August 4th 1914 - The Last Post - Asquith, Grey and Churchill are with King George V at 10 Downing Street. It is midnight in Berlin and time has expired. The bells that surround Big Ben in its tower ring their initial peel, it is muffled in the summer heat, barely heard at the home of the Prime Minister. Grey pushes the paper towards the King, he looks at it for a second and signs. Big Ben itself is struck, the first of eleven solid notes ring out much more clearly. Churchill looks towards the men at the door, he nods, the door opens and they leave. There is no sound, no loud acclaim. The King goes home to his bed, before he retires he writes in his diary, ““Please God may it soon be over...” The Marconi radio station at Poldhu, Cornwall, sends the following message every hour until midnight on the 7th August, “All British merchant vessels. War has broken out between Britain and Germany. You must not go to German ports. Admiralty, London.” On-board every ship in the Royal Navy the following message is received, ““War, Germany, Act.” At midnight a message from the cable office to Berlin is sent, it is the last message for over four years, “G.N” - (Goodnight). . . . THE END - Thank you for reading - Author. .
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 22:00:01 +0000