<– Part 178 – December 16, 1917  | Part 179 – December 23, 1917 |  Part 180 – December 30, 1917 –>

Borden with the British 1st Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, in 1912. Churchill resigned in 1915, feeling his talents were wasted in government, and, although a sitting member of Parliament, was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel last year, leading front-line troops on the Western Front. He returned to England after several months, and was appointed Minister of Munitions earlier this summer.

Canada reelected Prime Minister Robert Borden on December 17. Borden was a Conservative until becoming head of the “Unionist Party” this election, which saw the Liberal party split on the subject of conscription to meet personnel demands of the war. The pro-conscription Liberals formed a coalition with the Conservatives and roundly defeated their opponents.

The Russian-Central Powers armistice has officially taken effect.

Late at night on December 20, the British XXI Corps in Palestine conducted stealth crossings of the Auju River, near Jaffa. Finishing in the darkness of the following morning, the Ottoman defenders were taken by surprise and bayonet point, without a shot being fired. The British have taken the key port city of Jaffa and established a beachhead of several miles.