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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

22nd December 1914 - Postman killed in King's Royal Rifles

http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/grave_Capt_A_G_M_Graham.php 

Rolling casualty count: 560

1st Batt: Relieved by 2nd Northamptonshire Regt and marched to billets at La Gorgue; 2nd Batt: Battalion moved by Motor Buses at about 12 midnight.via Hazebrouck-Bethune-to Zelobes; 3rd Batt: Locre: In billets.

A remarkable escape: In a letter to his brother, Pte W Bott, of the 3rd Worcesters, describes how he was seriously injured owing to several shells bursting near and destroying a trench in which he was. “I am one in a thousand,” he says, “to get out of what I have been through. There were 8 or 10 wounded and dead men on the top of me besides earth. Cheer up! We shall win. We have lost many men, but they have fought for their country like men. I have been in four battles. We have had to fight the Germans when they were no fewer than 6 or 8 to one, and have then laughed at them.”

Recruiting still up: On Monday 52 recruits were enrolled at Norton. These , and others who enlist now, are being given Christmas leave. During last week 2,214 Parliamentary registration cards were received with respect to young men in the whole of the county who had offered to enlist when called upon, and 143 passed the doctor, and exactly the same number were rejected as medically unfit. Of the balance a considerable proportion are employed on Government contract work, and the remainder have not yet responded to the call. During the previous week, 1,151 cards were received; 21 men passed and 23 were rejected.

City Volunteer Training Corps: Recruiting for the City Volunteer Training Corps has proceeded at a good rate during the week-end, the number of members enrolled totals 250. The Commandant (Col Albert Webb) would be glad to hear from ex-Army non-coms, who are willing to undertake the duties of instructors.

News has been received of the death of Pte William Jarvis, of the King’s Royal Rifles. He was the son of Mr Thomas Jarvis, of Chestnut Street, and after serving 3 years with the colours joined the Reserve, and secured a position as a postman, and took the Norton round. About 12 months ago he was given a city round, and lived at Bank Street, Barbourne. On the declaration of war he rejoined his old regiment. He leaves a widow and one child.

AC Binyon has been awarded a scholarship of £50 for four years at Jesus College, Oxford, for Modern Languages. This is the second Modern Language Scholarship obtained from the Worcester Royal Grammar School in the last two years.

The Committee of the Worcester Christmas Fat Stock Show and Sale courageously decided to carry on as usual. As in most other things, however, the war has had a baneful effect on the size of the Show. The number of entries is smaller than in 1912 or 1913 and this decrease applies to all sections. The entries in cattle were 132, compared with 152 in 1913, and 162 in 1912. There were 24 sheep, against 31 in 1913 and 38 in 1912. Pigs numbered 34, in 1913, 48 and in 1912, 49.

Information researched by Sue Redding