Skip to navigation | Skip to content | Skip to footer

Key dates over December 1914

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Lives lost on this day: 2

12th December 1914 - A guide on using coal dust for fires

Rolling casualty count: 550

1st Batt: ‘A’ Lines: Lt H P Hartnoll shot in the head and killed.2nd Batt: In billets at Bailleul; 3rd Batt: E. Kemmel: In trenches.Relieved 9:30pm by Royal Fusrs and marched to billets at Locre.

County Police at the Front: Of the 22 Worcestershire police who were called up as Reservists, 5 have been wounded at the front. These are PC Quarrell, of the Grenadier Guards, who was formerly stationed at Oldbury; PC Thompson, Worcestershire Regiment, who has since returned to the Depot; PC Stuckey, Oxford Light Infantry (Stourbridge); PC Pollard, Grenadier Guards (Oldbury); and PC Bould, Worcestershire Regiment (Droitwich).

Evesham Man Killed in Action: The first Evesham soldier to be killed in action during the present war is Pte Fred Meadows, eldest son of Mr Edwin Thomas Meadows, dairyman, of 12, Elm Road, Evesham.

Billiards at Worcester: On Thursday, at the Savoy Room, Worcester, the first of a series of exhibition matches was played between George Gray, the Australian wonder, and W Smith, formerly of Worcester and Malvern. Gray by brilliance gained a small advantage over Smith, whose methods were careful and methodical. Gray displayed that extraordinary accuracy which enabled him to run up the world’s record of 2196 with crystal balls and the other record approaching 1000 with ivory balls. He did not confine himself to that style of play by which he first won his laurels in England. On the contrary, he played the top of the table game with dexterity, his masse shots and his nursery cannons displaying great delicacy of touch. At the close of the afternoon’s play, Gray gave an exhibition of fancy shots, making cannons into and over a bowler hat, despatching 3 balls one after the other to make cannons with all the balls in motion, making cannons of 3 balls, and so on. These tricks gave as much cause for delight as his billiards gave cause for admiration.

How to use Coal Dust: Salt and Coal Dust:- the following is an excellent way to use up fine coal, especially where one has an open grate: Mix the coal dust to a moisture with water in batches, say, half a dozen shovelfuls, then add as many handfuls of salt. Mix well together. Then take a tin mould similar to those used by children at seaside resorts for making sand bricks, fill it the same way, and turn out, each one to lay separately. They are ready for use in 12 hours. Care should be taken to lay them on a board or plank, as this quickens the drying of the bricks.

Information researched by Sue Redding