Thursday, October 1, 1914

Sunny

Correspondence (1 of 1)

Letter #170Time not recorded
"

The Germans are pounding away with their big guns at Antwerp . . . It is now clear that the German soldiers were equipped each man with a supply of small discs of compressed benzine . . . with these . . . they destroyed the interior of the houses.

Asquith describes the bombardment of Antwerp, German use of benzine discs, plans to help Antwerp with the 7th Division, and reflects on memory.

Mentioned:Whitehouse • Cardinal Mercier • Winston Churchill • Sir John French • Kitchener • Sir Henry Rawlinson

Metric Analysis

Romantic Adoration7/10
Political Unburdening8/10
Emotional Desolation4/10

Thematic Tags

Antwerp siegeGerman atrocities (benzine discs)Relief force (7th Div)Mining in North SeaDay-dreaming
H.H. Asquith
Londonⓘ
HIS DAYCabinet. Conference.
Venetia Stanley
Alderley (near Alderley Edge), Cheshireⓘ
HER DAYStaying at Alderley (the Stanley family seat), receiving and sending letters (daily correspondence with Asquith).. Likely spending the day in quiet country-house routine; Asquith explicitly imagines her taking a solitary walk to a favorite spot (“our dear little hollow”), suggesting she had access to familiar walking grounds there.

Official Register

1914-10-01

Top News

Daily Edition

The Battle of Arras begins with an attack by the French Tenth Army southeast of Arras,. Mexican revolutionary leader Venustiano Carranza calls for a convention in Mexico City. The Kiever Synagogue is established in Toronto. The Edward VII Monument is unveiled in Montreal by Prince Arthur.

Cabinet Council

MEETING
>>Ref: War CouncilTopics: Antwerp, Diverting VIth Division to raise siege

Parliament

RECESS
Adjourned

Witness Observations

Margot Asquith
Margot Asquith

"Bulgaria has attacked Servia, and joined the Germans in the war. … Three cabinet memorandums have been written and circulated… one by K… one by Ll.G., one by Winston: the last, H. says, one of the most insolent documents he ever read"