In this fortnightly column Carol Bell looks at events locally, nationally and internationally as the world moved towards the Great War.

16 July 1914

From Albania, "a distressful country" came a heading Greek Savages on the Warpath. It was reported that Epirotes were advancing to the coast, burning Moslen (sic) villages and massacring the inhabitants, including women and children, who were strangled and cut to pieces.

And a very small paragraph from Vienna headed Deep Pin Pricks stated that the anti-Austria movement in Servia was increasing and that the lives of hundreds of Austro-Hungarians at Belgrade were endangered.

Locally came news that Mr E.A. Cockroft had left Timaru by the second express for the north en route to Wellington where he was to board the Maunganui for Sydney, having been sent for to join the NZ football team then on tour in Australia.

20 July 1914

The report of the first rugby union test played by NZ against Australia ran under the heading "Football - Intercolonial Test Match". NZ won 5-0 before a crowd of 9000.

22 July 1914

In the foreign affairs column it was reported that the German Crown Prince was rude to the British Ambassador - he asked where the ambassador's spies were. It transpired he was referring to the naval and military attaches. The ambassador retorted that his attaches did not occupy themselves with espionage.

27 July 1914

For the first time escalating the situation to something more than a down-page single column item the Herald ran multiple headings: Great War Cloud, Austro-Servian Trouble, An Ultimatum, Rejected by Servia, War Fever Spreading, Powers May Take Sides, Alarming Outlook, reporting that the Austrians had demanded the arrests of alleged co-perpetrators of the Arch-Duke's assassination and the frontier officials who facilitated their escape.

28 July 1914

An editorial outlined the European situation saying war had virtually begun between Austria and Servia and it rested with Russia to decide whether half the Powers of Europe would be dragged into it. Germany and Italy had stated they would stand with Austria while France would be bound to support Russia and it was to be hoped that Great Britain could keep out of the entanglement.

29 July 1914

Under the headline Britain as Mediator, More Hopeful Outlook it was said that Britain and Germany were working for peace. However, another heading read: Will it be Armageddon? The British Foreign Minister Sir Edward Grey had invited French, German and Italian representatives to confer in the hope of preventing the Austro-Servian conflict from becoming general. The editor pointed out that British people would be proud and thankful for this intervention if it could prevent the great powers being ranged against each other in a conflict of unprecedented horror. It was reported that hostilities had commenced on a small scale with Servian and Austrian troops exchanging shots in the Danube.

The SC Museum, SC branch of NZ Society of Genealogists, Timaru Herald and volunteers are working on a database of SC participation in the First World War known as SCRoll. Information or memorabilia relating to this period for inclusion in the project would be welcomed. Contact Tony Rippin at the museum or Carol Bell on carolbel@ihug.co.nz.

- The Timaru Herald

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