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Key dates over February 1915

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

Lives lost on this day: 1

16th February 1915 - More prisoners in Worcester due to closure of Hereford prison

Rolling casualty count: 649

1st Batt: Red Barn, in billets, no unusual occurences; 2nd Batt: In billets at Les Choquax. Divisional General visited the billets of the Battalion;3rd Batt: In trenches E. Kemmel;

The Abnormal Rains: The Teme, which was well within its banks at Bransford, on Sunday, came up suddenly during the night, and now many fields are flooded. The Severn has risen two feet since Saturday, there being now 7ft 3 inches of flood water.

More Prisoners for Worcester: It is reported that Hereford Prison is to be closed (temporarily, at any rate) and that prisoners from Herefordshire and Radnorshire are to be committed to other prisons. Some will no doubt be sent to Worcester, where the female prisoners are already sent. It is believed that Hereford prison will be put to another, rather different use;

Beds for Male Patients: Mr. Bates, jnr., called attention to the statement in the minutes that there were at one time 52 wounded soldiers in the Institution, whereas their number was supposed to be 50. They were very short of male beds, and some 36 civilian patients were waiting. Beside wounded soldiers they had a number of would-be soldiers coming in for operations, to enable them to become fit for the Army. That reduced the number of beds considerably. Under those circumstances he asked the Chairman if they ought to diminish the number by one or two. It was pointed out that the extra number of soldiers was only for a few days, and it was resolved to ask the Birmingham authorities to arrange that this should not occur again;

The latest member of our staff to join the Army writes from Aldershot:- “I am going on fine, and am very well. We sleep on the floor here with three blankets. The food is very decent except dinner which is stew every day. We have to get up at 6:30, and have to be in prompt at 9 o’clock. We are having section and marching drill. It has rained nearly every day, and the town is plastered with mud. Aldershot is a queer place, all barracks and soldiers. One hardly ever sees a girl, worse luck…;”

Mr. A.J. Wilcock, Comer Road, St. John’s, formerly of the Yeomanry, has been gazetted to a Lieutenancy in the 11th Worcesters. He is an Old Elizabethan.

Information researched by Sue Redding