|
Roll of Honour - Slippery Slope to War
Written and Researched by C.W.Sheldon
Published by Three Counties Publishing (Books) Ltd
Retail: £15.95
To purchase this publication please write to:
TCP (Books) Ltd
P.O. Box 435,
Leek
Staffordshire
ST13 5TB
United Kingdom
|
|
The Slippery Slope to War
"The lamps are going out all over Europe.
We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime"
(Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Minister on the eve of war)
The causes of the First World Ward were many and complex and it is not intended to go into detail about them here. A few
short paragraphs should suffice to set the scene and put into context the circumstances which allowed the various powers
to slide into a war in 1914 that would develop on a gigantic scale, causing the deaths of millions.
One hundred years ago, Britain was the greatest nation on earth, ruling a quarter of the world and boasting a navy twice
the size of any other fleet. Her industry - coal, iron, ship building, engineering and textiles made the country strong.
Imperial power and industrial strength, however, also meant poverty and hardship for many people and the townsfolk of
Leek were no exception. Many of the young men who would fight in the coming war came from large families living in small
terraced houses in poor, cramped conditions. Most worked in the large textile mills of the town, toiling in unhealthy
conditions for long hours and small wages. Unskilled workers were at the bottom end of the scale. Little wonder that so
many voluntered for the armed forces at the outbreak of war. They were driven not only by patriotism but by the prospect
of regular meals and pay, decent clothing and the chance of some excitement with their friends; a welcome change in an
otherwise humdrum life. True, reforms were being pushed through by the Liberal Government which would see improvements in
the lives of the working classes and remove the "shadow of the workhouse from the houses of the poor", as David Lloyd
George saide, but all these reforms would take time.
Many other events occurred during the pre-war years which led to changes in our society.
The Suffragettes fought a determined campaign for the right of women to vote and Home Rule was being demanded in Ireland.
There was a wide expansion in the growth of trade unions and the Transport Strike of 1912 threatened starvation of the
inhabitants of London. The National Health Insurance Act of 1911 had, along with the Old Age Pensions Act, gone a long way
to relieve the plight of the poor. Perhaps it was not surprising that the problems brewing in Europe which would lead
Britain into war seemed less significant at the time with all these things happening at home. How then, did our proud
nation slide so quickly into war in 1914? Much of it was to do with the rivalry which had grown between the major European
Powers of Britain, France, Austria-Hungary, Germany and also Russia. Trade rivalry, particularly between Britain and
Germany, was a cause of jealousy as was the building of the Berlin to Baghdad railway which the British public thought to
be some sinister German plot to threaten the British-owned oilfields in Persia (now Iran). There then followed a more
serious problem - known as the 'Naval Arms Race'. Germany began building battleships - seventeen between 1906 and 1914.
Britain, traditionally 'ruling the waves,' saw this as a major threat and built twenty nine in the same period.
Another important cause of tension existed between Germany and France. This concerned the border provinces of Alsace and
Lorraine, both rich in coal and iron. In 1870 Germany was not a united country, more a collection of small states, the
most powerful being Prussia. In that year, Prussia attacked and defeated France. Part of the peace treaty demanded that
France hand over the two provinces. The French wanted those territories back. Many miles away, a seperate quarrel had built
up between Russia, Turkey and Austria-Hungary over the many races, particularly in the Balkans, who were ruled over by the
Turks and Austrians. Russia supported the Slav minorities and demanded better conditions for them.
From this mixture of quarrelling nations came two armed camps - Germany and Austria-Hungary (both conutries had formed an
alliance in 1879), France, Russia and Britain. France and Russia signed a treaty in 1894 promising to help the other in the
event of war; Britain had also signed a treaty with Japan. Improvements were made to the small British Army including the
creation of the Territorials, made up of civilian volunteers, as a reserve. each side expected a war and each side expected
to win. All that was really needed now was an 'excuse' to start the fighting although Britian, in the main, wanting to
avoid war, trembled on the brink up to the last moment.
Further problems between the two sides occurred when the German ruler, Kaiser Wilhelm 11, visited French-held Morocco, in
North Africa, and spoke against French rule. A few years later, the French were further angered by the appearance of a German
warship in a Moroccan port. But perhaps what really led these nations on the slippery slope to war was a crisis in Bosnia
where the then Turkish rulers handed over power to Austria. The Bosnians deeply hated the Austrians and the crisis and
strength of feeling in this remote corner of the world would provide the spark that would lead the armed nations,
including Britain, into a catastrophic war.
Prior to 1914, a number of Austrian officials had been assassinated in Bosnia by terrorists known as the 'Black Hand Gang',
who were fighting to free their homeland. Despite the troubles, the Austrian Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, planned a visit to
the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, and insisted on a royal procession through the streets. The forthcoming visit was well-
publicised and the terrorists spied their chance. There was no shortage of eager volunteers. They quickly recruited and
trained six local teenagers.
On the sunny morning of Sunday, 28th June 1914, as the Archduke and his wife toured the Sarajevo streets in the royal
procession, the young conspirators were ready, armed and waiting. But, as the procession passed, two of them lost their
nerve and did nothing. A third threw a bomb which injured several people in the car following the Archduke's. Shortly
afterwards, the Archduke insisted on being taken to the hospital to see the injured, but by a different route that would
avoid the crowds. his driver, however, took a wrong turning and was forced to stop and reverse the car. By pure chance, one
of the would-be assassins was standing outside a cafe at this very spot. He was amazed to see the car and could hardly
believe his luck. 19 year old Gavrilo Princip, a student and the son of a postman, jumped onto the running board and fired
the fatal shots which plunged the opposing nations into war. As the lifeblood edded away from the Archduke and his wife,
Sophie, so did the chance for peace. The wrong turn by the driver of the royal car proved to be the most disastrous in
history. Within five weeks the world was at war.
Suspecting that neighbouring Serbia was involved in the assassination plot, Austria sent an ultimation to that country
and when the demands were not all met, attacked Serbia on 29th July. Russia sent its armies to the Austrian and German
borders in support of Serbia, and on the 1st August, Germany declared war on Russia. Germany moved troops to the French
and Belgian borders and declared war on France on 3rd August. Britain warned Germany not to attack neutral Belgium but
they did just that on 4th August. Britain, bound by a treaty (signed 75 years earlier) to protect Belgium if she was
attacked, declared war on Germany. Two days later, British troops were sailing to France. Like all other towns, Leek
prepared itself for war. The Leek Times of 8th August reported that members of the Navy Reserve and Army Reservists had
been called up and the Territorials (the 'Saturday afternoon soldiers,' as they were often irreverently called), were
ordered to report to their headquarters. One police constable from Upper Hulme and six post office workers from Leek had
already left to join the forces. Members of the local artillery unit, the Leek Battery, took over West Street School and
busied themselves in readiness for the expected orders to leave for France. Horses were 'conscripted' and even the
watercart belonging to the Leek Urban District Council, the Leek Times sombrely reported, was commandeered for the war
effort! It was said by most people at the time that the war would be over by Christmas - not in the opinion, it seems, of
the manager of Brindley Baileys clothes shop in Derby Street. He was advertising: "Remnants at half-price. Mourning clothing
a speciality"!
|
|
