31 August 1914
The First Lord of the British Admiralty, Winston Churchill, asked the Chief of the British Imperial General Staff to draw up a plan ‘for the seizure of the Gallipoli Peninsula by means of a Greek army of adequate strength, with a view to admitting a British fleet to the Sea of Marmara’. The Greeks produced a detailed plan for the capture of Gallipoli which would involve approximately 60,000 troops. Churchill felt that Turkey was unlikely to remain neutral between Britain and Germany and that the Turks would enter the war on the German side.
The first battle of Garua ended with the British being pushed out of Kamerun and into Nigeria. Nigerian troops reportedly fled, leaving British officers alone in the trenches. As the British force fled the Germans continued their counter-attack, pushing them out of Kamerun completely and pursuing them into Nigeria for days afterwards. The majority of the officers of the British units were killed, including the commanding officer, Colonel MacLear. Forty percent of the native Nigerian troops were lost. The Germans suffered relatively minor losses in comparison.
The action at Garua, as well as battles in other areas along Kamerun's northwestern border with Nigeria, turned out to be relatively successful for the Germans. They were able to repulse each British thrust that came at them during the opening days of the conflict, and even put themselves in position to threaten Calabar, the main port in eastern Nigeria. The victory at Garua enhanced the morale of German Askaris significantly and stalled Allied advances into northern Kamerun until mid-1915, when the Second Battle of Garua resulted in British victory.
Cardiff Rugby Committee, its former player and now president, Mr. W. T. Morgan in the chair, met, and passed the following resolution –
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That this Committee of the Cardiff Rugby Club unanimously resolve, in view of the present crisis in the history of the British Empire, to cancel all fixtures for the season 1914—15. Furthermore the Committee urge on playing and subscribing members of the Club, as well as footballers generally, and spectators of Amateur Rugby Football in the District, to do everything in their power for the good of the Empire.”
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The committee decided to hand over to the Marquis of Bute, with the consent of The Welsh Rugby Union and the Cardiff Cricket Club, all the structures on the Cardiff Arms Park, to be used in any way His Lordship might direct. Further, they agreed to offer his lordship their services, individually and collectively, for any work he may invite them to reform.
The UK's Daily Telegraph had to face up to a serious situation for the Allies:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-...t-31-1914.html
“We have just passed through the most critical week in the history of Europe and or democracy since the Napoleonic era. We are about to enter upon another even more critical.” This was E. Ashmead-Bartlett’s summation of what no amount of praise for the courage of the Allied troops could camouflage – a very serious situation with the Germans breaking into France having forced the Allies to retire a relatively considerable distance. Pages 6, 7 and 8 cover the situation was best they can, and seek to stress that our men are still in a position to stop this advance.