British Battleship HMS Vanguard, 1912. Image courtesy Imperial War Museum © IWM (Q 21888).
- The Leader reports that Joe Edwards of Bowen Terrace is a prisoner of war in Germany. Private Edwards Not Killed
- The Red Cross Society reports that there are 911 known Australian prisoners of war in Germany and 138 in Turkey. The Leader provides instructions for addressing letters and parcels to known prisoners of war, advising that postcards are preferred and the transmission of newspapers is prohibited. Prisoners of War – Advice to Letter Writers
- At 11.20pm an explosion rocks the battleship HMS Vanguard, anchored in the northern part of Scapa Flow. The Vanguard sinks almost instantly, with just two of the crew surviving. A total of 843 men are lost, including two Australian stokers from the light cruiser HMAS Sydney serving time in the battleship’s brig. An inquiry later confirms that the blast resulted from an internal explosion of faulty cordite. In terms of loss of life the incident constitutes the most catastrophic accidental explosion in UK history. Loss of HMS Vanguard
- The Russian offensive on the Eastern Front progresses south-west of Halicz with a further 1,000 prisoners captured
- Allied forces on the Southern Front repulse Austrian attacks on west of Tolmino in the Upper Isonzo
- German Chancellor, Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, responds to his critics in the Reichstag (German parliament):
My position does not matter…I myself am convinced of my own limitations…I am considered weak because I seek to end the war. A leading statesman can receive support neither from the Left nor the Right in Germany
