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 Mayor of Accrington, Capt. John Harwood, to raise a full battalion from Accrington and district.
14th:Enlistmentbegins.
24th: Enlistment complete. / 6th-9th: Battle of the Marne.
28th: Battle of the Aisne. Trench warfare begins.
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 atSt. John's Church, Accrington.
23rd: Battalion leaves Accrington for Caernarvon.
Mar 1915 / 1st:Lt.-Col. A. W. Rickman takes command. / 10th-13th: Battle of NeuveChapelle.
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 Penkridge Bank Camp. JoinsSheffield City Battalionand1st and 2nd Barnsley Palsto form 94th Infantry Brigade, 31st Division. / 9th (to 16th Jun): First French Offensive in Artois.
15th-25th: Battle of Festubert. Battle of Aubers Ridge.
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 Hurdcott Camp, Salisbury. / 25th (to 15th Oct): Second French Offensive in Artois.
25th: (to 8th Oct): Battle of Loos.
Dec 1915 / 19th: Battalion embarks at Devonport. / 20th: Start of withdrawal from Gallipoli.
Jan 1916 / 5th: Battalion disembarks at Port Said,Egypt. Suez Canal defence duties at El Ferdan and El Kantara till March. / 8th: Withdrawal from Gallipoli complete.
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 Serre. / 29th: British-Indian forces surrender at Kutd.
May 1916 / 20th-30th: In line.
Jun 1916 / 5th-13th: Training at Gezaincourt.
19th-23rd: In line. / 1st: Battle of Jutland.
4th: Start of Brusilov offensive.
5th: Kitchener drowned.
Jul 1916 / 1st:Attack on Serre(Battle of the Somme).
9th: Battalion moves to Calonne-sur-la-Lys for re-15th: Battalion moves to NeuveChapelle (there to 11th Sep).fitting and re-organising. / 1st: Opening day of the Battle of the Somme.
11th: Falkenhayn orders halt to German Offensive at Verdun.
Sep 1916 / 16th (to 5th Oct): At Festubert.
Oct 1916 / 15th: Battalion returns to line in front of Serre. / French Offensive at Verdun.
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 (Arras).
8th-11th: In line. / 3rd: Start of Third Battle of the Scarpe (Arras).
27th: Mutiny of French troops along the Chemin des Dames.
Jun 1917 / 10th-(Arras).19th: In line.
28th: Successful attack atOppy-Gavrelle. / 7th: Capture of Messines Ridge.
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 gasshells.
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 defences (through Jan 1918). / 11th: Allenby enters Jerusalem.
Feb 1918 / Battalion transferred to 92nd Infantry Brigade, 31st Division.
Mar 1918 / Training in St. Pol area.
27th: Defensive action atAyette.
2/Lt. Horsfall earns Victoria Cross. / 3rd: Russo-German peace treaty signed at Brest-Litovsk.
21st (to 5th Apr): German Michael Offensive(First Battle of the Somme 1918).
Apr 1918 / Battalion withdrawn to St. Pol area.
11th-13th: Defensive actions near Vieux Berquin (Battle of the Lys). / 9th to 29th: German Georgette Offensive (Battle of the Lys).
May 1918 / 9th-24th: In Méteren sector (Bailleul). / 27th (to 6th Jun): German Blücher-Yorck Offensive (Battle of the Aisne 1918).
Jun 1918 / 21st: Battalion moves to Aval Wood (Nieppe Forest).
28th: Successful attack atLa Becque. / 9th to 14th: German Gneisnau Offensive (Battle of the Matz).
Jul 1918 / In Vieux Berquin-la Motte sector (Nieppe Forest) (to 19th Aug). / 15th to 17th: German Marne-Rheims Offensive.
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 theRiver Warnave.
13th: Battalion withdrawn to Divisional Reserve.
24th: Battalion moves to Nieuwkerke (NeuveEglise).
28th: Successful attack at Ploegsteert Wood. / 12th: US offensive at St. Mihiel Salient.
19th: Start of Allenby offensive in Palestine.
26th: US-French offensive on
Meuse-Argonne front.
28th: British-Belgian offensive at Ypres.
29th: British break through Hindenburg Line.
Oct 1918 / 16th: River Lys crossed south of Deulemont.
18th: Tourcoing entered. / 6th-12th: Second Battle of le Cateau
30th: Turkey capitulates.
Nov 1918 / 9th: River Schelde crossed at Avelgem.
11th:Battalion east of Goeferdinge (near Geraardsbergen). / 1st-11th: Battle of the Sambre. 11th: Armistice signed by Germany.
Feb 1919 / 7th: King's Colours presented to Battalion at St. Omer.