July 13th
Notes will appear here!
Posts
July 8th
Westcliff - This refers to a part of Herne Bay in Kent, very close to Peggie's home village of Eddington. Sweden was officially neutral during World War One, though the position was maintained with difficulty at times, with both sides of the conflict gaining the country's sympathies in one way or another during the four years of the conflict. Here's a YouTube clip with more info. Continental Hotel Stockholm - demolished in 1960s
July 7th
Christiania - Now known as Oslo, since New Year's day 1925. Oslo was also the settlement's name up until a fire destroyed much of the medieval city in 1624. The reborn and rebuilt city of Christiania (named after King Christian IV) took its place, Oslo remaining the name of a suburb village. ( More info ) The Palace, Christiania Continental Cafe, Christiania - opened in 1900, now Hotel Continental, Oslo Kongsvinger Station Charlottenberg Station
July 5th
Norway, the Neutral Ally - Norway was officially neutral during World War One, although having a large fleet (the fourth largest in the world) and being heavily dependant on imports, meant that relations with both main proganists of the war was problematic from the outset. However, trade agreements with Great Britain, favourable to the UK and her allies, and eventual full British control of the Norwegian merchant fleet from April 1917, led to the country being known as the Neutral Ally. Huns - In 1900 Kaiser Wilhelm II sent his troops to China with the instruction to behave like the Huns of old - "Let the Germans strike fear into their hearts, so he'll be feared like the Hun." By the beginning of World War One, British propaganda had picked up the use of the term in a derogatory way, suggesting a worst kind of German conduct - crushing the enemy (neutral or not) by any means necessary. The fact that Rudyard Kipling used the term in his 1914 poem "For All We Have a
July 3rd
HMS Vulture - according to wikipedia this vessel was a torpedo boat destroyer launched in 1898. Her duties mainly included anti-submarine and counter mining patrols in the Thames Estuary, though clearly she had occasional other employment. She was sold for breaking in 1919. HMS Vulture photo
July 2nd
The Situation - At the beginning of July 1917, Elsie Inglis and her Scottish Women's Hospital Unit had been in the small Romanian town of Reni (now in Ukraine) since January that year. It had become strategically important because of its proximity to The Danube and the fact that it was on the main railway line to Odessa. The town, however, had been in danger of been taken by enemy troops since the moment they arrived. The Unit were supposed to be supporting Serbian troops, but with many of the divisions deemed unfit for battle, ended up in fact looking after the Russians more. As spring turned to summer, the Russian army was falling apart - the first revolution being a part of this. Soldiers were heeding the call to think more about the situation at home, not necessarily in terms of fighting, but also supporting their homesteads and families. Self-inflicted wounds to the hand were not uncommon. If the Serbs fought alongside the Russians, the feeling was that none would survive