This Day In WWI

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17/06/2026

Jun 1 1918 the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt declared USS Cyclops officially lost. Its crew were declared lost to the sea on Jun 14 1918. The 306 souls who vanished without a trace remain one of the largest losses of life, not directly involving combat, in the history of the United States Navy. 2 of its sister ships USS Proteus and USS Nereus also mysteriously disappeared from the seas.

14/06/2026

Jan 4 1905 New York Daily Tribune publishes an article about “The Austrian War Department has just sanctioned the construction of an armored car, specially designed to carry a quick firing gun, mounted on a pivot (…) heavy haulage work, such as that of stores, munitions, and heavy guns, is already done by motor in the Austrian Army.” In addition to the Austro-Hungarian military, the Austro-Daimler Panzerautomobil was a prototype armoured car shopped around to the German, and French militaries in 1905-07. Even though it had a fully armored body, a rotating turret and was four-wheel drive it was passed by all the militaries and disappeared. A recreation was resurrected as an armoured car for the production of the 1971 spaghetti Western: A Fistful of Dynamite aka Duck, you sucker!

13/06/2026

It was the deadliest single raid on Britain during the WW1 Blitz. 20 Gothas took off from the Ghent airfields but 2 turned back with engine problems. As they got closer to London some drifted off course with 14 Gothas taking part in the raid on London. Ian Castle writes "14 German Gotha bombers attacked London for 1st time. Taken by surprise, 162 were [taken out] and 426 [injured]., the most for a single raid on Britain in the war. Amongst the dead were 18 children at a school in Poplar."

11/06/2026

African soldiers of the French Colonial Army. Jun 16 1917 Near Hirtzbach, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France, Paul Castelnau takes this autochrome photo, in its original colour, 109 years ago. They show French Poilu manning their trenches.

Jun 16 1917 In Saint-Ulrich, Alsace region of France, Paul Castelnau takes these colour autochrome photos of French Senegalese soldiers 106 years ago. A 12 040, A 12 041, A 12 042

Jun 22 1917 Paul Castelnau took this colour autochrome photo, A 12 092 S, of French Senegalese soldiers (Bambara people of Western Africa) Sénégalais (Bambaras), Balschwiller, Alsace, France, 22 juin 1917 Source: Albert-Kahn Museum

Jun 20 1916 At Bois de la Houssoy (south-east of Remaugies) a Senegalese, 62nd battalion) Tirailleur, and his coupe-coupe blade.

Daily Sketch Jul 10 1916 publishes this photo of Senegalese troops trying on their masks. The French colonial soldiers have taken their "gallant share" of fighting on the Somme. Colourized by Frederic Duriez 10 July 1916-07-10

Imperial German Forces on Feb 25 1916 seized the almost abandoned Fort Douaumont, a part of the Verdun fortifications. Oct 24 1916 French forces retake Fort Douaumont.

New-York Tribune Jun 9 1918 publishes this photo of Harlem Hellfighters, 2 of which "Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts ... were recently decorated with the French war cross for bravery in action, and the entire organization has distinguished itself"



Colourized by Memento - Colourised Photos
Colourized by Jordan J. Lloyd

09/06/2026

Howard Koslow, an artist famous for his US stamp artwork created this image of US Marine Daniel Daly. On Jun 6 1918, during the Battle of Belleau Wood, Daly entered lore by shouting “Come on you sons of b1tches, do you want to live forever?

Aug 14 1900 Daniel Daly was granted his 1st Medal of Honor for "meritorious conduct." Armies from 8 nations breached the walled city of Peking. The 2nd Bn, Royal Welch Fusiliers and , 1st Marine Regiment fought side by side in sewers of Peking

In 1915, Daly earned his 2nd Medal of Honor during the US invasion of Haiti. For his actions during the June 1918, Battle of Belleau Wood it was proposed he be given a 3rd Medal of Honor but this faced resistance and instead he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

The purple diamond is a shoulder patch for the 2nd Infantry Division. During , 2nd Infantry Division had a number of units including one Brigade of Marines and one Brigade of Army soldiers. It was only time in U.S. military history when Marine Corps officers commanded an Army division

Major General Butler described Daly as "fightin'est Marine I ever knew!" Serving 30 years as a Marine he was offered an officer's commission twice but was quoted as saying he would rather be "an outstanding sergeant than just another officer."

