War Diary

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War Diary December 1918

 

War Norfolk
Occupation of Germany Begins

 Allied troops enter Germany on December 1st. Some areas of Germany remain occupied until the 1930s

 Prisoners of War start to return home

Wroxham man, Corpl. Arthur C Drake returned home in December 1918 – he joined up within a month of war starting, went to France in August 1915, was wounded in 1916 and captured by the Germans in April 1918. The press carried a full description of his time in captivity.
British Election

Prime Minister David Lloyd George wins the general election at the head of a national (coalition) government.  This is the first election in which British women aged over 30 could vote.

 Defence of the Realm Act Laws still in force.

A Wymondham publican was fined £1 for and allowing people to remain in his taproom drinking well after closing time. The drinks had been poured before ‘time’ at 9.00pm. Those caught drinking were also fined.
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Images from the Archives

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This is just one of several hundred newly digitised original photographs, posters and notices connected with the First World War in Norfolk. The material is held in the collections of the Norfolk Heritage Centre, Norfolk Record Office and Norfolk Museums Service. Over the course of the next few years the images will be posted on http://www.picture.norfolk.gov.uk/ (the online picture archive run by Norfolk County Council Library and Information Service).

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War Diary November 1918

 

War Norfolk
Mutiny and abdication

German sailors stage a mutiny in Kiel on November 3rd and on the 9th the Kaiser abdicates and leaves Germany

 Casualties Treated in Norfolk

The number of sick and wounded from the front delivered by the Volunteer Transport Company to the local hospitals has now passed a total of 40,000.
Armistice Declared

Germany signs an armistice with the Allies, agreeing to an immediate cease fire and the withdrawal of its troops to its own borders. Fighting ends in France and Belgium at 11.00am. The Armistice is extended repeatedly until the signing of the Treaty of Versaille in 1919.

The German navy surrenders on 21st November.

Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck ends his long campaign in German East Africa and surrenders undefeated on 25 November.

 Complaint about German Prisoners of War

A War Office order that had been issued stating that farmers who employed German prisoners would have to fetch them in the morning and take them back at the end of the day was amended to just accompanying them at the end of the day.

This issue arose as a girl was frightened when she was unable to pass three German prisoners and one of the men said “Boo” to her.
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Images from the Archives

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Edith Cavell’s statue being unveiled on Tombland, Norwich on the 12th October, 1918. her grave lies close by on the south side of the cathedral.
 This is just one of several hundred newly digitised original photographs, posters and notices connected with the First World War in Norfolk. The material is held in the collections of the Norfolk Heritage Centre, Norfolk Record Office and Norfolk Museums Service. Over the course of the next few years the images will be posted on http://www.picture.norfolk.gov.uk/ (the online picture archive run by Norfolk County Council Library and Information Service).
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War Diary October 1918

War Norfolk
Powers seek armistices

During the month Germany, Turkey and the Austro-Hungarian Empire all approach the Allied powers for an armistice.

 200th Ambulance Convoy

The 200th convoy of wounded soldiers arrived at Norwich Thorpe Station in October 1918. In spite of their injuries the wounded were reported as being in high spirits, with one man even playing his own mandolin.
Fighting Continues

Fighting continues in France and in Italy but the Allies continue to advance on all fronts.

  Scholar Rewarded

The annual ceremony to reward the top scholar at the King Edward VII Grammar School took place at York Cottage, Sandringham. The King presented Edward Goodbody with a replica medal however – it was reported that the original gold one “will not be struck until after the war is over.”
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War Diary September 1918

War Norfolk
Germans Pushed Back

 Offensives launched by all of the Allied forces on all Fronts show success and the German and Austrian armies are pushed back.

 Local Man Honoured

Shipdham man Corporal Arthur H Cross was honoured on 15th September. He has been to Buckingham Palace earlier in the month and received both the Victoria Cross and the Military Medal. The Rev. Eva presented him with a gold watch.
Bulgarian Peace

Bulgaria agrees an armistice with the Allies.
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War Diary August 1918

War Norfolk
Battle of Amiens.

 British, Australian, Canadian and French forces launch a powerful strike against the German army on the Somme. General Ludendorf calls it ‘the black day of the German army’. Fighting now continues until 11 November.

 Norfolk Land Army Girls efficiency tests

The Board of Agriculture, wanting to set up a standard for women farm workers, had organised efficiency tests at Gately for those working in Norfolk. “All the girls did well and showed real grasp of their duties, especially if it be considered some of the entrants had had only a short training.”