First World War.com - Primary Documents

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Principals of the Easter Rising of 1916 Primary Documents - 1916
Updated - Saturday, 29 May, 2004

This page of the Primary Documents section of the website collects together archive source documents originating in 1916, the year of titanic Allied struggles at both Verdun and along the Somme.

Included among the following documents is the text of the proclamation by Irish nationalists of an Irish Republic during Easter 1916. Both of British Western Front Commander-in-Chief Sir Douglas Haig's 1916 military despatches are also available.

The list presented below - with each entry accompanied by a brief summary of its significance - is sorted by date, with earlier documents listed first.

	Lazare Muskovitch on Montenegro's War (click here) January - Montenegro Prime Minister's account
	Charles Townshend's 1st Kut Communiqué (click here) January - British siege commander's January statement
	Nikolai Yudenich on the Capture of Erzerum (click here) February - Russian commander's report
	British Report on the Capture of Erzerum (click here) February - British military observer's official report
	Falkenhayn on the Battle of Verdun (click here) February - Germany Army Chief of Staff's justification
	Ludendorff on the Battle of Verdun (click here) February - Ludendorff's dismissive view
	Prince Wilhelm on the Battle of Verdun (click here) February - Crown Prince's defensive summary
	House-Grey Memorandum (click here) February - Colonel House's plan for drawing U.S. into war
	Lord Northcliffe on the Battle of Verdun (click here) March - Newspaper baron's despatch from the field
	Charles Townshend's 2nd Kut Communiqué (click here) January - British siege commander's March statement
	General Pershing on Operations in Mexico (click here) March - Pershing's report on expedition to crush Villa
	General Funston on Operations in Mexico (click here) April - Funston's report on expedition to crush Villa
	U.S. Ultimatum Regarding U-Boat War (click here) April - President Wilson's written warning to Germany
	Wilson's Speech Regarding U-Boat War (click here) April - President Wilson's address to Congress
	Proclamation of the Irish Republic (click here) April - Britain guaranteed Belgian neutrality
	General Maxwell on the Easter Rising (click here) April - British General's official military report
	German Proclam. of Deportations from Lille (click here) April - General Graevenitz's official proclamation.
	James W. Gerard on Deportations from Lille (click here) April - U.S. Ambassador's concerns
	Aristide Briand on Deportations from Lille (click here) April - French Prime Minister's official statement
	Charles Townshend's 3rd Kut Communiqué (click here) May - British siege commander's final statement
	Austrian Report on the Turkish Siege of Kut (click here) May - Official Austrian investigation
	Germany Retreats Policy on U-Boat War (click here) May - Defence Minister's written assurance to Wilson
	Sykes-Picot Agreement (click here) May - Britain and France agree Middle East strategy
	Douglas Haig's Despatches 1916-19 (click here) May - British Commander-in-Chief's wartime despatches
	Douglas Haig's St Eloi Despatch (click here) May - British Commander-in-Chief's report
	President Carranza on Operations in Mexico (click here) May - Mexican President's formal protest to U.S.
	Italian Statement on the Asiago Offensive (click here) June - Official Italian summary of the failed offensive
	German Report on the Asiago Offensive (click here) June - Official German military observer's summary
	U.S. Ambassador on the Asiago Offensive (click here) June - Summary from Ambassador's memoirs
	1st German Report on Battle of Jutland (click here) June - Initial reaction by German government on 1 June
	1st British Report on Battle of Jutland (click here) June - First response by British government on 2 June
	Newton Baker on Operations in Mexico (click here) June - Secretary of War's calling up of National Guard
	Robert Lansing on Operations in Mexico (click here) June - U.S. Secretary of State's reply to Pres. Carranza
	British Report on Battle of Jutland (click here) June - Sir John Jellicoe's official report
	Emir's Declaration of Arab Independence (click here) June - Sharif Hussein bin Ali's proclamation
	German Report on Battle of Jutland (click here) June - German naval minister's full report
	Sir Roger Casement's Conviction Speech (click here) June - Casement's speech following conviction for treason
	British Reaction to Casement's Conviction (click here) June - Official British government reaction
	Alexei Brusilov on the Brusilov Offensive (click here) June - Russian commander's official statement
	German Report on the Brusilov Offensive (click here) June - Official German military observer's summary
	Philip Gibbs on Somme Offensive (click here) July - Official British journalist's account
	Prince Rupprecht on Somme Offensive (click here) July - Local German commander's report
	Official German Report of Somme Offensive (click here) July - General von Steinacker's official account
	Submarine Deutschland's Atlantic Crossing (click here) July - Captain Koenig's statement upon arrival in U.S.
	Allied Protest to U.S. Re: Submarine Status (click here) July - Allies' argument that submarines were warships
	1st German Statement on Captain Fryatt (click here) July - Statement issued following Fryatt's execution
	Arthur Balfour on Captain Fryatt (click here) August - Former British Prime Minister's summary
	British Government on Captain Fryatt (click here) August - British government's official statement
	Joseph Joffre on the Battle of Verdun (click here) August - French Army C-in-C's upbeat summary
	2nd German Statement on Captain Fryatt (click here) August - Reply to British government's statement
	Romanian Declaration of War with Austria (click here) August - Prime Minister Ion Bratianu's Official Statement
	King Ferdinand's Proclamation (click here) August - The King's reasons for war against Austria
	King Ferdinand's Proclamation to the Army (click here) August - The King's instructions for victory
	Jonescu on Romania's Entry into the War (click here) August - Former Prime Minister's support for war
	Bethmann on Romania's Entry into the War (click here) August - German Chancellor's accusations of betrayal
	U.S. Reply to Allied Protest Re: Submarines (click here) August - Robert Lansing's statement supporting Germany
	Prince Wilhelm on the End of of Verdun (click here) September - Crown Prince's account of the battle's end
	von Hindenburg on the End of of Verdun (click here) September - Army Chief of Staff's summary
	von Zwehl on the Battle of Verdun (click here) October - German General's view of key Verdun forts
	General Dubois on the Battle of Verdun (click here) October - General's condemnation of German approach
	Cardinal Mercier on German Rule in Belgium (click here) November - Cardinal Mercier's protest to neutral nations
	Belgian Women on German Rule in Belgium (click here) November - Protest of Belgian women's societies
	Bissing on German Rule in Belgium (click here) November - German military Governor's policy defence
	Cardinal Mercier on German Rule in Belgium (click here) November - Cardinal Mercier's reply to Bissing's defence
	Labour Unions on German Rule in Belgium (click here) November - Labour unions' protest at German policy
	Brand Whitlock on German Rule in Belgium (click here) November - U.S. Ambassador to Belgium's report
	Ludendorff on the Loss of Forts at Verdun (click here) November - Ludendorff's official statement
	Douglas Haig's Somme Despatch (click here) December - British Commander-in-Chief's report
	Luigi Cadorna on the Battle of Gorizia (click here) December - Italian Commander-in-Chief's report
	The Assassination of Rasputin (click here) December - Stanislaus de Lazovert's account
	Colonel Frobenius on the Battle of Verdun (click here) December - Semi-official German historian's summary

A "Dixie" (from the Hindi degci) was an army cooking pot.