1905: The last British troops posted to Canada sail for Great Britain today. British troops have stationed in the Dominion since the fall of Louisbourg in 1758

1915: During a patrol in No Man's Land during thick fog, an officer of the Durham Light Infantry was wounded in both legs. Private Kenny hoisted the officer onto his back, and crawled through No Man's Land for more than an hour, completely disorientated by the fog, attempting to find a way back to the British trenches. He was ordered several times by the officer to abandon him, but refused. Utterly exhausted, he eventually found a ditch offering reasonable cover, and made the wounded officer comfortable there. He then succeeded in finding a British trench, organised a rescue party, and led them back to safely bring in the casualty. Kenny was awarded the Victoria Cross.

1918: In France, Royal Engineers constructed assault bridges over the Oise-Sambre canal despite heavy enemy machine-gun and artillery fire, including gas shells. Near Ors, Second Lieutenant Kirk of the Manchester Regiment paddled across the Canal with a Lewis Gun and provided continuous covering fire until killed. Major Waters and Sapper Archibald particularly distinguished themselves, working on the cork floats of a bridge despite being picked out as targets by a machine-gun. Immediately the work was done, Archibald collapsed from gas poisoning. A successful assault was launched across the bridge.

Elsewhere on the Canal, near Catillon, Lieutenant Colonel Marshall of the Irish Guards, attached to the Lancashire Fusiliers, led forward a volunteer repair party after the bridge they planned to cross was damaged. The first party was wiped out, but Marshall stood fully exposed on the Canal bank, under heavy fire, directing the efforts of further volunteers. When the bridge was repaired, he led the assault party across in a successful charge, but was killed in the process.

Also near Catillon, a planned bridging operation across a canal lock was stopped short by intense fire, damaging the bridging equipment. Lieutenant Colonel Johnson of the South Wales Borderers, commanding a battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment attempted an assault, but it too became pinned down. Major Findlay of the Royal Engineers braved heavy fire to repair and then emplace the bridge across the lock, being the first man across. Johnson then led a successful assault which cleared the enemy bank.

Kirk, Waters, Archibald, Marshall, Johnson and Findlay all received the Victoria Cross, as did Lance-Corporal Amey of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, who attacked in succession three strong-points near Landrecies in thick fog, capturing several machine-guns and some seventy prisoners.

1939: U-21 laid nine mines in the Firth of Forth, which later resulted in the sinking of three ships

A "German scientist who wishes you well" left a prototype proximity mine fuse and a report with details of German weapons research on a British consulate windowsill, in Oslo

US President Roosevelt signed the new Neutrality Act repealing the embargo on the export of arms to belligerent countries. His signature released at least £ 44 million of arms ordered by Britain and France before the embargo came into effect with the declaration of war in September

1944: Submarine HMS Venturer, under command of the highly-decorated Lt Jimmy Launders, left Dundee on Operation Hangman to resupply clandestine observers reporting shipping movements along the Norwegian Coast.

Chalmers was at the periscope when he saw the conning tower of a U-boat surface a few hundred yards away, and called Launders to the control room. In a snap attack lasting six minutes, Chalmers handled the boat while Launders fired four torpedoes to sink U-771. Next day Venturer resumed its mission, entering Andfjord by night in clear windless weather to land its stores by rubber dinghy. Chalmers was awarded the DSC

1951: In Korea, enemy attacks were in danger of over-running a position held by the King's Own Scottish Borderers. Private Speakman, from the Black Watch but serving with the KOSB, on his own initiative led forward a group of six men with a large supply of grenades, and led a series of charges to break up the attack. Although wounded in the leg, he continued to counter-attack until his company had safely withdrawn to a fresh position. He received the Victoria Cross