Siam during World War I
Encyclopedia
Siam's involvement in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

began on July 1917, when it entered the war on the side of the Allies
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...

. The Siamese Army seized German and Austrian ships trading in Thailand and sent a small expeditionary force to Europe. These actions allowed it to be among the victors of the war in the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...

 and a founder of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...

, which significantly enhanced Siam's international status.

Background

When U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...

 declared war on the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...

 in April 1917, it became increasing clear to Siam that the war was tipping against the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...

. Although King Vajiravudh
Vajiravudh
Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramentharamaha Vajiravudh Phra Mongkut Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Phra Bat Somdet Phra Ramathibodi Si Sintharamaha Vajiravudh Phra Mongkut Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama VI was the sixth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1910 until his death...

 (Rama VI) had remained neutral up to that point and had kept friendly relations with Germany, he found it advantageous to join the Allied powers at that time. King Vajiravudh believed that entering the war on the side of the Allies would help Siam gain more land beyond that established in prior agreements, such as in the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 or Bangkok Treaty of 1909 was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Siam signed on March 10, 1909, in Bangkok. Ratifications were exchanged in London on July 9, 1909....

 with Britain and the agreement with France over the Siamese border with Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

 and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

. Also, King Vajiravudh wanted the rights of extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Extraterritoriality can also be applied to physical places, such as military bases of foreign countries, or offices of the United Nations...

 that since 1855 were granted to citizens of countries such as France and Britain.

Initiation

In 22 July 1917, despite the reservations of some members of the royal government, King Vajiravudh declared war on the German Empire and Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...

. Siam quickly seized the German and Austrian ships that were docked in Thailand to trade. The property onboard the ships was seized and the crews were imprisoned.
  • Bangkapong, built in 1903, renamed Han Thale (455 tons)
  • Chantaboon, built in 1908 (421 tons)
  • 'Chiangmai, built in 1907, renamed Doen Samuda (1815 tons)
  • Deli, built in 1900, renamed Den Samuda (1394 tons)
  • Kohsichang, built in 1894, renamed SriSamuda (2043 tons)
  • 'Menam, built in 1906, renamed Tuna Thale (464 tons)
  • 'Patani, built in 1907, renamed Thong Samuda (1819 tons)
  • Patriu, built in 1903, renamed Leu Thale (445 tons)
  • 'Petchaburi, built in 1906, renamed Kaeo Samuda (2191 tons)
  • Samsen, built in 1902, renamed Pin Samuda (1632 tons)
  • Pitsanulok, built in 1901, renamed Phan Samudh (2019 tons).


Siam sent a small expeditionary force to Europe under the command of General Phya Pijaijarnrit (who was later promoted to lieutenant general and was known by the name of Phya Devahastin). Consisting of 1284 volunteers, including an Air Force contingent, it served with British and French forces on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...

. The expeditionary force arrived in 1918 and the Air Force staff began to go to French schools for training. More than 95 men were licensed pilots and some were sent to the Crotoy
Le Crotoy
Le Crotoy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France. The inhabitants are known as Crotellois-Geography:Le Crotoy is situated on the D143 and D71 crossroads, on the estuary of the river Somme, some northwest of Abbeville....

 bombing school, the La Chapelle-la-Reine
La Chapelle-la-Reine
La Chapelle-la-Reine is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * *...

 recognition school, the Biscarosse shot school, and the Poix
Poix
Poix is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France....

 hunting school. Some claim that the pilots made ​​their first outings in the last weeks of the war,

A Siamese contingent partipated in a Paris victory parade on July 14, 1919 and returned to Siam on September 21, 1919. A memorial was erected in honor of the expeditionary force in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

 on Sanam Luang, on the corner near the National Museum. It has the names of nineteen Siamese soldiers who were killed on the Western Front. An individual memorial for Sergeant Major Charern Pirod is found inside the police station in Den Chai, Phrae Province
Phrae Province
Phrae is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phayao, Nan, Uttaradit, Sukhothai and Lampang.-Geography:Phrae is located in the valley of the river Yom.-History:...

.

Aftermath

Siam participated in the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...

, of which sections 135, 136 and 137 are related to Siam, and also took part in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Siam also became a founding member of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...

in January 1919. The United States abandoned its rights to extraterritoriality in September 1920. France gave up those rights in February 1925 and Britain did so in July of that year.
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