September 1917

[September 1], 1917 (Saturday)

• Battle of Jugla - The Russian Twelfth Army fortified the banks of the Mazā Jugla river in Latvia in an attempt to slow the German Eighth Army advance on Riga and allow most of the force to escape.
• The United States Army established Camp Lewis as a training camp for recruits serving in World War I. The camp began permanent and renamed Fort Lewis in 1927. Around this time, the 80th and 81st Infantry Divisions were established.
• The Royal Flying Corps established air squadrons No. 89, No. 91, No. 92, and No. 103.
• The Port Huron and Detroit Railroad was incorporated to own and operate 14 miles of railroad track along the St. Clair River from Port Huron, Michigan to Marine City, Michigan.
• The Alberta Farmers' Co-operative Elevator Company merged with the Grain Growers' Grain Company to form United Grain Growers, which provided grain marketing, handling and supply for farmers in the Canadian Prairies.
• Morinaga Milk Industry was established in Tokyo, with its current products distributed in North America through Kraft Foods.
• Born:
• * Mohammad Abbas Baig, Pakistani army officer, credited for building the first artillery units of the Pakistan Army; in Jhelum, British India
• *Lewis C. Dowdy, American academic, 6th President of North Carolina A&T State University; in Eastover, South Carolina, United States

  [September 2], 1917 (Sunday)

• Battle of Jugla - A force of 6,000 Latvian Riflemen withstood the brunt of the German attack for 26 hours, allowing the rest of the Russian Twelfth Army to retreat from Riga.
• An explosion on a British cargo ship carrying munitions struck and sank attacking German submarine, killing all 39 crew on board.
• British armed cargo ship HMS Dundee was torpedoed and damaged in the Atlantic Ocean by German submarine, killing nine crew before she sank the next day.
• U.S. military air base Scott Field was established in St. Clair County, Illinois.
• The German Fatherland Party was established to represent ultra-conservative groups opposed to the Reichstag Peace Resolution made on July 19. Although the party grew to have more than 1.25 million members in 1918, it was dissolved in the German Revolution the same year.
• The present stone building of the Makawao Union Church was dedicated in Makawao, Hawaii, It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hawaii in 1985.
• The newspaper Trinidad and Tobago Guardian released its first edition, the first newspaper published in Trinidad and Tobago.
• Born:
• *Laurindo Almeida, Brazilian jazz musician, credited for creating the music genre jazz samba; as Laurindo José de Araújo Almeida Nobrega Neto, in São Paulo, Brazil
• *Cleveland Amory, American writer and activist, known for his activism in animal rights and children's works including The Cat Who Came for Christmas; in Nahant, Massachusetts, United States
• *Bodil Kjer, Danish actress, known for her film roles in Jenny and the Soldier and Babette's Feast; in Odense, Denmark
• Died: Boris Shturmer, 69, Russian state leader, 6th Prime Minister of Russia

  [September 3], 1917 (Monday)

• Battle of Jugla - The Latvian Riflemen force lost half of its unit before retreating, as the rest of the Russian Twelfth Army retreated to Vidzeme, Latvia. The German Eighth Army entered Riga the same day. Russian forces in total suffered 25,000 casualties while German casualties were minimum at 5,000.
• The Luftstreitkräfte launched its first night raid, sending five Gotha bombers to attack Chatham Dockyard in Kent, England. The raid killed 152 people, including 130 Royal Navy recruits when a bomb hit their barracks.
• United States Army 1st Aero Squadron arrived in France.
• Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Begonia sank with the loss of 94 crew.
• German submarine disappeared and likely sank after striking a mine in the North Sea with all 40 crew on board lost.
• During the final days of the Battle of Mărășești, Romania lost its most famous partisan fighter and national hero, Ecaterina Teodoroiu, who was killed by machine gun fire.
• Born: G. V. Iyer, Indian film director, known for films Bhagavad Gita and Swami Vivekananda; as Ganapathi Venkataramana Iyer, in Nanjangud, British India

  [September 4], 1917 (Tuesday)

