘COMMENCE HOSTILITIES AGAINST GERMANY’
23.00 As Big Ben strikes 11 in London, no reply has been received to the British ultimatum.
BRITAIN IS AT WAR WITH GERMANY
22.50 Young Harold Nicolson is told by Lichnowsky's footman that the ambassador has gone to bed. Nicolson is insistent he must see him and the butler allows him up to his bedroom.
The original envelope is half-open on a table; Lichnowsky, who is in bed, does not appear to have read it. Nicolson explains that an incorrect document was sent and that he is the bearer of the correct version, a declaration of war for which Lichnowsky must sign.
22.45 King George V and the Privy Council meet at Buckingham Palace to authorise a declaration of war.
22.25 The Admiralty's mistake now having been made clear, the documents sent to Lichnowsky must be retrieved. Young Harold Nicolson, son of Sir Arthur Nicolson, permanent under-secretary of state at the Foreign Office (and later the husband of Vita Sackville-West and a notable diplomat and diarist in his own right), is sent to Lichnowsky's residence.
22.15 Now a telegram arrives from ambassador Goschen in Berlin saying that the Germany premier has telephoned to say he will not be responding to the ultimatum. The wireless message intercepted by the Admiralty had been intended simply to warn German shipping that war was likely to be declared. Bethmann-Hollweg’s response means, after all, that war will be declared when the British deadline elapses, at midnight European time, 11pm in London.
22.00 Rumours are flying and the next day's Daily Telegraph is prey to some of them:
Newspaper: The Daily Telegraph
21.45 A messenger brings news from the Admiralty, where a German wireless message has been intercepted suggesting that Germany has declared war. A young Foreign Office staffer, Lancelot Oliphant, is hastily dispatched to the residence of Prince Lichnowsky, the German ambassador, carrying his passports and an acknowledgement of the declaration of war.
21.30 Almost simultaneously, the British embassy in Berlin and the German embassy in London are attacked. In Berlin, the embassy has its windows broken by a mob that has gathered outside and is throwing stones. Mounted police clear them away. In London, there is 'groaning and hissing', as well as stone-throwing.
Newspaper: The Daily Telegraph
21.05 A telegram sent from Berlin to the German embassy in London has been intercepted. It relays the news that Goschen, the British ambassador, has asked for his passports.
PM Asquith is in the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street with a small group of senior ministers, including his foreign secretary Grey and Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty. They are passed the telegram. Does this mean that Germany is settling for war?
20.40 It is a warm evening and Margot Asquith, sitting in 10 Downing Street with her husband, has the windows open wide. Drifting across St James's Park come the sounds of thousands of people who have gathered outside Buckingham Palace.
20.10 German troops have been advancing towards Liège throughout the day. By nightfall, General von Emmich’s forces have reached the Meuse at Visé. Accounts of the fighting reach The Daily Telegraph offices in fits and starts.
Newspaper: The Daily Telegraph
19.35 (CET) The Chancellor’s rant at Britain's man in Berlin lasts 20 minutes. He was ‘so excited, so evidently overcome by the news of our action, and so little disposed to hear reason that I refrained from adding fuel to the flame by further argument’, says Goschen. Emotions are running high on both sides; Goschen has to compose himself in an ante-room before others see him.
19.10 Goschen’s dealings with von Jagow done, he asks to see Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg, and is taken to the chancellery building next door to the foreign ministry.
Bethmann-Hollweg vents his rage at Goschen. Why, he asks, is Britain going to war against a ‘kindred nation’? It is like ‘striking a man from behind while he is fighting for his life against two assailants ... and all for just a word – neutrality – just for a scrap of paper’.
19.00 (CET) Sir Edward Goschen, British ambassador in Berlin, visits Gottlieb von Jagow, German foreign minister, and repeats his earlier request, that Germany ‘refrain from violating Belgian neutrality’.
'Herr von Jagow replied that to his great regret he could give no other answer than that which he had given me earlier in the day, namely, that the safety of the Empire rendered it absolutely necessary that the Imperial troops should advance through Belgium ... I asked him whether, in view of the terrible consequences which would necessarily ensue, it were not possible even at the last moment that their answer should be reconsidered. He replied that if the time given were even 24 hours or more, his answer must be the same. I said that in that case I should have to demand my passports.’
