Zeebrugge and Bruge Captured

The Star (London) dated Friday October 18th 1918

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Zeebrugge in Belgium was the port serving Bruge and had been used by the Germans as a U-Boat base. An attempt to blockade it in April 1918, by sinking old British ships in the harbour entrance, failed. The attacks in October 1918 were part of the final hundred days offensive to push the German Army out of the occupied countries and end the War.

Lille is in northeastern France very close to the Belgian border and was occupied by the Germans from October 1914 until General Sir William Birdwood and his troops liberated it on October 17^th 1918.

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By the end of September 1918 the German Supreme Command had informed Kaiser Wilhelm II that the situation facing the German forces was quite hopeless and recommended the acceptance of US President Woodrow Wilson’s terms for peace as laid out the previous January in his Fourteen Points speech. Negotiations continued from October 5^th until early November until finally an armistice was agreed for 11:00 on November 11^th 1918. 

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I can find nothing more about M Strojanoff, except that, in a New Zealand paper, he is referred to as Commissary of Police rather than Army. The cutting above could be the inspiration for a novel set during the Russian Revolution that some budding author is looking for.

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The reference here to Leinster is to the sinking of RMS Leinster by a U-Boat on October 10^th 1918 with the loss of 501 lives. See also this post.

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Not exactly Old Bailey material but shows that War or no War petty crime goes on.

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The Influenza outbreak of January 1918 to December 1920 was a true pandemic affecting every part of the World. An estimated 20 - 50 million people died of which 228,000 were in Britain. There had been a lull in cases since the spring but by October the second and most lethal wave of the pandemic had struck.

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I wonder what the owner’s Insurance Company had to say about ‘leaving the vehicle in the hands of a stranger for a few minutes’? 

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The average weekly wage in 1918 was £1 10s 6d. Using The National Archives currency converter that’s equivalent to about £65. 1s 2d is equivalent to £2.51.

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Air Raid Insurance became popular during 1915 when the Zeppelin airships began a bombing campaign. 2s 6d (12.5p) would get you £100 compensation.

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Better safe than sorry.

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You don’t see a lot of bunny rabbit recipes these days, boiled or scrambled.