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Military_Service_Act_1916_Attest_Now

  • Day 535 of the war
  • The Military Service Act comes into effect in Great Britain, imposing conscription on all single men aged 18 to 41. Exemptions are made for men in essential war work, those declared medically unfit, religious ministers, and conscientious objectors. Within a few months conscription is rolled out for married men. The period of conscription remains in force until 1919.
  • The battle cruiser HMAS Australia participates in a squadron sweep of Norwegian waters in the vicinity of The Naze. No enemy vessels are encountered.
  • A French airship drops 38 bombs on the railway station and military establishments at Freiburg in Germany. The action is a reprisal for the German attack on Dover on 22 January. It is the first time that the Allies have employed a dirigible in a raid; until now they have been used for scouting and reconnaissance.
  • Discontentment brews in Berlin due to food shortages and disillusionment over the government’s failure to grant democratic reforms
  • The Allies repulse German attacks at Neuville and the area north-east of Loos on the Western Front
  • Sections of the Turkish positions at Kut-al-Amara are flooded; the Turks are forced back 2,000 yards