On what date did Britain declare war on Germany following an " unsatisfactory reply " to the British ultimatum that Belgium must be kept neutral ?
Lichnowsky wrote that the King desired that “ British - German joint participation , with the assistance of France and Italy , may be successful in mastering in the interest of peace the present extremely serious situation . ” At 4.25 PM on July 28th , Lichnowsky reported to Berlin that “ since appearance of Austrian demands nobody here believes in possibility of localizing conflict . ” The Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office , Sir Arthur Nicolson and the Private Secretary to Sir Edward Grey , Sir William Tyrrell saw Grey 's conference offer as “ the only possibility of avoiding a general war ” and hoped " to get full satisfaction for Austria , as Serbia would be more apt to give in to the pressure of the Powers and to submit to their united will than to the threats of Austria ” .