07/06/2026

Jun 7 1915 Destruction of German Navy Zeppelin LZ-37. British Flight Sub-Lt Warneford drops 6 Hales on the airship, and was awarded the for these actions. The zeppelin crashed into a convent school next to Ghent, Belgium (51°3′43.2″N 3°44′54.7″E) 2 nuns KIA.

Reginald Alexander John Warneford was born in Darjeeling, India, to an engineer on the Indian Railways. He was in Canada and was to return to India to continue his education at the English College, in Shimla, India, when broke out.

The Kaiser approved the Zeppelin Airship campaign against the UK in January 1915. The German Navy launched their 1st successful raid, against Great Yarmouth Jan 19 1915.

05/06/2026

A plane downs an observer balloon just after the observer parachutes to safety in this newsreel clip, IWM IWM 1004.



Oct 27 1917 Over Ypres, Belgium, Australian photographers (Frank Hurley took AWM E01173) takes these photos of soldiers of Australian Imperial Force (the AIF) watching observation balloons rise into the air. AWM E01174, AWM E01125, AWM E01173. Colourized by Benjamin Thomas

May 2 1918 At Gosnay, France, war photographer David McLellan takes these photos of an ascending RAF Caquot kite balloon IWM Q 12031, IWM Q 12029, IWM Q 12030

Sep 22 1916 In Équancourt, France a German photographer takes these photos of a captive observation balloon. Colourised by Frédéric Duriez

Feb 3 1918 Near Boyelles, France, David McLellan takes this photo, IWM Q 11972, of a British Caquot kite balloon falling down in flames after having been attacked by an enemy aircraft

03/06/2026

Jul 29 1916 military funeral for Jack Cornwell the 16-year-old hero of Battle of Jutland. This newsreel clip, IWM NTB 258-1, shows the procession. He received mortal injuries at his post on Jun 2 1916 and was posthumously awarded the (VC), the United Kingdom's highest honour. Initially his family had buried him in a common grave (Square 126 Grave 323) in Manor Park Cemetery, London. It was decided to give him a state funeral so his body had to be exhumed so he could be buried a second time. He was the 3rd-youngest recipient of the VC after two recipients who were both 15 years and 3 months:

Thomas Flinn on Nov 28, 1857 received his Victoria Cross for actions during the Indian Mutiny
Andrew Fitzgibbon on Aug 21, 1860 received his Victoria Cross for actions during the capture of the Northern of the Taku Forts, China

The iconic photo of him is now thought to be of his most likely his younger brother George because the family didn't have any photos of him in uniform.

03/06/2026

May 30 1918 German planes hit No. 3 Canadian Stationary Hospital at Doullens, France. 3 Canadian nurses and 29 other patients and hospital personnel were lost. The footage, IWM NTB 355-1-2, shows the funeral and at least 6 coffins. IWM has the photos of 4 Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) staff and 1 Young Men's Christian Association staff member who were taken out by the German planes on May 30 1918. CWGC shows that in Abbeville 9 QMAAC were lost on May 30, 1918.



Cdn Nurse Dorothy Baldwin (Toronto, ON) Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC)
Cdn Nurse Agnes MacPherson (Lakeland, MAN) (CAMC)
Cdn Nurse Eden Pringle (Vancouver, BC) (CAMC)

Beatrice Campbell, Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC)
Worker Margaret Selina Caswell (s/n 15703) QMAAC
Worker Catherine Connor (s/n 34767) QMAAC
Jeannie Grant, QMAAC
Mary McLachlan Blaikley (s/n 31503) QMAAC
Annie E Moores, QMAAC
Ethel F Mary Parker, QMAAC
Worker Alice Thomasson (s/n 35588) QMAAC
Worker Jeanie H. L. Watson (s/n 34864) QMAAC

Driver Bertha Gavin ‘Betty’ Stevenson - Young Men's Christian Association

31/05/2026

The Germans dreamed of a friendly Afghanistan state from which they could launch an invasion into British India, igniting the existing anticolonial forces there. A German delegation was sent bearing gifts from the Kaiser to the Emir of Afghanistan but it took weeks to arrive. The journey through hostile Allied occupied Persia was harsh and only 70 of the 170 horses and baggage animals survived. They were greeted warmly at the Afghan border but then spent weeks in a gilded cage in Kabul before finally getting an audience with Afghan's ruling elite. Emir Habibullah Khan didn't engage in any type of Alliance but the visit set in motion the events that would lead to the 1919 Third Anglo-Afghan War.

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