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Key dates over January 1915

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Lives lost on this day: 2

23rd January 1915 - The Sale paintings bequest

Rolling casualty count: 608

1st Batt: Billets at Red Barn; 2nd Batt:Germans heavily shelled, more rifle fire than usual. ‘A’ and ‘B’ Coys relieved ‘C’ and ‘D’ Coys in the firing line; 3rd Batt: Locre: In billets.

Terms of Enlistment for the Present War: The following communication is issued by the Official Press Bureau:- As some misapprehension still appears to exist, the Army Council desire to make known that ANY MAN enlisting in the Army under the present conditions will be DISCHARGED WITH ALL SPEED POSSIBLE THE MINUTE THE WAR IS OVER, whether this lasts three weeks or three years. Should the war last over three years their continuance of service will be OPTIONAL;

Worcester Boys’ Brigade, 47 Boys in the Army: The 1st Worcester Company of the Boys’ Brigade gave a demonstration of their work, and were inspected by Col. J Livingstone Wood, who subsequently unveiled the Company’s Roll of Honour. After some drills, ambulance teams go to work with suppositious cases of broken heads and arms. The boys treated the “patients” expeditiously, and earned frequent applause. Captain Hadley subsequently gave a history of the Company which had been formed in November, 1902. The Company had 47 “old boys” serving with the colours, three of them were already sergeants;

Shortly after the will of the late Rev. C. Sale was proved in the middle nineties it transpired that he had left a collection of about 100 pictures, mostly water-colour paintings (one half which were examples of David Cox’s works) . Mr Sale bequeathed the collection to Mrs Sale for life, nd on her death such as were “deemed to be of national interest” by the Trustee of the British Museum he bequeathed to them. There remains a residue of about 20 very valuable pictures and drawings to adorn the walls of the Art Gallery of the Victoria Institute: under the terms of Mr. Sale’s will, the pictures were to come to Worcester if there was a suitable place in which they could be exhibited;

Belgian Refugees Concert: The concert held at the Co-operative Hall for the local Belgian Relief Fund, which was organised by Miss Edith Valentine and Miss Nancy Harrison, realised the sum of £15, which amount was duly handed to the Mayor.

Information researched by Sue Redding