The port city of Qingdao, on the Bay of Jiaozhou (German Kiautschou), a German leased territory since 1898, served as an important naval base. On August 15, 1914, Japan demanded Germany vacate its colony. Germany refused, and Japanese troops arrived on September 17. The German commander surrendered on August 23.

Mühlhahn, Klaus. “China.” Translated by Christopher Reid. In 1914–1918–online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War, edited by Ute Daniel, Peter Gatrell, Oliver Janz, Heather Jones, Jennifer Keene, Alan Kramer, and Bill Nasson. Freie Universität Berlin, 2014–. Article published January 11, 2016. https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/china.

A term usually applied to ancient Germanic peoples who in 113–101 BC devasted Gaul and threatened the Roman republic. In a more general ethnic sense, the term refers to a person speaking a Germanic language.

“Teuton, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, June 2021. https://www-oed-com.www2.lib.ku.edu/view/Entry/199961?redirectedFrom=teuton#eid

A fleur-di-lis is a stylized lily used in heraldry and associated in particular with France. The Tudor rose is England’s national floral emblem.

A reference to Russia and fighting on the Eastern Front, as is “dark faced alien” in the next stanza.

From Ukraine and southern Russia, Cossacks were known for their horsemanship and military skill. Here another reference to Russia, and with the next line, to other Entente Powers: the lion is the national animal of England and appears in British heraldry, lilies signify France.

Peeling, Siobhan. “Cossacks.” In 1914–1918–online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War, edited by Ute Daniel, Peter Gatrell, Oliver Janz, Heather Jones, Jennifer Keene, Alan Kramer, and Bill Nasson. Freie Universität Berlin, 2014–. Article published October 8, 2014. https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/cossacks.

The English Saxons were Germanic peoples who invaded and settled in Britain from the 5th to 7th centuries.

“Anglo‐Saxon.” In A Dictionary of World History, edited by Anne Kerr and Edmund Wright. Oxford University Press, 2015. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199685691.001.0001/acref-9780199685691-e-155.

The Japanese word for Japan.

The German heraldic eagle was used by emperors during the Holy Roman Empire and in the coat of arms of Imperial Germany (1871–1918).

In 1914 the British Royal Navy was the strongest in the world. In the European theater of war, the Grand Fleet, based at Scapa Flow (Scotland), succeeded in enforcing a distant blockade of the North Sea for the entire war.

Osborne, Eric W. “Naval Warfare.” In 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War, edited by Ute Daniel, Peter Gatrell, Oliver Janz, Heather Jones, Jennifer Keene, Alan Kramer, and Bill Nasson. Freie Universität Berlin, 2014–. Article published October 8, 2014. https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/naval_warfare.

The flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844–1922) was red with a white star and crescent. Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire on November 1, 1914; France and the British Empire did so on November 5, 1914, and Japan followed suit on December 5, 1914. The Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia, Japan, and the British Empire on November 11, 1914.

The British Empire recruited 1.5 million Indian sepoys (native soldiers) during the war, including Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus. The Ottoman Empire declared a military jihad (holy war) against Russia, Japan, and the British Empire on November 11, 1914 and fought on fronts in the Middle East and in the Balkans.

Das, Santanu. “The Indian sepoy in the First World War.” World War One, British Library, 2014. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/the-indian-sepoy-in-the-first-world-war.

Fogarty, Richard, Jarboe, Andrew Tait. “Non–European Soldiers.” In 1914–1918–online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War, edited by Ute Daniel, Peter Gatrell, Oliver Janz, Heather Jones, Jennifer Keene, Alan Kramer, and Bill Nasson. Freie Universität Berlin, 2014–. Article published April 29, 2021.