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Key dates over October 1914

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Lives lost on this day: 3

17th October 1914 - Farmers dismayed by inconsistencies when employing schoolboys

Rolling casualty count: 194

2nd Batt: Marched at 6:45 am with 5th Infantry Brigade via Hazebrouck to Godewaersvelde. Went into billets at about noon.

3rd Batt: Bois de Biez: Advanced and halted for some hours east of Helpegarde before making further advance against Illies under heavy machine and rifle fire. Held up at Le Hue, quiet night, entrenched.

At a meeting of the Worcester Branch of the National Farmers Union at the Star Hotel, Worcester, the Secretary read a letter from Mr Priestley, Director of Education for Worcestershire, in reply to the request of the Branch that the permission to employ schoolboys between 11 and 14 on farms should be extended from September to the end of November. Mr Priestley expressed the regret of the authorities that they could not give their sanction. The school attendance by-laws had been a good deal interfered with, and after the hop-picking and the harvest operations were over it would necessary to enforce them. The chairman expressed dissatisfaction with this reply, saying that the concession of allowing the boys to work in September favoured only one class of agriculturalists, the hop-growers, whereas those who grew potatoes and fruit or sowed autumn grain wanted such labour equally as much;

Col. C M Edwards, Commanding Depot, Worcestershire Regiment, has received the following as President of the Worcester Comfort Fund (Worcestershire Regiment): - From Sgt George Ellis. No.9 Platoon, “C” Company, 2nd Worcestershire Regiment, in the British Expeditionary Force : -

“On behalf of the above Platoon, I am writing to thank you for the excellent parcels we have had the good fortune to share up to date, which have been so kindly forwarded by you. We have just distributed the second received. Everyone deeply appreciates your great kindness. The first parcel came as a surprise, but just in time to save one or two going short of their smoke.

“I am sure you will be pleased to hear every one here is in excellent spirits, and looking forward to the day when ‘British Liberty’ is once more assured.”

Information researched by Sue Redding