1914 – 1918

Times reported.

“There is little reliable news regarding the movements of troops, but there are alarming rumours as to mobilisation in Russia, Germany and France,” the report added.

“News has been received of big concentrations of Servian troops. Servian aeroplanes are scouting along the frontier,” the Cape Times reported the following day.

Within weeks, the major powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world.

With Russia mobilising in support of Serbia, Germany invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, resulting in the United Kingdom declaring war on Germany.

After the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front, with a trench line that would change little until 1917.

The Russian government collapsed in March 1917, and a revolution in November brought the Russians to terms with the Central Powers. After a German offensive along the Western Front in 1918, the Allies regrouped and drove back the Germans.

In November 1918, the AustroHungarian empire agreed to an armistice and Germany, which had its own troubles with revolutionaries, agreed to an armistice on November 11, 1918, ending the war in victory for the Allies.

The Union of South Africa was tied closely to the British Empire, and automatically joined with Great Britain and the allies against the German Empire.

General Louis Botha, then South African prime minister, faced widespread Afrikaner opposition to fighting alongside Great Britain and had to put down a revolt by militant elements before he could send troops to invade German SouthWest Africa – now Namibia.

According to reports, more than 146 000 white, 83 000 black and 2 500 coloured people served in South African military units in the war, including 43 000 in German SouthWest Africa and 30 000 on the Western Front. About 3 000 South Africans joined the Royal Flying Corps.

It is estimated that over 12 000 South Africans were killed and over 6 000 others injured in the war.

By the end of World War I, the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires had ceased to exist.

Much of the anger at the punishment of the central powers played a role in tension which sparked World War II.