War!

‘A state of war exists between Great Britain and Germany as from 11pm on August 4th’ Foreign Office statement, 4 August 1914

The shooting of one man led to a four-year war and the deaths of over 15 million men, women and children.

When Archduke Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated on 28 June 1914 in the name of Serbian freedom, existing tensions and alliances led the world powers to take sides in the dispute.

Germany invaded neutral Belgium on its way to attack France. Britain honoured a pledge to protect Belgium by declaring war on Germany.

It was not just Britain, but the British Empire that went to war.