The Guns of August - The Great War and Norfolk 1914-1919 at MacArthur Memorial. 100 years ago, World War I started in Europe. Each side was confident that the war would be over by Christmas , but as August turned into September, it became clear that the war was taking on a very different character. Norfolk Historical Society Lecture entitled 'The Guns of August.' The staff of the MacArthur Memorial present on the opening stages of World War I and the impact of the war on Hampton Roads. This lecture marks the beginning of the MacArthur Memorial's five-year program of events designed to commemorate the World War I Centennial.