• The Luftstreitkräfte launched a second night raid against the United Kingdom, sending 11 Gotha bombers to raid London. Only five bombers made it to London where 18 Sopwith Camel aircraft were scrambled to intercept. Although neither side met up, the attempted raid proved Sopwith Camel airplanes could operate well at night.
• The Royal Flying Corps established air squadron No. 104.
• The first federal reserve bank for Nebraska opened in Omaha.
• New York City transit stations for the BMT Broadway Line, including Canal Street, Eighth Street, 14th Street and Prince Street were opened for service.
• Born: Henry Ford II, American auto executive, CEO of the Ford Motor Company from 1945 to 1979, son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford; in Detroit, United States

  [September 5], 1917 (Wednesday)

• The Third Zimmerwald Conference held in Stockholm was the final conference for the anti-war socialist Zimmerwald Movement.
• German submarine struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off the Netherlands with the loss of all 43 crew.
• French passenger ship SS Alesia was torpedoed and damaged in the Atlantic Ocean by German submarine. She was abandoned and sunk the next day by German U-boat.
• The United States Army established Camp Devens in Middlesex County, Massachusetts as a temporary training base for soldiers mobilizing for World War I. It became the permanent army base of Fort Devens in 1931.
• The Royal Flying Corps established air squadron No. 192.
• Born:
• *Art Rupe, American music executive, founder of Specialty Records; as Arthur Goldberg, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, United States
• *Marty Links, American cartoonist, creator of Emmy Lou; as Martha B. Links, in Oakland, California, United States

  [September 6], 1917 (Thursday)

• Vice-Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss was appointed Deputy First Sea Lord for the British Admiralty, only to be relieved on September 27 by Vice-Admiral Herbert L. Heath. The position existed for the duration of both world wars.
• At the National Eisteddfod of Wales, held in Birkenhead, England, the Chairing of the Bard ceremony ended dramatically with the honorary chair being draped in black to signify that the winner, Hedd Wyn, had died a month earlier in battle.
• Daily newspaper Echo in Lithuania released its first edition.
• The unfinished Henry James novels The Ivory Tower and The Sense of the Past were both published by Collins in the United Kingdom and Scribners in the United States.
• Born:
• *Philipp von Boeselager, German army officer, member of the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, recipient of the Order of Merit; in Burg Heimerzheim, German Empire
• *Yao Yilin, Chinese state leader, 5th Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China; as William Yiu Hak-kwong, in British Hong Kong
• *Basanti Dulal Nagchaudhuri, Indian physicist, designer of first cyclotron in India at the University of Calcutta; in Dhaka District, British India

  [September 7], 1917 (Friday)

• Battle of Verdun - France launched a second offensive against Germany near Verdun, France, to capitalize on gains made in August.
• British ocean liner was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by German submarine, killing 43 people on board.
• The Port Victoria aircraft was first flown.
• The Luftstreitkräfte established air squadrons Jagdstaffel 42 and 76.
• Born:
• * Leonard Cheshire, British air force officer, recipient of the Victoria Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross; as Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, in Chester, England
• * John Cornforth, Australian chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research in stereochemistry; in Sydney, Australia
• *Tetsuo Hamuro, Japanese swimmer, gold medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics; in Fukuoka, Empire of Japan
• *Jacob Lawrence, American painter, known for works including the Migration Series; in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

  [September 8], 1917 (Saturday)

• Battle of Mărășești - Romanian and Russian forces successfully held off a massive German offensive on the Siret River near Mărășești, Romania, resulting in an estimated 60,000 to 65,000 enemy casualties. The Allies suffered 53,060 casualties including 12,208 killed, 22,867 wounded, and 17,985 missing.
• Battle of Verdun - French forces captured several German trenches before counter-battery from enemy artillery forced the attack to be called off.

  [September 9], 1917 (Sunday)

• A military coup led by Russian General Lavr Kornilov was thwarted when Vikzhel, the governing body for Russia's large railway union, issued orders from its members to intercept all telegram messages made by coup participants and delay any trains transporting Russian soldiers.
• A nationwide general strike involving 100,000 industrial workers throughout Australia officially ended following a decision between union leaders and the Australian board, although it would be another two weeks before most strikers resumed work.
• British soldiers stationed at French port of Étaples mutinied over conditions in the training camp.
• The 14th Army of the Imperial German Army was established.
• Died: Madge Syers, 35, British figure skater, first woman to compete in the World Figure Skating Championships, gold medalist in the 1908 Summer Olympics