- James J Paton enlists. James is commemorated on the Centenary of WWI in Orange Honour Roll; he would be killed in action in France 14 April 1918.
- Thomas James Dudley enlists. Thomas served in the 3rd Battalion that captured the German 77mm calibre Field Gun on display in Cook Park in Orange.
- The German Government formally announces to the United States that it does not intend to postpone the extended submarine campaign due to begin at midnight on 29 February.
- The German raider SMS Greif, disguised as a Norwegian vessel, intercepts the British armed merchant ship HMS Alcantara in the North Sea. The Greif suddenly hoists the German battle ensign and opens fire, the Alcantara responds and the vessels sink each other following a close-range battle lasting just 12 minutes. The Alcantara loses 74 men; the Greif nearly 200. The British merchant ship Andes rescues the survivors of both ships and takes more than 120 German prisoners.
Unknown artist’s impression of HMS Alcantara and SMS Greif in battle. Image courtesy The Times History and Encyclopaedia of the War Vol XXI, London 1920, p. 127.
