a century ago, World War One was less than 4 weeks away

Flanders fields in Belgium and part of the French department of Nord-Pas-de-Calais look peaceful in this artwork, but they saw unprecedented carnage in the years 1914-1918.

The Balkans was where it all began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo (the capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia-Herzegovina) on 28 June 1914. The assassin – Gavrilo Princip – was a member of a Bosnian Serb nationalist group seeking to unite territories containing ethnic Serbs under Serbia’s control. The government of Austro-Hungary issued a series of harsh demands, some of which the Serbs rejected, leading Austria-Hungary to declare war on 28 July. A chain reaction of military mobilisations, prompted by Europe's alliance system, was set in motion. Russia and France were soon at war with Germany and Austria-Hungary (the Central Powers). When German forces invaded Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914. New Zealand followed Britain the next day. Fighting continued until 11 November 1918, Armistice Day.

For details of WW1 in the Pacific, see the book Voyage to Gallipoli.