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Key dates over June 1915

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Lives lost on this day: 4

17th June 1915 - VAD Hospital moves into Hartlebury Castle

Rolling casualty count: 1493

1st Batt: Relieved by 1/Sherwood Foresters and go into Brigade Reserve billets along La Bassee road, from Pont du Hem northwards; 2nd Batt: Very quiet. Work continued on new fire trench. Patrols sent out could see nothing but heard heavy transport moving in a southerly direction. A Carrier pigeon was reported to have flown over our line from the enemy’s lines. The G.O.C. Brigade visited Battalion in the trenches and found everything very satisfactory; 3rd Batt: In bivouac at Busse Boom; Royal Field Artillery: Petit Pont: Nothing to report, wind NE, weather fine.

V.A.D Hospital at Hartlebury: The Voluntary Aid Detachment for wounded soldiers, which was first opened in Hartlebury village, has now been removed to a part of the Castle, by the invitation of the Bishop of Worcester. There is accommodation for 16. By permission of Mrs Blakeway, who lives at Chaddesley Corbett, the hospital was formerly at Woodlands. She voluntarily placed her house at the disposal of the V.A.D. from October to June, and it was opened as a hospital on March 17. Patients have benefited very much by their stay there;

12th and 13th Battalions: Appeal for Games: Dear Sir,-May we appeal through you , on behalf of the men of the 12th and 13th Battalions for cricket balls, bats, stumps, pads, gloves, cocoanut matting, netting, etc, quoits and footballs, no necessarily new, or for funds to assist us in buying same? There is practically nothing for the men to do here in the way of outdoor recreation at present, and the men would be extremely grateful for anything done for them. J.G.R. Swanston, Major, 12th Battalion; Frank Wheeler, Lieutenant, 13th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment. (Wareham, Dorset);

Soldiers for Haymaking: In response to the appeal that farmers and farmers’ sons now serving with the Colours should have a fortnight’s or month’s leave for the haymaking, members of the Worcestershire Yeomanry, at Cirencester, are being allowed 14 days off duty. A general order has been made affecting the whole of the Southern Command, and the military will be given leave if they can be spared. In addition, some farmers locally are taking advantage of the offer of the War Office to send soldiers to work on the farms for a short spell. Such men are being paid 4s. a day without board, or 2s. 6d a day with board;

Worcester Watch Committee: Mr. W. Roberts wrote with reference to the fire at the Saracen’s Head, sending £2 2s., “as a slight recognition of the promptitude displayed by the members of the Police Fire Brigade, which undoubtedly prevented the fire spreading.” The Committee directed that the money should be given to the men;

Prospect of Cheaper Bread: There is a prospect that bread will be cheaper in Worcester next week. In reply to one of our reporters, Mr. W.J. Burden, the President of the Worcester Master Bakers’ Association, said that there would probably be the reduction of a halfpenny in the price of the quartern loaf. The drop of flour by 3s. per sack, would, he thought, enable bakers to make that concession to the public. He pointed out that if the reduction were made, bakers would be working on a very small margin of profit. His attention was drawn to a statement that bakers had been heavy losers. He said that this was so. If a baker was to be covered against all risks and work on a fair margin, there should be a reduction of 4s. in the price of a sack of flour, before he was justified in taking a halfpenny off the quartern loaf.;

Information researched by Sue Redding