declaration Statement by the foreign secretary Arthur Balfour
(1848-1930) on 2 November 1917, giving British support for the creation
of a national home for the Jews in Palestine, provided that the
rights of 'existing non-Jewish communities' there were respected.
in northern France. One of the main first-day targets for British
troops in the Battle of the Somme (1 July-18 November 1916), it
was, in fact, not reached during the entire five-month campaign.
Barrage balloon Tethered balloon attached to cables or net, designed to deter low-flying
air attacks. Used to protect London from German bombing raids during
the First World War.
Basra Port in
SE Iraq, on the Shatt-al-Arab delta. Captured by British forces
(21-23 November 1914).
of the Somme British government propaganda film showing
real and simulated scenes from the Somme campaign. Breaking with
convention, it showed images of dead combatants. The film was hugely
popular, drawing large crowds after its release in August 1916.
Beatty, Admiral Sir
David (1871-1936) Naval secretary to Winston Churchill, 1911-13;
commander of the Grand Fleet's Battlecruiser Squadron, 1913-16;
succeeded Jellicoe as commander of the Grand Fleet in November 1916,
a post he held until 1919.
putsch' Name by which the failed Nazi attempt to seize power
in Munich in November 1923 is commonly known.
Belorussia Baltic province of the Russian empire in 1914; known today as Belarus.
Ceded to Germany under the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
(3 March 1918); declared a Soviet Socialist Republic by the Bolsheviks
in January 1919.
Theobald von (1856-1921) Chancellor of Germany, July 1909-July
Armenian town near Lake Van in the Ottoman province of Eastern Anatolia.
Roughly 15,000 Armenians were massacred here by Turkish troops in
Blue Book Booklet of diplomatic correspondence published by the British government
in late 1914, purporting to show that the war had been forced on
Britain by Austria-Hungary and, in particular, Germany.
Boehn, Max von Commander of the German Seventh Army during the Ludendorff offensive
in the early summer of 1918.
Boer War (1899-1902)
War between Britain and the Boer forces of the South African provinces
of Orange Free State and Transvaal. Also known as the South African
Party Russian Communist party led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin,
first formed in 1903 when the Russian Social Democratic Party split
into 'majority' (Bolshevik) and 'minority' (Menshevik) wings.
revolution The world's first Communist revolution, begun
when a small group of Bolshevik Party activists seized control of
the Russian capital Petrograd (6-8 November 1917).
Bosphorus Strait between European and Asian Turkey, linking the Black Sea
and the Sea of Marmara.
Bourlon Wood Stretch of woods near Cambrai. Scene of bitter fighting after the
initial British tank offensive at the Battle of Cambrai (20 November-7
Treaty of Peace treaty signed between Germany and Russia
in March 1918 in the city of Brest-Litovsk in present-day SW Belarus.
Expeditionary Force (BEF) British troops on active service
overseas. During the First World War, especially the British army
in France and Flanders.
Grand Fleet Name by which the Royal Navy fleet was commonly
British Legion Organisation founded in 1921 to provide services and assistance
for former members of the British armed forces.
West Indies Regiment Volunteer regiment, founded in 1915,
consisting of troops from the British colonies of the West Indies,
which served on the Western Front and in the Middle East during
the First World War.
Brittain, Vera (1893-1970)
Served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) during the First World
War before embarking on a post-war career as a writer. Most famous
for her best-selling account of her wartime experiences, Testament
of Youth (1933).
Brooke, Rupert (1887-1915)
First World War poet. Sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Division;
died of septicaemia on his way to Gallipoli on 23 April 1915.
Aleksei (1853-1926) Aristocratic Russian army commander,
best known for the 'Brusilov offensive'.
offensive The most successful Russian military operation
of the First World War, led by General Aleksei Brusilov, against
Austro-Hungarian forces on the Eastern Front (4 June-20 September
Bryce, Lord James (1838-1922) Former British ambassador to the USA, respected professor
of jurisprudence and member of the House of Lords. Chosen to head
the Committee on Alleged German Outrages in the autumn of 1914.
The sensational results of its enquiries, published in May 1915
and commonly known as the 'Bryce report', accused German troops
of committing various war crimes during the invasion of Belgium.