Headlines from Europe

Queensland war news in the first week of November 1914 was both sensational and a little chaotic. While the week’s reporting was characterised by short and pithy updates of progress in Europe, the shouty capitals provided a number of seemingly contradictory statements which made progress difficult to assess. A headline dated 31^st October clearly stated ‘Turkey at War’, however an article published in the Brisbane Courier on the 2^nd November was titled ‘Turkey and Russia: no declaration of war’. The article was simply commenting on Turkey’s last-minute declaration the previous week, and managed to report that German officers aboard the Goeben had used threats against Turkey, and turned the vessel's guns on the Sultan's Palace.

On the 4^th November, a Queensland Times article provided a number of dramatic headlines which described German efforts as ‘less violent’, then ‘violent’, then ‘great attacks’ which ‘failed’.

The following day the Queensland Times also reported advice from Berlin state suggesting a general belief in Germany that the war would be terminated in January 1915.

On the home front, members of the Blackstone-Ipswich Cambrian Choir announced their third concert of the 1914 series, to be held on the 17th November in the Town Hall. All proceeds from the two previous concerts were handed over to the patriotic fund, and the public were asked to patronise this concert freely to recoup the choir’s funds.

The State Library holds a number of Blackstone-Ipswich Cambrian Choir programmes from these years, such as the two shown below.

Each week we will be sharing news stories from the week 100 years ago, and we invite you to add your thoughts and comments.

Want to join in and find and correct newspaper articles from 1914 and 1915? Here’s more information about how to get started text correcting newspaper articles on Trove as a Pitch In! digital volunteer.

If you find something you’d like to share we’d love to hear from you at discovery@slq.qld.gov.au