18.50 Some Belgian troops take the opportunity to obscure road-signs in a bid to put the invading Germans off the scent.
18.35 Uniformed men, including these fusiliers, are a visible presence at London's stations as Britain mobilises its army and reservists
18.15 Paul Cambon, the French ambassador in London, has been to see Sir Edward Grey, the foreign secretary. He now knows Britain will support France and asks Grey “How will you fight the war? Will you send your Expeditionary Force?”
Grey replies: “No ... We shall blockade the German ports. We have not yet considered sending a military force to the Continent”.
Cambon says public opinion will force Britain to intervene on the Continent and to be effective intervention must be immediate.
17.50 The King has sent a telegram to Australia, Canada and the other dominions thanking them for their support in the past few days. If Britain goes to war, they will be coming too.
17.25 Volunteers and reservists are already swarming to the Central London Recruiting Depot after Asquith's announcement
Newspaper: The Daily Telegraph
17.10 Crowds gather to hear the King's proclamation calling up the reserves outside the Royal Exchange in the City.
16.55 Telegrams warning embassies and consulates around the world that Britain is about to go to war have been ready for several years. Now, Foreign Office clerks begin filling the space reserved for the enemy's name with the word ‘Germany’.
16.25 Before the House adjourns, a payment of £105 million for national services out of the Consolidated Fund is approved.
16.20 Asquith has finished his speech. He hands the Speaker a message signed by the King, and it is read to the House. It is a proclamation announcing that all army reserves are being called out 'on permanent service'.
Newspaper: The Daily Telegraph
16.05 The Prime Minister now tells MPs about Grey's communications with Belgium and Germany earlier in the day, which have culminated in the handing over of an ultimatum, expiring at midnight tonight.
Newspaper: The Daily Telegraph
15.50 Asquith is telling the House about the Belgian King's request for assistance and the ultimatum received from the Germans.
Newspaper: The Daily Telegraph
15.45 Asquith begins his statement to the Commons, which is 'as still as the grave', according to The Daily Telegraph report. 'The only sounds heard were the calm, level voice of Mr Asquith and the rustle of the papers from which he read'. He is watched by his wife Margot, who is sitting in the Speaker's Gallery.
Meanwhile, crowds are beginning to gather outside the House of Commons waiting for news of the declaration.
15.30 (CET) As he closes, the Chancellor repeats his assurance that if Britain remains neutral, Germany will not attack the northern coast of France nor French commercial shipping.
After his speech, the Reichstag votes for a war credit of 5 billion marks.
15.20 (CET) The German Chancellor goes on to remind his audience that the situation escalated when Russia mobilised her forces directed against Austria, while Austria had only mobilised part of hers against Serbia.
Germany had continued to attempt to mediate but Russia then mobilised all of her forces and France began making preparations to do the same.
‘Were we now to wait further in patience until the nations on either side of us chose the moment for their attack? It would have been a crime to expose Germany to such peril,' says Bethmann-Hollweg.
15.15 (CET) Bethmann-Hollweg continues his speech to the Reichstag: ‘The day has now come when we must draw [our sword], against our wish, and in spite of our sincere endeavours. Russia has set fire to the building. We are at war with Russia and France – a war that has been forced upon us.’
15.10 (CET) In Paris, Viviani is followed by Jean-Baptiste Bienvenu-Martin, the Minister of Justice, who reads a speech by President Raymond Poincaré, saying that France has been subject to ‘a violent and premeditated attack'.
‘[France] will be heroically defended by all her sons. Nothing will break their sacred union before the enemy. Today they are joined together as brothers in a common indignation against the aggressor and in a common patriotic faith.’
15.00 (CET) Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg has not received the British ultimatum from Britain's man in Berlin when he rises to address the Reichstag. He begins with a step-by-step account of how he believes Germany has been forced into war against her will:
14.55 Grey meets the US ambassador in London, Walter Hines Page, who hears a ‘touch of finality in his voice’. Britain’s ultimatum has still not been presented but Grey believes that if Belgium is not defended then Holland will be next, then Denmark, because the ‘war party’ in Germany now has the upper hand. ‘I feel like a man who has wasted his life,’ Grey tells the ambassador.
14.50 (CET) In Paris, Viviani is speaking to a joint session of the Senate and Chamber. To cheers, he announces that Italy is remaining neutral, thus relieving pressure on France’s southern frontier.
