Explanatory notes are given against some of these dates, but to read about particular battles or political events please go to Bibliography

It is important to remember that heavy censorship of news took place throughout them, and therefore knowledge of many of these events was not available until long after they happened - or until after the wars had ended.

1915 In 1915, when Churchill realised that the terrible slaughter and fighting stalemate along the entire Western Front of mud entrenched soldiers could never be resolved, he fought in cabinet for a landing of troops in the Dardanelles. It was a campaign aimed at forcing the straits and opening up direct communications with Russia. The aim in supporting Russia was that Germany would be forced to fight on two fronts at the same time and so bring the war to a swift end. JANUARY 19th Zeppelin raids on King's Lynn and Yarmouth, first casualties. 24th Naval Battle of the Dogger Bank. FEBRUARY A decaying horse blasted into a tree. Women's Police Service founded. 3rd Turks occupy Sinai. 4th Germany announces blockade of British Isles.

London announces causalities in the war to date are 104,000. 5th Russians kill 30,000 Germans on the Eastern front. Germans surround Russians on the Eastern Front and take 100,000 prisoners. 18th German Naval blockade of Britain begins. 19th Combined British and French fleet attempt to force the Dardanelles. 22nd Germany commences campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare. MARCH 1915

10th to 13th Battle of Neuve Chapelle. 18th The Dardanelles. Attempt to force the Narrows fails. APRIL 1915 Corpses lay in all the water filled craters. 9th Allied offensive in Artois; Battle of Aubers Ridge. 14th Battle of Festubert 22nd to May 5th Second Battle of Ypres; first use of gas by the Germans. Shell Damage at Ypres MAY 1915 7th German submarines sink the passenger British ocean liner the 'Lusitania' with the loss of 1,198 lives. 15th Lord Fisher resigns as First Sea Lord. 25th Coalition formed under the Prime Minister H.H.Asquith. 31st First Zeppelin raid on Yarmouth. Zeppelin damage in Yarmouth JUNE 1915 Russians retreat through Poland. Churchill forced to resign as Lord of the Admiralty because of the Gallipoli/Dardanelle fiasco. Armenian genocide. JULY Ministry of Munitions formed, and Women's Legion founded. 20th London announces casualties in war reach 330,995. AUGUST 1915 Scenes of War 6th British landings at Suvla Bay Gallipoli. 19th Major General Trenchard ('father' of the future RAF) takes over Royal Flying Corps. 21st London announces casualties in war reach 381,983. SEPTEMBER 1915 Lloyd George and Churchill. 17th Zeppelin Bomb damage on London. 25th Allied offensive in Artois and Champagne and the first use of gas by the British at the Battle of Loos. OCTOBER 1915 Evacuation of the Dardanelles was ordered in the autumn of 1915 by Admiral J.M. de Roebuck and Churchill is dismissed from the Admiralty. Churchill comes under sustained, bitter and heavy political attack for the failure of this expedition. Historians consider this unjust, and that had he had be given proper control, the plan would have succeeded. Churchill was deeply affected by the terrible loss of life on both fronts - so much so that his wife said that his tears, grief and sense of responsibility were so great that she feared for his mental and physical health. 5th Allied troops land at Salonika. 12th Bombing raid on Mauser factory at Oberndorf by Royal Naval Aircraft Service and French aircraft. 12th Nurse Edith Cavell was executed

by the Germans for aiding

British soldiers to evade capture. 29th 10,000 people attend Nurse Edith Cavell's Memorial Service in St Paul's Cathedral. 31st 1.5 million Jews are reported starving in Russia. NOVEMBER 1915 Struggling in mud. Home Office and Board of Trade founded. 15th Churchill resigns as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and goes to serve at the front as battalion commander. 22nd Battle of Ctesiphon (Mestopotania). DECEMBER 1915 . . . . . . . . For burial. 12th Hugo Junkers builds the first all metal aeroplane. 14th Reports that Turkey has killed 1,000,000 Armenians. 30th 400 passengers die when P and O Liner Persia is torpedoed by German submarine.

A brief summary of the year 1915.

It was a year of frustration. Weeks at a stretch in the trenches became a cruel way of life and attempts to break out of them and advance caused immense causalities and made no progress. Civilians were for the first time dragged into the battle as a consequence of air raids, and poison gas (first used by the Germans) was then used by both sides. The famous liner the Lusitania was torpedoed by the Germans with huge loss of life and caused immense resentment in Britain and the USA.

The Dardanelle campaign was launched at Churchill's insistence - but not under his command - to try and break the military deadlock by relieving Russia via the Sea of Marmara - ie by forcing the straits - in fact challenging Turkey - Germany's eastern ally. It was badly led and failed with huge loss of life and materials.

It was during 1915 that the future role women were to play in the 20th century was to forever be radically changed.

The purpose of these pages is to tell the story of Churchill's life - not to give a detailed account of the wars he was involved in, for that is a vast subject.

Month by month factual and photographic calendars of the Ist World War

1914. 1915. 1916. 1917. 1918.

It is important to remember that heavy censorship of news took place throughout them, and therefore knowledge of many of these events was not available until long after they happened - or until after the wars had ended. Morevover, the experiences of the soldiers were so terrible, that of the the few who returned, none spoke of them for many many years.

Explanatory notes are given against some of these dates, but to read about particular battles or political events please go to Bibliography.