Skip to navigation | Skip to content | Skip to footer

Key dates over June 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 29 30

Lives lost on this day: 4

18th June 1915 - Sweetheart's letters save soldier's life

Rolling casualty count: 1497

1st Batt: In Brigade Reserve billets along La Bassee road; 2nd Batt: Quiet day, very warm. Work on trenches continued. New communication trenches to new fire trench worked on by party of 200 men H.L.I; ground very hard but considerable amount of work done; 3rd Batt: Left bivouac at Busse-Boom and marched to bivouac half mile due South of Ypres; Royal Field Artillery: Petit Pont: Nothing to report, wind NNE, weather fine.

Women in Ruridecanal Conferences: Mr. Willis Bund introduced the report of the committee on the place of women on the councils of the Diocese, and moved a resolution :- “That women shall vote for parochial representatives on the same terms and with the same qualifications as men, and be capable of being elected as members of ruridecanal conference.” The Rev. Canon Wilson moved an amendment with the object of preventing women being unduly represented on the conference. The Rev. Mr Morgan, of Alderminster, expressed the view that women should not have any place at all on the councils of the Church, (Hear, hear.) The amendment was defeated;

Life Saved by Sweetheart’s Letters: Pte. Reginald Frank Moore, of Offenham, has had a remarkable escape from death. His life was saved by a packet of letters from his sweetheart…It was on May 9th that he was wounded when his Battalion suffered many casualties. On this occasion, he says, the Germans used the gas, but the wind was in the wrong direction for them, and as a result the Germans in the first two trenches were rendered insensible, and the trenches were captured by our men…when they came to the third trench they found the Germans on the parapets in readiness for them. The cried out to our men in good English, “Come on. Get on here, you’re 24 hours late.” The Germans were taking aim, and a tall, powerful German fired at Pte. Moore from ten yards’ range. The bullet struck the packet of letters in his left breast pocket of his tunic, and its course was diverted. It inflicted a serious wound near the centre of his chest, and passed upwards, striking the top brass button of his tunic. But for this button it would probably have gone through his throat with fatal results, but it passed through his shoulder. Pte. Moore treasures that packet of letters, and he has good reason to do so. The letters bear the marks of the bullet, as does the brass button, which was much dented. He keeps the packet of letters and button tied together, and says he shall take care of them during his lifetime;

City Police Court: Damage to Mowing Grass: George King (34), labourer, Kempsey, was summoned for damage to mowing grass, the property of Mrs. Florence Hillery, to the extent of 2s. Defendant did not appear. It was believed that he had joined the Army. P.C. Guy said King had been in the grass, and had done a good deal of damage. He had received strong complaints from Mrs. Hillery. Defendant was fined 5s.;

Information researched by Sue Redding