15 October 1918

Light Horsemen of the Australian Mounted Division in the bazaar at Homs, George Westmoreland, November 1918. Image courtesy Imperial War Museum © IWM (Q 12467).

• Allied forces in the Middle East continue their advance north, taking the town of Homs in Syria

14 October 1918

• The Leader reports that James Taylor, who joined the Cooee March in Orange has been wounded in action
• Sir Neville Howse opines that money towards a war memorial would be better spent on the education of the children of the men who have died during the war. He also anticipates that the war will continue for another year. Sir Neville Howse – Orange Soldiers’ Memorial
• Signaller Frederick Arthur Hollands sends news from the Jordan Valley where he is battling the heat and mosquitos. He sends thanks to the Australian Comforts Fund for the supply of tinned food that recently arrived; it includes salmon, artichokes, celery, pineapple and cherries. Soldier’s Letter
• German troops abandon positions along the Belgian coast and northern France as Allied forces continue to advance

13 October 1918

• Special Sunday editions of newspapers in Sydney announce that Germany has accepted American President Woodrow Wilson’s peace terms. Great Excitement in Sydney
• Allied armies advance along a 96km section of the Western Front stretching from St Quentin south to the Argonne Forest in the wake of retreating German troops

12 October 1918

• Day 1535 of the war
• The family of John Arthur Earls observe the second anniversary of his death in action in Belgium

11 October 1918

• The Leader publishes a supplementary list of local soldiers serving overseas who are to receive a Christmas gift this year. Soldiers at the Front – Supplementary List
• The mayor of Orange and several councillors attend a farewell at the Army Hall to Salvation Army worker, Adjutant George Dry, on the eve of his departure for war service. Farewell to Adjutant Dry
• A public farewell is extended to Adjutant George Dry at the Orange Council Chambers. Salvationists Farewell

10 October 1918

9 October 1918

• Australian Prime Minister William (Billy) Hughes announces that Gallipoli veterans eligible for six months’ furlough in Australia now have the option of remaining in England on full pay with a daily allowance. The decision is expected to suit those ANZACs who have married English brides. Returning ANZACs
• Major-General Heinrich Scheuch succeeds Major-General Hermann Christlieb Matthäus von Stein as German Minister for War

Major-General Heinrich Scheuch, 1918. Image courtesy Sport im Bild Illustrierte Wochenschrift.

8 October 1918

• The British 3rd and 4th Armies take 8,000 German prisoners in their advance toward Cambrai and Le Cateau
• American president, Woodrow Wilson replies to the German request for armistice discussions. He demands that all occupied territories be evacuated as a first condition of armistice.

7 October 1918

• Day 1530 of the war
• The Leader publishes the list of local soldiers serving overseas who are to receive a Christmas gift this year. Xmas Gifts For Soldiers
• French forces occupy Beirut in Syria
• Poland, formerly part of the Russian Empire, proclaims itself as an independent state

6 October 1918

• Royal Naval vessels HMS Otranto and HMS Kashmir collide off the Isle of Islay, Scotland. The Otranto sinks with the loss of 431 lives.
• A pro-Entente National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs takes power in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, signalling the beginning of the breakup of the 600-year-old Hapsburg Empire
• British forces occupy Sidon in Syria