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On The Boat Again
After docking in Scotland, they then set out again to England. They were waiting for a cross- channel shipment to France. In Winchester, there was a new medical hospital. Frank's unit was to replace the units that were there before them since they had been sent to France. As Frank was in England, he drove an ambulance, a motorcycle with a side car, As well as a Ford car. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
World War One is also known as The War To End All War sand The Great War. The war started because Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip. This occurred on June 18th, 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg were assassinated in Sarajevo. In the original plan,Princip backed out of the assassination due to nervousness and fear, but when he was seated at small shop he saw the Archduke and decided to follow through with the plan. -
Russia Mobilizes
Russia moves its large army to stop Austria-Hungary. Since Serbia was one of Russia's allies, Russia wanted to protect them against Austria-Hungary. Because of Russia's advancements, this caused Great Britain, France, Russia and Germany to mobilize as well. Great Britain, France, Russia, and Germany were also known as European Great Powers. -
Christmas Truce
Many families would be celebrating their Christmas without a brother or father. Along the western front of WW1, there was an unofficial ceasefire. During this time, soldiers entered no man's land and met their enemies. They traded war prisoners and had burials for the ones that had died in the area. They also traded small goodies and had conversations; and even played sports together. With the soldiers from both sides sharing foods and cigarettes. Sadly, the war had to continue after Christmas. -
Chlorine gas
On April 22nd, Germany shocked their opponents by firing more than 150 tons of chlorine gas. Chlorine gas is a liquid, but turns into a gas that stays close to the ground and spreads very quickly. Many people say the scent can be compared to strong bleach. The first attack was used by Germany against the British. The British soldiers reported seeing yellow-green clouds that smelled like "Pepper and pineapple" -
The First Tanks
On September 15, 1916, the first tank was used in war. The first tank was the British Mark 1, introduces by Great Britain. Yes, they were armored vehicles but they often got stuck. They could only at maximum go 4 miles per hour, but did help in various ways by ending the statement of trenches. By 1918, allies Britain and France had sent 6,506 tanks out to war, Compared to Germany who only had produced 20. -
Frank Buckles Enlists.
Born in 1901, Frank Buckles enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 at only 16 years old. He was denied by the Marine corpse for being "Too small", as well from the Navy, which claimed he had flat feet. He served with a detachment from Fort Riley in Kansas driving ambulances and motorcycles on the front lines in Europe. He enlisted while he was on a trip to the Kansas state fair. He was denied at first because of his age but returned again and lied, telling them he was 21, but they still denied him. -
Zimmermann Telegram
The British give President Wilson the Zimmermann Telegram that was a message from German secretary Arthur Zimmermann that had information on it about Mexico joining Germany in case war broke out between the U.S. and Germany. To try and coax Mexico into doing this, they promised to give them lost areas of Texas and a lot of the American Southwest. Mexico ended up not accepting this, but the fact that Germany did this enraged the U.S. -
The United States Enters War
On April 6th, 1917, Congress allowed a "Declaration of war against Germany". This is where the U.S. enters the war President Wilson tried to keep the U.S. out of the war for 2 years at this point, but he let in and joined the war. Our allies were forced to join the war as well; That included Britain, France, Russia, and Italy. All of these allies were fighting against the Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. -
RMS Lusitania Sinking
The Lusitania was a British ocean liner that was torpedoed by a German U-Boat. It took only 18 minutes to sink; in comparison, the Titanic took almost 3 hours to sink. 1,198 of the 1,959 people on the Lusitania passed, leaving only 761 survivors. The German Embassy declared a warning before the Lusitania's last voyage, declaring that they were in a time of war against Germany and all her allies, therefore, any ship flying the flag of Great Britain or any of her allies would be destroyed. -
Going Overseas
The unit that Frank was part of was called The First Fort Riley Casual Detachment. In that unit, there were one hundred and two men. Frank held the rank of a sergeant. They sailed from Hoboken, New Jersey and docked in Glasgow Scotland. -
Germany and Russia
In December 1917, Russia wanted to talk about peace with Germany. Germany sent a representative to Belarus to talk about a treaty. The hope for a treaty is taken away when Germany gains independence for "Russian holdings" in the Eastern part of Europe. In February 1918, war continued on the Eastern front. German soldiers advanced on St. Petersburg. Vladimir Lenin, who was a Russian communist, politician as well as a political theorist. He allowed the signing of a treaty called Brest-Liovsk -
The End Of WW1
World War One ended at 11 am on the 11th month of the year, on the 11th day. Germany signed a peace treaty that had been made by Britain and France. Germany was expected to win the war but after America had joined, they were no longer sure. Germany lost hope of winning when America joined and has thousands of new soldiers sent to France. The leaders of the German Army had told their Government to end fighting and two days later, they did. -
Home Safe and Sound.
Frank asked his Commanding Officer to be sent to France with the other troops while he was in London but was denied this. After some time, he had revived an order to escort an officer to France who had been left behind by his unit. After being in the American Expeditionary Force for two more years, he returned home on the USS Pocahontas in January 1920. Frank was paid $143.90, which included a $60 bonus. -
Last of World War One- Frank Buckles
Frank married Audrey Mayo after the war in San Francisco and moved to Gap View farm. Sadly, Frank was widowed at 98 but continued to work on his farm until the age on 105. during his final years of life he was Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation. He was awarded many medals, including
World War I Victory Medal, Occupation of Germany medal, and French Legion of Honor medal.
