THE FRONT LINE
Edition: 54
THE WGGS FIRST WORLD WAR NEWSPAPER
FOR HISTORY MATTERS
30th March 1917
WILSON DEMANDS WAR !!
President Wilson calls on nation to
bring German Empire to terms and
end war on behalf of mankind.
Washington D.C, April 2, 1917 - President
Woodrow Wilson tonight urged US congress,
assembled in joint session with the Senate and
the House of Representatives, to declare a state
of war existing between the United States and
Germany.
In a dispassionate, but unmeasured
denunciation of the course of the selfish and
autocratic Imperial Government of Germany,
which he characterised as a challenge to all
mankind and a warfare against all nations, the
28th President of the United States declared
that neutrality was no longer feasible or
desirable where the peace of the world was
involved; that after two and a half years of
armed neutrality had become ineffectual and
untenable at best, and was likely to produce
what it means to prevent.
The call to enter the war came as a result of
escalated German aggression towards the
United States. Earlier this year, Germany’s
resumed all-out submarine warfare on every
commercial ship headed toward Britain early
this year. In addition, the interception of the
German Foreign Office’s Zimmermann
Telegram decoded by British intelligence
revealed Germany’s plans for a military
alliance between Germany and Mexico.
Under these circumstances, it was evident to
Wilson of the imperativeness of the US
entering the war to ‘fight for justice and
human rights’ and urged that congress
accepted the gauge of battle with all the
resources of the nation. Wilson also put across
demands for a new army of 500,000 and
stronger Navy for starter.
On entering the war, the US would see
themselves align as an ‘associated power’
amongst our Supreme War Council based in
London. The proposal is likely to be accepted
with a strong bipartisan majority, with some
opposition from ethnic German strongholds,
Irish Americans, Swedish Americans and
remote rural areas in the South.
Reporter: Emily Austin-Howell
President Wilson speaks out against
the Kaiser to the US Congress
TRAGEDY AT GAZA
After the Allied victory during the Sinai
campaign earlier this year that completely
pushed the Turkish army out of the Sinai
Peninsula, British troops suffered a defeat at
Gaza with approximately 4,000 casualties,
compared with only 2,400 on the Turkish
side.
The focus of the campaign was to capture
Gaza. Attempting to clear a way for the
invasion of Palestine, two British infantry
divisions were to attack the coastal city of
Gaza from the south, while mounted troops of
the British Empire Army Corps (Desert
Column) planned to fire an assault from the
north and flanks. In total, the troops numbered
more than 22,000 soldiers. Despite the slow
progress, British troops advanced under the
cover of thick fog and successfully cut off the
east and the southeast of Gaza whilst
deploying troops to prevent Turks from
calling for reinforcements and supplies. The
British Infantry pushed forward and almost
took complete possession of Ali Muntar.
However, a mistake in communications and a
successful Turkish attack led to the British
losing control of Ali Muntar the next
morning.
Failing light, mounting casualties and fear of
supply shortages drove Lieutenant General
Dobell, British commanding officer of the
operation, rather unwisely, to call off the
attack. Disastrously, the Turks who were on
the verge of capitulating, had the valuable
time of the overnight delay to reinforce the
garrison at Gaza with 4000 new troops.
Although the infantry resumed their attack the
following morning of the 27th March, with
British troops exhausted and the Turks having
received additional men, the attack failed.
Despite this, Dobell will likely launch another
assault on the Turkish defences in Gaza
within the next few weeks.
Reporters: Sophie Chong, Olivia Robinson
British troops were taken as prisoners by the
Ottoman Turks
THE FRONT LINE RECOMENDS:
Herts at War
Lectures
A series of free lectures by high profile historians,
organised as a part of the Herts at War Project.
Held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month in a
central Hertfordshire location, these talks will
bring together some of the foremost military
historians from throughout the United Kingdom
for a series covering a wide range of subjects
relating to the Great War.
Contributor: Devyani Patel
THE FRONT LINE REMEMBERS
‘LEST WE FORGET’
CHARLES NEVILLE HOLMES
In remembrance of Charles N. Holmes, a
Machine Gunner (Private) in the 50th
Canadian Regiment. He died in France on 24th
February 1917, age 29. He attended WBGS
from 1900 – 1903.
DOUGLAS ARTHUR FLATT
In remembrance of Douglas A. Flatt, a Private
in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He died in
France on 2nd March 1917, age 24. He
attended WBGS from 1906 – 1908.
Contributor: Katherine Watson
FIRST U.S. FEMALE
SAILOR:
LORETTA PERFECTUS
WALSH
At the age of 20 Loretta Perfectus Walsh has become
the first female on active-duty in the US Navy, the first
woman to enlist in the U.S. Navy, and the first woman
allowed in any of the United States Armed Forces, as
anything other than as a nurse, when she enlisted in the
U.S. Naval Reserve on March 17th. This was a
significant event, as women are finally being accepted
into professions formally given to men. Walsh
subsequently became the first woman U.S. Navy petty
officer when sworn in as Chief Yeoman on March 21st.
