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Gallipoli Campaign
The Allies landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Ottoman Turkey. The Gallipoli campaign was a strategy intended to allow Allied ships to pass through the Dardanelles. It was also intended to capture Constantinople and ultimately knock Ottoman Turkey out of the war. The Gallipoli campaign lasted 10 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle in modern history. It was originally planned by German, Erich von Falkenhayn to secure victory for Germany on the Western Front. The aim was to crush the French army before the Allies grew in strength. To accomplish this they wanted to fully deploy British forces. Without the French divisions, the Allies wouldn’t be able to keep fighting out west. -
William M. Boyd Enlists in the US Navy
William M. Boyd enlisted in the US Navy as a Pharmacist in 1917. The Navy refused to accept him because he didn’t have good enough eyesight. He went and got glasses and retested but they still said no. Boyd no longer wanted to be in the Navy and searched for another branch to enlist in. -
William Boyd Enlists in the Army
William Boyd enlisted in the Army in 1917. He was accepted but had to leave in 5 days. He felt he didn’t have enough time to prepare, so he turned down the Army and decided to wait for the draft. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
The British intercepted and decrypted a coded German telegram from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann in 1917. The telegram was sent to Mexico asking for a favor. The favor was if Germany sent U-boats into the Atlantic and attacked the United States, that they would join Germany in declaring War on the U.S. This was the last straw for the U.S. and they joined the war. -
Boyd Becomes Sergeant of the Medical Dept. 315th Inf
In May Boyd was made Sergeant of the Medical Dept. 315th Inf., He was a noncommissioned officer with pay of $44.00 per month making a $14.00 per month raise after four months of service. In June he was made First Sergeant Acting and drew $51.60 per month overseas pay. He sailed the following month. -
The Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was the largest naval battle of World War I. The Germans wanted to damage the British Naval fleet but ultimately failed. Both sides suffered heavy casualties but the British suffered the most even though they won. The British stayed in control of the North Sea after defeating the Germans. -
William M. Boyd’s Family Visits Him One Last Time
On June 7th William M. Boyd’s family visits him one last time as training camp ends. This would be the last time he sees his family before he leaves for France. After 9 months in boot camp, they left for the docks. The ship he took was the U.S.S. America. -
William M. Boyd Lands in France
July 17th Boyd sees Frenchmen motorboats and then sees landfall. He was excited after spending a month at sea to finally be in France. They then spend most of their time Marching to different towns in France. Then October he arrives at a trench named Ceasar. He climbed to the front lines and didn’t write down anything else because of the horrors that he witnessed. He later wrote that he wished he had written them down. -
The Bolshevik Revolution
The Bolshevik Revolution was led by led by leftist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin. The revolution marked the end of the Romanov dynasty and Imperial rule in Russia. The Bolsheviks would later become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This ultimately led to Russia withdrawing from the war.