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Key dates over September 1914

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Lives lost on this day: 1

29th September 1914 - Disagreement on future of Worcestershire Hunt

2nd Battalion: Pte. Charles Brettle 8068 killed

2nd Batt: Shelled just 600 yds from billets (after 1 week away from the firing), further casualties. One shell went through the roof of the officers' billet, 12 officers in the house but no one was damaged. Withdrew to Vauxtin and then returned to Dhuizel;

3rd Batt: in billets at Augy.

This morning about 250 recruits from Kidderminster and Malvern arrived in Worcester, they were billeted in the Arboretum. They all seemed in bright spirits and they had a good set of marching songs. They tried several, but the best was something about "the animals went in two by two" with a capital refrain. There was much eagerness on the part of the residents to accommodate the recruits, most were dispersed in batches of 2 or 4 but in one case a woman asked for ten and she got them. A couple of stalwart fellows, who were among the first to be billeted blushed like schoolboys when they were 'introduced'. One little frail woman ushered a couple of recruits into her home with manifest pride and pleasure.

A meeting of subscribers to consider whether the Hunt should go this season was held at the Star Hotel, Sir Harry Vernon presiding. Masters of Foxhounds all over the country had been ‘robbed of their brood’ and, in many cases, few horses had been left except old cobs. Mr Jones said the Hunt should really go in for killing more foxes than usual because it was reported that there was a scarcity of foreign eggs. Major Baldwin strongly supported the policy of continuing the Hunt. Some of the subscribers had lost friends and others of them were busy and could not hunt, but they wanted to see the sport kept alive.

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