On March 19th , 1917 the Navy Department authorized
the full enrolment of women in Naval Reserve becoming
the first branch of the US armed forces to allow the
enlistment by women in a non-nursing capacity.
More than just a pretty face: the enlistment of Loretta Walsh
(right) into the US Navy means that that women will no longer
be simply be the models to attract men into the organisation.
Postscript: The 20-year-old Walsh served throughout the
war but was one of the millions across the world who fell
victim to the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic and was left with
such impaired health that she ultimately died at the age
of 29 in 1925. Her bravery and determination
encouraged more women to challenge the boundaries of
traditional gender roles.
How To…
Make the Most of your Rations!
This dried fruit cake is a wonderful treat that’s easy to
make and won’t leave you penniless. What’s more- this
cake is egg free and uses a minimum amount of fat! Do
your bit in the war effort.
Ingredients:
150g of sugar
(only 2/5 of your monthly ration allowance)
150g of raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
85g margarine
Pinch salt
300g plan flour
1 tsp baking powder
Method:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Place all the ingredients apart from the flour and
baking powder in a saucepan with
300ml of water and boil together for 3 minutes.
Put aside to cool
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5 (180 deg.c) and
grease a loaf tin
Sieve the remaining ingredients into the cold
mixture and stir well
Transfer the mixture to the tin and bake for one
hour until golden brown.
Reporters: Sejal Solanki, Lauren Ryan
Reporter: Fleur West
‘One of Those Millions’
Part 14
On the 3rd of March 1917, Paul Hub was promoted
to lieutenant. Nine days later the German armies
began a planned withdrawal to the ‘Siegfried Line’ – a
hastily constructed but formidable series of defensive
ditches, barbed-wire entanglements, trenches and
steel and concrete fortifications. In the territory that
they were abandoning to the Allies, ‘every village was
reduced to rubble, every tree felled, every street
mined, every well poisoned, every creek dammed up,
every cellar blown up or studded with hidden bombs,
all metals and supplies taken back to our lines, every
rail-tie unscrewed, all telephone wire rolled up, all
combustible material burned; in short, we
transformed the land into which the enemy would
advance into a wasteland.’
Small squads of troops remained behind in the
trenches, firing off mortars, flares and weapons to
give the impression that the line was still defended.
Delayed action bombs were planted – one destroyed
the town hall of Bapaume after the British had
occupied the town – and bobby-traps were also laid,
often with considerable ingenuity. ‘A new shovel lying
among old ones would be wired to a bomb, a
duckboard out of place awaited a neat-minded
Englishman, an innocently open door, a closed door,
fountain pens on a desk.’
Contributor: Mr. P. Hinsley
THE SIXTUS AFFAIR:
Rumours of Austria-Hungary’s secret peace plan
Perhaps for Austria-Hungary, the most significant
consequence of this war in recent months was been
brought about by the death of the Emperor Franz
Josef.
His successor, Emperor Charles I, came to the
throne last November with the belief of achieving
peace in Europe. Rumours are circulating about
“The Sixtus Affair”, an undoubtedly failed
attempt by Charles in concluding a compromised
peace. After 2-3 years of merciless struggle on the
Eastern, Italian and Balkan war fronts, the new
emperor has tried to covertly enter into peace
negotiations with France, alongside his brother in
law, Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma, and with the
help of his loyal childhood friend and aide-de-camp
Tamas Erdody. Charles has essentially agreed to
conditions for talk with the French, these including
agreeing to the restoration of Alsace-Lorraine to
France (annexed by Germany in 1871) and the
restoration of the independence of a neutral
Belgium.
The Front Line has learned from reliable sources
that Charles wrote a letter earlier this week, dated
25 March, to Prince Sixtus giving "the secret and
unofficial message that I will use all means and all
my personal influence" to the President of France.
Where will this lead and what does it tell us about
the weakening power of Austria-Hungary?
Postscript: These imperial attempts at diplomatic
negotiations, unfortunately failed as Germany (the
dominant partner in the Central Powers) was not
inclined to compromise over Alsace-Lorraine. After the
Treaty of Brest- Litovsk in April 1918, the Austrian
Foreign Minister made a speech attacking the incoming
French Prime Minister, Georges Clemenceau ,as being
the insurmountable barrier to attaining peace. An
enraged Clemenceau, leaked the details to the press
about the letter written by Charles I the previous year.
Rather than admitting the truth and risking the fear of
being a traitor to his German allies, Charles denied the
contacts and obviated any more future discussions
from occurring. This affair humiliated Charles and
forced Austria-Hungary to rely even more on Germany
thus weakening their own position.
Reporters: Saman Kashif, Manahil
Farishta, Zaynab Khan
The Emperor Charles I
(left) and Prince Sixtus of
Bourbon-Parma (below)
who are said to have
approached the French
with proposals for a
peace settlement