Timeline for WW1 and the Accrington Pals

Date Accrington Pals First World War June 1914 28th: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. July 1914 28th: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia Aug 1914 1st: Germany declares war on Russia. 3rd: Germany declares war on France. 4th: Germany invades Belgium. Great Britain declares war on Germany. 7th: Kitchener appeals for 80,000 volunteers. 23rd: Battle of Mons. 26th: Battle of le Cateau. Sept 1914 7th: War Office accepts offer by 6th-9th: Battle of the Marne. Mayor of Accrington, Capt. John 28th: Battle of the Aisne. Trench warfare begins. Harwood, to raise a full battalion from Accrington and district. 14th: Enlistment begins. 24th: Enlistment complete. Oct 1914 10th (to 11th Nov): First Battle of Ypres. Nov 1914 5th: Great Britain declares war on Turkey. Dec 1914 8th: Recruitment of reserve company begins. 10th: Battalion officially designated as 11th (Accrington) Service Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment. Feb 1915 21st: Farewell service at St. John's Church, Accrington. 23rd: Battalion leaves Accrington for Caernarvon. Mar 1915 1st: Lt.-Col. A. W. Rickman takes 10th-13th: Battle of Neuve Chapelle. command. Apr 1915 22nd (to 25th May): Second Battle of Ypres. First use of poison gas. 25th: British and ANZAC troops land at Gallipoli. May 1915 13th: Battalion leaves Caernarvon for 9th (to 16th Jun): First French Offensive in Artois. Penkridge Bank Camp. Joins Sheffield 15th-25th: Battle of Festubert. Battle of Aubers Ridge. City Battalion and 1st and 2nd Barnsley Pals to form 94th Infantry Brigade, 31st Division. Jul 1915 30th: Battalion leaves Penkridge for Ripon. Aug 1915 20th: Allied troops land at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli. Sep 1915 24th: Battalion leaves Ripon for 25th (to 15th Oct): Second French Offensive in Artois. Hurdcott Camp, Salisbury. 25th: (to 8th Oct): Battle of Loos. Dec 1915 19th: Battalion embarks at 20th: Start of withdrawal from Gallipoli. Devonport. Jan 1916 5th: Battalion disembarks at Port 8th: Withdrawal from Gallipoli complete. Said, Egypt. Suez Canal defence duties at El Ferdan and El Kantara till March. Mar 1916 2nd: Battalion embarks at Port Said. 9th: Battalion disembarks at Marseilles, France. Apr 1916 28th (to 6th May): In line in front of 29th: British-Indian forces surrender at Kutd. Serre. May 1916 20th-30th: In line. Jun 1916 5th-13th: Training at Gezaincourt. 1st: Battle of Jutland. 19th-23rd: In line. 4th: Start of Brusilov offensive. 5th: Kitchener drowned. Jul 1916 1st: Attack on Serre (Battle of the 1st: Opening day of the Battle of the Somme. Somme). 9th: Battalion moves to Calonne-sur- 11th: Falkenhayn orders halt to German Offensive at la-Lys for re-15th: Battalion moves to Verdun. Neuve Chapelle (there to 11th Sep).fitting and re-organising. Sep 1916 16th (to 5th Oct): At Festubert. Oct 1916 15th: Battalion returns to line in front French Offensive at Verdun. of Serre. Nov 1916 17th: Trench Raid. 13th: Battle of the Somme brought to a close. Dec 1916 Battle of Verdun draws to a close. Jan 1917 10th-12th: Battalion moves to Doullens area for rest & training. 18th: Battalion moves to Merville area for training (to 8th Apr). Mar 1917 6th-9th: In line east of Puisieux. 11th: British occupy Baghdad. 12th: Start of first Russian Revolution. Apr 1917 29th: Battalion moves to Arras area. 6th: US declares war on Germany. 9th-14th: First Battle of the Scarpe (Arras). Capture of Vimy Ridge. 16th-20th: Nivelle Offensive on Aisne. 23rd-24th: Second Battle of the Scarpe (Arras). May 1917 14th to 17th: Actions near Oppy 3rd: Start of Third Battle of the Scarpe (Arras). (Arras). 27th: Mutiny of French troops along the Chemin des 8th-11th: In line. Dames. Jun 1917 10th- (Arras).19th: In line. 7th: Capture of Messines Ridge. 28th: Successful attack at Oppy- Gavrelle. Jul 1917 Training and re-fitting. 31st: Opening day of Third Battle of Ypres. Aug 1917 Trench warfare in Acheville sector (Arras). Sep 1917 Strengthening Vimy Ridge defences (through Nov). 17th: Battalion bombarded with mustard gas shells. Oct 1917 23rd: French victory on the Aisne. Nov 1917 7th: Bolshevik Revolution. 10th: Third Battle of Ypres brought to a close. 20th: Start of Battle of Cambrai. Dec 1917 Battalion working on improving 11th: Allenby enters Jerusalem. defences (through Jan 1918). Feb 1918 Battalion transferred to 92nd Infantry Brigade, 31st Division. Mar 1918 Training in St. Pol area. 3rd: Russo-German peace treaty signed at Brest-Litovsk. 27th: Defensive action at Ayette. 21st (to 5th Apr): German Michael Offensive(First Battle 2/Lt. Horsfall earns Victoria Cross. of the Somme 1918). Apr 1918 Battalion withdrawn to St. Pol area. 9th to 29th: German Georgette Offensive (Battle of the 11th-13th: Defensive actions near Lys). Vieux Berquin (Battle of the Lys). May 1918 9th-24th: In Méteren sector 27th (to 6th Jun): German Blücher-Yorck Offensive (Battle (Bailleul). of the Aisne 1918). Jun 1918 21st: Battalion moves to Aval Wood 9th to 14th: German Gneisnau Offensive (Battle of the (Nieppe Forest). Matz). 28th: Successful attack at La Becque. Jul 1918 In Vieux Berquin-la Motte sector 15th to 17th: German Marne-Rheims Offensive. (Nieppe Forest) (to 19th Aug). Aug 1918 8th: Opening day of the Battle of Amiens, the "black day of the German Army in the war." 21st-29th: Battle of Albert. 26th (to 3rd Sep): Second Battle of Arras Sep 1918 5th: Attack at the River Warnave. 12th: US offensive at St. Mihiel Salient. 13th: Battalion withdrawn to 19th: Start of Allenby offensive in Palestine. Divisional Reserve. 26th: US-French offensive on 24th: Battalion moves to Nieuwkerke Meuse-Argonne front. (Neuve Eglise). 28th: British-Belgian offensive at Ypres. 28th: Successful attack at Ploegsteert 29th: British break through Hindenburg Line. Wood. Oct 1918 16th: River Lys crossed south of 6th-12th: Second Battle of le Cateau Deulemont. 30th: Turkey capitulates. 18th: Tourcoing entered. Nov 1918 9th: River Schelde crossed at 1st-11th: Battle of the Sambre. 11th: Armistice signed by Avelgem. Germany. 11th:Battalion east of Goeferdinge (near Geraardsbergen). Feb 1919 7th: King's Colours presented to Battalion at St. Omer.