1914: The Royal Marine Brigade of the Royal Naval Division deployed at Antwerp to help the Belgian defences.

1918: In France, Lieutenant Joseph Maxwell, 18th (New South Wales) Australian Battalion, took over when his company commander fell wounded, and led a successful advance.

He twice attacked single-handed particularly difficult German strongpoints. His citation reads:

His company commander was severely wounded early in the advance, and Lt. Maxwell at once took charge. The enemy wire when reached under intense fire was found to be exceptionally strong and closely supported by machine guns, whereupon Lt. Maxwell pushed forward single-handed through the wire and captured the most dangerous gun, killing three and capturing four enemy. He thus enabled his company to penetrate the wire and reach the objective. Later, he again dashed forward and silenced, single-handed, a gun which was holding up a flank company. Subsequently, when with two men only he attempted to capture a strong party of the enemy, he handled a most involved situation very skilfully, and it was due to his resource that he and his comrades escaped.

Throughout the day Lt. Maxwell set a high example of personal bravery, coupled with excellent judgment and quick decision.

When machine-guns held up an attack by a battalion of the Sherwood Foresters, Sergeant Johnson charged the position with bayonet and wiped out two enemy crews. He was badly wounded but remained in command of his platoon, and later in the day repeated his feat with another successful lone attack on a strongpoint.

Elsewhere, British troops were driven back and some wounded were left behind. On hearing the news, a stretcher-bearer, Lance-Corporal Coltman, North Staffordshire Regiment, went forward alone, and spent 48 hours under heavy enemy fire tending to the casualties, managing to carry some of them back to safety.

Maxwell, Jackson and Coltman all received the Victoria Cross. Coltman ended the war the most decorated Commonwealth non-commissioned officer, with the VC, the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Bar, and the Military Medal and Bar.

1939: The first troops of the British Expeditionary Force arrived to take up positions on the Franco-Belgian frontier.

1940: Bad weather limited Luftwaffe activity greatly, both by day and night.

1944: RAF Bomber Command Mosquito and Lancaster aircraft successfully breached the dykes on the Dutch island of Walcheren, flooding German coastal batteries which were endangering the shipping lanes into Antwerp. None of the 259 aircraft were lost.

1951: In Korea, the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, successfully took Hill 317 at Maryang-San from Communist forces. They then faced five days of relentless counter-attacks, but managed to hold the position.