World War One Timelines
Events of 1914
| Jun 28 | Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, are assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia. |
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| Jun 29 | Secretary of the Austro-Hungarian Legation at Belgrade sends despatch to Vienna accusing Serbian complicity in the assassination. |
| Jul 20 | Austria-Hungary sends troops to the Serbian frontier. |
| Jul 25 | Serbia orders mobilisation of troops. |
| Russia arranges for troops to be stationed on Russo-Austrian frontier. | |
| Jul 28 | Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. |
| Jul 29 | Great Britain warns Germany that it cannot remain neutral. |
| Austrians bombard Serbian capital Belgrade. | |
| German patrols cross the French border. | |
| Aug 01 | French military mobilisation ordered. |
| Germany declares war on Russia. | |
| Italy announces neutrality. | |
| Belgium announces neutrality. | |
| Aug 03 | Germany declares war on France. |
| Great Britain gives order for troops to mobilise. | |
| Aug 04 | Germany declares war on Belgium. |
| United States declares neutrality. | |
| Great Britain gives Germany ultimatum to stand down from hostilities. When Germany doesn't comply a state of war is declared at 11.00pm | |
| Aug 06 | Royal Navy cruiser HMS Amphion is sunk by German mines in the North Sea, causing the death of 150 men and the first British casualties of war. |
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Aug 07
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First members of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) land in France |
| Aug 11 | 'Your King and Country Need You' slogan is published, calling for the first 100,000 men to enlist for Kitchener's New Army. The call is answered within two weeks. |
| Aug 13 | The first squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps arrive in France. |
| Aug 20 | Brussels is evacuated as Germans occupy the city. |
| Aug 25 | The Royal Flying Corps claim their first 'kill' as three aircraft from 2nd Squadron force down a German reconnaissance plane. |
| Aug 26 | The Battle of Le Cateau. BEF suffers 7,812 casualties and is forced to retreat |
| Sep 06 | The First Battle of Marne checks German advance at the cost of 13,000 British, 250,000 French and 250,000 German casualties. |
| Oct 16 | The British Indian Expeditionary Force sails from Bombay to the Persian Gulf in preparation for the defense of Mesopotamia. |
| Oct 19 | First Battle of Ypres. |
| Oct 29 | Turkey enters the war. |
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Nov 22
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Trenches are established along the entire Western Front. |
| Nov 23 | The British enter Basra, securing oil supplies in the Middle East needed to supply most of the Royal Navy. |
| Dec 08 | The Battle of the Falkland Islands. A Royal navy task force sinks three German cruisers that were victorious at the Battle of Coronel in November. Only the SMS Dresden escapes. |
| Dec 16 | The German First High Sea fleet bombards Hartlepool, Whitby and Scarborough, killing 137 civilians and proving that the British mainland is susceptible to attack. |
