Published in Windlesora 30 (2014)
© WLHG
On 4th July 1914, the Windsor Express published the news of the assassination of the crown prince of Austria:
The news of the assassination of the Archduke Franz-Ferdinand of Austria and his wife- Duchess of Hohenberg, on Sunday last, in the streets of Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia, was received in Windsor with profound regret. It was only in November last year they paid a visit to the King and Queen at Windsor Castle, and they made a most favourable impression upon everyone there… The tragedy of the Habsburg family is overwhelming, and the latest has excited the greatest indignation throughout the world. The sympathies of all go out to the aged Emperor, and the three little ones who have so suddenly been bereft of their beloved parents.
This was the spark that lit the flames of the Great War, but few people harboured thoughts of war during the idyllic summer of 1914. National newspapers gave the story more attention, and crisis talk began immediately among Europe’s political leaders, but there was no mention of this in the local press. Windsorians enjoyed the summer sunshine on the river and in the parks. Coach trips to Brighton cost 7s 6d and the Great Western Railway advertised weekly excursions to the West Country and Wales. It was a time of peace and prosperity, and there was no hint of the dark clouds gathering over Europe.
The mood was different after 4th August however, when Britain declared war on Germany. The message printed in the newspaper on 8th August was foreboding; it did not promise a short war that would be over by Christmas:
The die has been cast and England is at war with Germany. The conflict has been forced upon this country and France by a policy of aggression, which is perfectly amazing in audacity. The nightmare that has haunted so many of our leading men year by year has become a lurid fact, and in her own defence England is taking part in the Armageddon. What the end will be no one can forecast. It is a fight for life and everything we hold dear.
The blame was placed squarely on the shoulders of Germany, and although England was not under any immediate threat, the emphasis was on her defence. It was indeed a fight for ‘everything we hold dear’, as Britain emerged a very changed nation at the end of the war, socially as well as economically.
From Windsor in the Great War by
Derek Hunt and Dr. Brigitte Mitchell
Windsor Local History Group 