Page 19 - Sylvia Malt - Side by Side v1

The Battle of Jutland -(considered the greatest Naval battle of the First World War) had all the
ingredients of being a great naval victory, but in the event, the result was much less clear cut. At the
end of May 1915, the British Grand Fleet sailed in pursuit of the German High Seas Fleet, who were
confident of making sorties on the east coast as the main British Fleet were presently at Scapa flow in
the north of Scotland.

Admiral Jellicoe commanded the British Fleet whose heavy guns soon inflicted damage on the German
fleet. In the last phase of battle, after a night of intense fighting, the retreat of the German battleships
was covered by their lighter ships, while Admiral Jellicoe lost time trying to avoid a torpedo attack.
(Edwin Downton/ William Rutland)

Dardanelles (Gallipoli Campaign). The eight month Campaign in Gallipoli was fought by the
allies in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war and to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in
France and Belgium, as well as opening a supply to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea.

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The men landed on the peninsula on 25 /26 April 1915. The Allies landed at Cape Helles in the south
and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of the Gaba Tepe on the west coast (an area soon
known as Anzac). The climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were
launched on all three fronts. However, the difficult terrain and stiff Turkish resistance soon led to the
stalemate of trench warfare. (Arthur Hardy/George Wenham)

1916 - The Battle of the Somme. General Haig planned a meticulous operation involving some
120,000 men. British confidence was high, particularly among the new Army recruits going into battle
for the first time.

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On 1 July, British regiments undertook a massive assault on German defences, confident after a long
period of constant bombardment that the enemy would have been considerably weakened and that they
could easily achieve victory. Unfortunately, the exact opposite was the case. It is estimated that as
many as 60,000 men were either killed or injured in just two hours on that notoriously disastrous
morning, which is regarded as the worst ever single military tragedy in British history. The German
troops had been aware of the coming bombardment and had taken to their deeply dug-in trenches to sit
out the onslaught. When it eventually ceased, they were ready to take on the thousands of unprepared
troops, mowing them down with comparative ease. (Percy Bellingham/Arthur/West/ Ian

Crombie, Frank Tossell/Robert Pillman, Hugh Perriman, Alfred Stevens)

The Battles in and around the Somme continued for many months, with the British seemingly
determined to win through in the end, no matter how many men they lost in the process. Throughout
late July and August 1916, these bloody encounters led only to partial and temporary occupations of
shattered ruins as determined German counter-attacks and continuous artillery fire forced later
withdrawals.

The Mesopotamia Campaign. Soldiers who fought in the Middle East, Italy or Africa were
rather overlooked, as most people concentrated on the dreadful battles fought in Europe. But the
conditions for the unfortunate men sent to this harsh and unforgiving part of the world were generally
much worse. In an extremely hostile terrain, the troops were expected to contend with soaring
temperatures, flies and disease, and many fatal illnesses such as dysentery and cholera.

Turkey’s entry into the war in October 1914 immediately prompted Britain to open a new military
front in the remote Ottoman province of Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq).