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Key dates over January 1916

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Lives lost on this day: 4

28th January 1916 - Evesham Postman, Sgt. William Gillett, wins the Distinguished Conduct Medal

Rolling Casualty Count: 2726

At the Front:

2nd Batt: Heavy bombardment and a mine killed four men and wounded twenty men.

7th /8th Batt: A mistaken gas alarm spread consternation; one man smelled some Chlorine of Lime and the odour, combined with one of his pals fainting, induced him to give the alarm. It spread to HQ and then to Brigade. The guns opened fire and men were gasping , firmly believing they had been gassed, trying to reach their battle posts!

SMRFA: More gas warnings received , luckily they were false alarms.

On the Home Front:

Astwood Bank Soldier Killed: Information has been received by Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Hill, of Astwood Bank, that their son, Pte. Alfred Hill, of the 3rd Worcs Regt., has been killed near Ypres. He was 27 years of age. In August, 1914, he was called to rejoin his regiment, and has been in the midst of the fighting. His death was the result of the bursting of a shell, which dropped near to where he was engaged in the cooking department of his Company. He has a brother serving with the Colours somewhere in France.

Worcester Officer Hurt: Lieut. J.D.Willis, M.T., A.S.C., son of Mr. J.D.Willis, Worcester, is lying at a private residence at Marlborough with a fractured skull, the result of a motor bicycle accident. He is progressing favourable.

Evesham Postman wins the D.C.M: Sgt. William Gillett, of the 8th Worcestershires (Evesham Territorials), has been awarded the D.C.M. Sgt. Gillett, who is an old soldier, enlisted in 1897, in the 1st Worcestershires…At the outbreak of war his post at the Post Office had to be relinquished, and he proceeded out to France, where he had considerable experience of trench warfare, and had some narrow escapes. He was then transferred to the 3/8th Worcs, with which regiment he is now. When asked where he won the distinction, he was very reticent on the matter, but we gather that it was in France during a German attack.

Throwing Stones: Richard Griffin, Henry Berwick, James Halford and Isaac Pumfrey, all boys of Upton, were charged with throwing stones on the highway. P.C. Jeffes said he was called to Mrs. Cobham, an old lady of 83 years, who said her window had been broken by a large piece of brick. It cost 3s.3d. to repair. The boys had followed her son from church, throwing stones at him all the way, and when he went into the house they threw stones through the window. They were fined 2s. 6d. each, in addition to the expenses of repairing the window.

Patriotism and Poverty: Henry Crumpton, labourer pleaded guilty to coming from land where he had been in search of game. He was caught with a net and two rabbits in his possession. Defendant said he had fully intended giving up this “game,” but three of his sons, who had been bringing two guineas a week into his house, responded to their country’s call at the outbreak of the war, and he was receiving only 8s. 9d. a week from them. There were six young children to keep, and he could not see them go without a Sunday’s dinner. The Chairman said as defendant had not been before the Court for 14 years it was evident that he really intended giving up poaching, and the Bench would deal very leniently with him, and fine him only 2s. 6d. without costs.

Information researched by the WWW100 team.