14.45 Grey's statement the previous day had laid the ground for Asquith. MPs could be in no doubt that Britain's place in the world was at stake, whatever she decided to do.
14.30 MPs are gathering in the House of Commons. David Lloyd George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, is to make a statement about the maintenance of trade and insurance against war risks, then it will be Asquith’s turn to take to the box.
14.00 Sir Edward Grey tells Goschen, Britain’s ambassador in Berlin, to repeat the request to Germany that Belgium’s neutrality be respected. A reply is required by midnight Central European time, 11pm in London.
Should no assurance be received, Goschen is to ask for his passports and tell Germany: ‘His Majesty’s Government feels bound to take all steps in their power to uphold the neutrality of Belgium and the observance of a Treaty to which Germany is as much a party as ourselves’.
What was a request in the morning has now become an ultimatum.
13.50 The Daily Telegraph’s correspondent in Brussels reports that emotions are running high in Belgium. Men of all ages are ‘literally fighting to enlist and get rifles. There is wild patriotic enthusiasm and no sign of fear.' The King is said to be setting off for the front.
3.40 (CET) Von Jagow in Berlin receives a telegram from German ambassador Lichnowsky in London. Lichnowsky explains that he had misunderstood the tenor of Grey’s rousing speech to the House of Commons the day before. He now believes that Germany can no longer rely on Britain remaining neutral.
13.15 Matters must come to a head this afternoon. In Paris, French premier René Viviani is preparing to address a joint session of the Senate and Chamber. In Berlin, chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg will speak to the Reichstag. And in London, MPs are eagerly anticipating the day’s sitting in the Commons, where Herbert Asquith, the Prime Minister, will make a statement.
12.45pm In Paris, mobilisation is in full swing. Reservists are swarming around the Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est and the streets are full of regular soldiers, in their distinctive red trousers and 19th century pattern greatcoats over blue tunics.
Photo: French soldiers gather on the streets of Paris
12.20pm Foreign secretary Grey has received the German foreign minister von Jagow's assurance that Germany will not annex Belgian territory, which was sent to ambassador Lichnowsky in London at 10am. Grey now sends a second telegram to Britain's man in Brussels, altering the wording of his offer of 10.45am - the words ‘an alliance’ are replaced by ’common cause’.
12pm (CET) King Albert of Belgium calls on France and Britain to help his country.
11.45am Food prices are rising in London. At Covent Garden market, potatoes were £3-£4 a ton last week but are £4-£5 this week. Dutch onions have risen from 5s-6s a hundredweight bag to 9s-10s. The Government assures the country that supplies of meat and wheat are sufficient for several months but fish supplies will inevitably tumble if there is a naval war - Billingsgate market normally takes 300 to 500 tons of fish daily.
11am In Britain, the Stock Exchange is closed as the country rapidly moves to a war footing.
10.45 Grey sends a message to Sir Francis Villiers, Britain's minister in Brussels. Belgium must remain stout in defence of its neutrality. Britain will support her and is prepared to join France and Russia in an alliance to resist German force.
10.25 The previous day, four members of the Cabinet had warned of their resignations over the possibility of war. Now, on hearing of the German invasion of Belgium, John Simon, the Attorney-General, and Earl Beauchamp, Commissioner of Works (later said to be the inspiration for Lord Marchmain in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited) announce they will attend the morning Cabinet meeting.
10.00 (CET) Von Jagow, the German foreign minister, sends a telegram to Prince Lichnowsky, German ambassador in London, who is agonising over the prospect of going to war against his British friends. Lichnowsky is authorised to assure Britain that Germany will not annex Belgian territory. The reason for entering Belgium, it is claimed, is that Germany has reliable information that France is planning to attack Germany through Belgium.
09.30 Sir Edward Grey sends a message to Sir Edward Goschen, Britain's ambassador in Berlin, where he has served for six years. Britain asks Germany for ‘an assurance that the demand made upon Belgium will not be proceeded with, and that her neutrality will be respected by Germany’.
Britain is 'bound to protest against this violation of a treaty [the Treaty of London of 1839] to which Germany is a party in common with themselves, and must request an assurance that the demand made upon Belgium will not be proceeded with, and that her neutrality will be respected by Germany'. At this stage it is a request rather than an ultimatum.
