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Russia leaves the war - The First World War - February 1918

By February 1918 the Bolsheviks had consolidated their control over large parts of Russia and were in a position to formally negotiate terms with the Germans, although fighting had all but stopped on the Eastern Front some time before. Trotsky, one of the Bolshevik leaders, informed the Germans that their terms were acceptable - in reality the Bolsheviks had no choice but to accept them, they were harsh of Russia but enabled the Bolsheviks to focus on winning the Civil War that had erupted there.

In Britain there were further air raids. The Times reporting:

TEN KILLED IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN AREA.

The Killed in Tuesday's raid in the South-western area are now known to number 10. They are :-

May KERLEY, and her children, Florence, 12, Albert Ralph, 8, Daisey, 4, Frances, 2, and Ellen Louise, three months ; Winifred KERLEY, niece of Mrs. KERLEY, 21 ; Mrs. BORROWS, 70, an invalid, who resided with the KERLEY's ; George BENTLEY, 45, an Inspector ; William FINCH, 43.

Of the injured, the most serious are the cases of William PICTON, 48, and Albert THOMPSON, 21. In a house near that occupied by the KERLEY's, Mr. and Mrs. HYDE and there daughter Kathleen, aged 5, and an old lady, named HINTOR, 70, were injured, while three police - constables were also hurt, though not seriously.

A London Coroner held inquests yesterday on the bodies of three victims of Monday's raid. The first case was that of George WITTEN, 55, a licensed victualler, who was found lying in his house , near which a bomb had dropped. Ample warning of an impending raid had been given. The other cases were those of Matthew WALKER, 48, a milk carman, and Frederick GOMER, 47, a leatherworker. They had left their homes to take refuge in a more substantial building, which was not, however, a recognized air shelter. They were standing in a corridor which runs through the place, when an explosion occurred, and they were killed.

The Coroner said that experience showed that corridors and passages were dangerous during raids. In each case a verdict of "Death from injuries caused by an explosive bomb dropped by enemy aircraft" was returned.

At another Court, inquests were held on the bodies of seven of the victims of the raid. They were Frederick Charles MYHILL, 54, labourer, john Albert NEWMAN, 55, labourer, Charles Robert SMITH, 17, William Edward SEGAR, a messenger boy, 15, John WALL, 55, labourer, Isaac KAMANOVITZ, 56, journeyman tailor, and James DAY, 54, labourer. SMITH, SEGAR, and WALL were killed by a bomb which exploded in the street. A police officer that the concussion also knocked him down, and when he got up he found four persons lying in the roadway severely injured. They were removed to hospital and the three named died. NEWMAN and MYHILL also received injuries as the result of an explosion in the street. The bomb struck a building, damaging it, and NEWMAN was fatally injured by a fragment. MYHILL was about to leave his house to take shelter elsewhere, and he was struck by part of a bomb on the chest. In the case of DAY, it was stated that he was going to leave his house, when an explosion occurred and he was struck by a fragment. KAMANOVITZ was found the next morning beneath some debris.

A verdict of "Death by misadventure due to the dropping of bombs by enemy aircraft" was returned in each case.

An inquest was also held at the same Court on the body of Rosa Jane FERIMENSKY, aged 60, who met with her death through injuries received in a rush outside a goods depot at which people were endeavoring to take shelter. A verdict of "Death by misadventure" was returned.