As I don't spend as much time at that site these days, and the focus there is more on general military and political matters it seems appropriate to move it to here. I will post it in several chunks over the next few days, starting in from June , then keep it updated as best I can.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated, at the hand of the Serbian nationalist Gavrillo Princip.
No one has ever managed to show that the Serb government had any connexion with the plot. Indeed, it was easy to guess that an Austrian Archduke would be shot if he visited Sarajevo on 28 June, Serbia's national day. The visit has also been likened with a visit from th Prince of Wales to a nationalist part of Belfast on the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne. The person, timing and location were hardly a shining example of the art of risk management.
News of the assassination begins to spread across the world. Many European royal families are affected; if not by blood links, no royalty likes to contemplate the murder of their fellows. As a member of the Although co-incidental to the 'July crisis' that was to follow the assassination, it illustrates the changes gradually overtaking the British forces at the time. For the first time the Army and Navy would take to the field and, eh, waves supported by powered aircraft; the Navy would maintain an independent air arm right until the formation of the Royal Air Force in The volunteer cavalry were part way through their 15 day annual training when General McKinnon, in command of the NW District, paid them a visit of inspection.
Other Territorial and Yeomanry units going to camp later in the month were to have camp cut short by mobilisation. Summer camps were a big attraction for civilians, many of whom would get no similar opportunity to spend two weeks away from home and work. They had arrived in Vienna late in the evening of 2nd July. The Kaiser assures the Austrian representative that they can rely on such support, even if the Russians become involved.
