From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Events from the year 1914 in the United Kingdom.
[edit] Incumbents
[edit] Events
- 10 March - Suffragette Mary Richardson damages the Diego Velázquez painting Rokeby Venus in the National Gallery, London with a meat chopper.[1]
- 29 March - Katherine Routledge and her husband arrive in Easter Island to make the first true study of it (departs August 1915).
- 9 April - Showing of the first colour film in Britain — The World, the Flesh and the Devil.[2]
- 11 April - first British performance of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion in London.[2]
- 9 May - J.T. Hearne becomes the first bowler to take 3000 first-class wickets.
- 25 May - The United Kingdom's House of Commons passes Irish Home Rule.
- 23 June
- 14 July - Government of Ireland Amending Bill passed by House of Lords.
- 4 August - World War I: German troops invade neutral Belgium. Britain declares war on Germany after the latter fails to respect Belgian neutrality.[2]
- 9 August
- 23 August - World War I: In the first major action for the British Expeditionary Force, they defeat the German forces at the Battle of Mons.[2]
- 28 August - The Battle of Heligoland - British cruisers under admiral Beatty sink three German cruisers.
- 5 September - London Agreement: no member of Triple Entente (Britain, France, or Russia) may seek a separate peace with Central Powers.
- 5 September–12 September - First Battle of the Marne begins:[2] Northeast of Paris, the British Expeditionary Force and the French 6th Army under General Maunoury attack German forces nearing Paris. Over 2 million fight (500,000 killed/wounded) in the Allied victory.
- 13 September–28 September - The First Battle of the Aisne involving British, French forces against German Empire.
- 18 September– The Third Irish Home Rule Bill becomes law, giving Home Rule to the whole of Ireland, but is suspended until the end of the War.
- 19 October–22 November - World War I: The First Battle of Ypres fought between British, French and German forces in Ypres in Belgium.
- 1 November - World War I: Battle of Coronel fought - A Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock is met and defeated by the superior German forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee. This is the first British naval defeat of the war.
- 5 November - Britain annexes Cyprus and declares war on the Ottoman Empire.[2]
- 8 December - World War I: The Battle of the Falkland Islands results in a decisive British victory over the German fleet.[3]
- 9 December - Britain's first aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal, commissioned.[2]
- 24 December
- World War I: British and German soldiers interrupted World War I to celebrate Christmas, beginning the Christmas truce.
- World War I: Britain is bombed for the first time when a German aircraft drops a bomb over Dover.[2]
[edit] Publications
[edit] Births
- 13 January - Ted Willis, television dramatist and author (died 1992)
- 15 January - Hugh Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, historian (died 2003)
- 4 February - Ida Lupino, actress, director, and writer (died 1995)
- 5 February - Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (died 1998)
- 20 February - Peter Rogers, film producer
- 14 March - Bill Owen, actor (died 1999)
- 2 April - Alec Guinness, actor (died 2000)
- 13 May - Phil Drabble, author and TV personality (died 2007)
- 28 May - W. G. G. Duncan Smith, World War II pilot (died 1996)
- 13 June - Freddie Franklin, ballet dancer and choreographer
- 26 June - Laurie Lee, poet and author (died 1997)
- 10 July - Charles Donnelly, poet (died 1937)
- 15 July - Hammond Innes, author (died 1998)
- 10 August - Ken Annakin, film director
- 20 August - Colin MacInnes, novelist (died 1976)
- 5 September - Stuart Freeborn, make-up artist
- 11 September - Sidney Hart, trade unionist and religious administrator (died 2005)
- 12 September - Desmond Llewelyn, actor (died 1999)
- 18 September - Jack Cardiff, cinematographer, director and photographer
- 20 September - Kenneth More, actor (died 1982)
- 23 September - Bethsabée de Rothschild, philanthropist and patron of dance (died 1999)
- 27 October - Dylan Thomas, poet and author (died 1953)
- 28 October - Richard Laurence Millington Synge, chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1994)
- 12 December - Patrick O'Brian, writer (died 2000)
[edit] Deaths
[edit] References
[edit] See also
1914 in the United Kingdom: 
England | 
Scotland
