Belgium

Belgian soldiers and artillery in the Place d'Armes, Ghent, following the retreat from Termonde, on 9 September 1914

Belgian troops during the Battle of Hofstade in 1914

Two British soldiers take cover behind a hedge in Belgium on 13 October 1914

Timeline of events (from source material contemporary with the Great War from a British perspective).

1914

1 August	Decides to defend neutrality.
2 August	Receives German ultimatum.
3 August	Appeals to Great Britain for aid.
4 August	Invaded by Germany.
8 August	Main army falls back towards the River Dyle.
9 August	Receives offer of German peace.
12 August	Declines offer of German peace.
17 August	Government moves to Antwerp.
7 October	Government moves to Ostend.
13 October	Government moves to Havre.

1915

12 May	Report of Lord Bryce's Committee on German atrocities in Belgium is issued.
5 August	Strike action takes place on coastal district.

Sources: Various material contemporary with the war have been used to compile  The Great War On This Day and its associated Compendium.

On This Day pages are styled as timelines and have been transcribed from two out-of-copyright sources: Chronology of the War (1918-1920), and History of the Great War – Principle Events 1914-1918 (1922). The spelling of place-names is a particularly convoluted subject. Some names were spelt differently depending on source, others have changed over time for various political or geographical reasons. In general, spelling of place names are original to British use at the time of, and shortly after, the war. Some typos have been altered or corrected for consistency. Similar events between these sources have been amalgamated; as a result the date and wording may differ to their original texts.

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Compendium entries form the central hub of (a) An index-like collection of places, people, ships, battles, political events, etc., and (b) Words and phrases of the Armed Forces of Great Britain during the Great War. The majority of these have been transcribed from Chronology of the War (1918-1920) and Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases (1925) respectively, the later which is reflected in the language used and some may seem derogatory by today's standards.

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Images come from scans or photographs of original sources, Wikimedia Commons, and the Imperial War Museum's online collections under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence. Attribution is given separately to the latter and does not come under the general licence of this site. Please be aware that some images, although very few, may depict distressing scenes.

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Advisory note: The information in these sources may not accurately represent updated histories, present-day spellings, or geographical borders. It is also written from a British perspective, and words such as "enemy" are used extensively. For further details and a full list of sources, click here.

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