“The war to end all wars”
President Woodrow Wilson
Last week marked the 105th anniversary of the signing of the November 11 armistice that famously put an end to the First World War. Despite its European origins, the war would have significant global consequences, forever changing the course of modern history. Today, we remember the major participants of the war, grouped together into their respective alliances: the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria against the Allies, or Entente, led by France, the United Kingdom, Russia, the United States, Italy, and Japan. Compared to the Central Powers, the Allies were a much larger alliance, whose major powers continue to be remembered today. However, the actions of many members have faded into history. In an effort to bring their history back to light, here are some of the forgotten Allies of World War I.
Portugal
With the outbreak of war, Portugal was keen on maintaining its age-old alliance with the United Kingdom and protecting its African colonies. In 1914 and 1915, Portuguese forces fought off incursions from German troops in the south of Portuguese Angola, which bordered German South-West Africa. Tensions rose as a result of German U-boat warfare, prompting the confiscation of German merchant ships interned in Portuguese ports. In response, Germany declared war on Portugal on March 9, 1916, to which Portugal reciprocated with its own declaration, officially entering the war. Consisting of around 55,000 infantrymen, the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps was deployed to France, where it saw action on the Western Front. The Portuguese Independent Heavy Artillery Corps was also formed, consisting of around 1,600 men that operated railway heavy artillery on the Western Front. At the end of the war, Portugal sent a delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, where they gained the port of Kionga from German East Africa.
Thailand
As the only country in Southeast Asia to have never been colonized, Thailand, which was known as Siam at the time, was in a unique position when war broke out in Europe. Although German businesses had a notable presence in the country, King Vajiravudh, who was educated in Britain and served in the Durham Light Infantry, had Allied sympathies. This, along with a desire to promote Thai nationalism and show Thailand as an equal to the West, drove the king to declare war on Germany and Austria-Hungary on September 22, 1917. A redesign of the national flag was also authorized, creating the Thai flag that continues to be used today. The Siamese Expeditionary Forces were assembled and sent to France under the command of Major-General Phraya Pichai Charnyarit. On the Western Front, the Thais were distinguished by their service under enemy fire, with many being awarded the Croix de Guerre and Order of Rama. After the war, Thai forces remained in Europe, participating in the occupation of Neustadt an der Haardt in Germany’s Rhineland. Thailand sent its own delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, becoming a founding member of the League of Nations.’
China
The 1910s were just as much a time of upheaval in China as it was in Europe, faced with economic and political instability amidst the aftermath of the Xinhai Revolution that brought an end to the Qing dynasty. China continued to be faced with external threats from imperialist powers, notably Japan’s Twenty-One Demands, which were accepted out of fear of risking war. Starting in 1916, China began indirectly supporting the Allies by supplying laborers for French and British forces. Over the course of the war, 140,000 Chinese laborers served for French and British forces on the Western Front as part of the Chinese Labour Corps, tasked with clearing mines, repairing roads and railways, and building ammunition depots. China officially declared war on the Central Powers on August 14, 1917, occupying German and Austro-Hungarian concessions in Tianjin and Hankou shortly after. At the Paris Peace Conference, the Chinese delegation demanded for the return of foreign concessions in Shandong, particularly Qingdao, which had belonged to Germany before falling under Japanese occupation during the war. Nonetheless, Qingdao would be ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Versailles, which the Chinese delegation refused to sign, being the only one to do so. The treaty also sparked outrage among the Chinese public, who believed that the Allies failed to adhere to the Fourteen Points proposed by American President Woodrow Wilson. This culminated into the May Fourth Movement, creating an upsurge of Chinese nationalism and a shift towards political mobilization, particularly among urban youth.
Written by Daniel Castañeda
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