09.20 (CET) Gottlieb von Jagow, Germany's foreign minister, sends a telegram to von Below at the German legation in Brussels. He is still offering peace if Belgium allows German troops to pass through Liège and if the Belgians do not destroy their railway lines and bridges.
09.10 (CET) Belgian King Albert I rides on horseback to the parliament in Brussels, accompanied by his family in a horse-drawn carriage. Cheering crowds line the route. The monarch asks the deputies if they are resolved to defend Belgium: Are they ‘unalterably decided to maintain intact the sacred gift of our forefathers?’ 'Yes!' is the answer roared back at him.
09.00 (CET) Antoine Adolphe Fonck, aged 21, a lancer in the 2nd Lancers, becomes the first Belgian to fall in combat. He dies close to Battice as the Germans advance from the border towards Liège.
08.45 Front page of Brussels newspaper Le Soir reports the violation of Belgium's neutrality on the morning of August 4 1914.
Newspaper: Le Soir
08.20 (CET) General Otto von Emmich leads the assault on Liège via Gemmerich with six infantry brigades and three cavalry divisions.
08.00 (CET) It is confirmed in Brussels that German troops have entered Belgian territory. Germans have crossed the Belgian frontier at Gemmerich, 30 miles from the fortress of Liège.
07.30 The morning papers are enthusiastic about Grey’s speech the day before.
‘Britain will not allow Germany’s fleet to batter France’s undefended coast ... The thoughts of all Britishers went out to sea yesterday, for with the statement of Sir Edward Grey in Parliament, the safety and sanctity of the Empire may easily again depend upon the Navy which has given us such heroic a history,’ says the Daily Mirror
The Daily Mail declares that ‘Proceedings in the House of Commons yesterday were worthy of a tremendous occasion. They will fill the nation with fresh courage and confidence.
The Manchester Guardian takes a different line, still hoping for British neutrality: ‘Europe in arms watches Great Britain. Italy has asserted her freedom to keep the peace, will England follow the good example?’
The leader column in The Daily Telegraph shows no such hesitation:
‘Today we say with calm conviction, and with as full a consciousness as one can have of what this conflict must involve, that anything would be better for this country – anything! – than to slink away like a frightened cur from the menace of the Prussian jackboot, and risk the imposition upon Europe, of which we are a part, of the absolute dominance of a Power which can act as Germany has acted in this crisis.’
07.00 In London, The Daily Telegraph carries several pages about the crisis and a full transcript of Sir Edward Grey’s speech. But elsewhere the impression is given of a normal day in London.
The Commons and the Lords will sit as normal; a number of companies are meeting; and the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies is to convene at Kingsway Hall, Holborn, 8pm.
06.00 (CET) Germany informs the Belgian government that its troops will be entering Belgian territory. Walter von Below-Saleske, of the German Legation, makes his last visit to the Foreign Office in Brussels. Because Belgium has rejected its ‘well intentioned proposals’, he says, Germany must now attend to its own security, ‘if necessary by force of arms’.
The GOEBEN affair, Part 2
On the morning of August 4th Souchon took his two ships and bombarded the French ports of Bône and Philippeville, and then headed east again. At 10:30 A.M. the two British battlecruisers, under the command of Captain Francis Kennedy, encountered the Germans fifty miles west of Galita Island. The two forces sailed right by each other, neither side willing to open fire because they were not technically at war. The British ships then turned around and began following the Germans. At 2:00 P.M. Captain Kennedy heard of the ultimatum, and apparently Admiral Souchon also got the word because he soon after took his ships to full speed in an attempt to escape the British. The British battlecruisers had been on station for quite some time, and due to fouled bottoms were not able to match the Germans' speed, and finally lost contact at 7:37 P.M. Meanwhile Milne recieved orders to respect Italian neutrality and not to come within six miles of the Italian coast.
Souchon put into Messina to recoal, and was told by the Italians he had twenty-four hours to get the job done and leave.
Admiral John Jellicoe is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, which promptly sails on a sweep of the North Sea.
By late September although there were still some elements that wanted to keep Turkey neutral the pro-CP elements were definitely gaining in prominence. Also by this time, while the Germans were stalling in France and being driven back from Paris they had still gained control of most of Belgium and a large chunk of France including its core industrial region and has also defeated the Russians in the east so their position was looking good. Then the German crew of the Goeben basically decided the issue.