8th January 1916 - Sir Ian Hamilton's praise for Worcesters in Gallipoli

Rolling Casualty Count: 2685

9th Batt: Sharp retaliation by Sheikh Sa`ad stopped the advance to Tigris. 10th Batt: Neuve Chapelle wood was heavily shelled. At 2.00pm Batt HQ again shelled in retaliation for our trench mortar battery fire.

11th Batt: Men are finding little to break the monotony of existence in Macedonian Hills.

Company-Sgt.-Major P.J. Bayliss: CSM PJ Bayliss, of the 9th Worcs, who has visited his home at Evesham, states that when he left the Battalion at the front just before Christmas they were all in the best of spirits, but were in very uncomfortable quarters because of the incessant rain. Considering all things, he says they are very happy and are wonderfully well fed. Sgt-Maj Bayliss has completed 15 years’ service and again signed on. He returns to France on Thursday week.

In Sir Ian Hamilton’s Gallipoli despatch on Friday, he stated that “The Warwicks and the Worcesters had lost literally every single officer.” Additional evidence of the gallantry of the Worcestershires is forthcoming in a letter, written by a distinguished officer which a reader forwards to us: “My staff and self were the last to leave the Anzac position at 4.15 am on December 28th by the last boat to push off when the place was evacuated – to our disgust . The Worcestershires, in the landing …, lost every officer during the advance to the Sari Bair heights, and only had the doctor and Quartermaster left. Lt-Col Herbert, a New Zealand officer…was sent to command the Worcs. He said the men were all heroes. They marched about, under repeated salvoes of Q.F. guns, all day, without being able to return a shot.”

Angling: More high floods have again caused much inconvenience and damage accompanied as they were in the beginning of the week by a destructive high wind. Angling was quite out of the question. The water is running off rapidly today, but it will be some 14 days, if we have fair weather, before the rivers are fit for successful angling. Some good sport has been had with the pike in private water. On Monday three rodmen caught six very nice-sized, good-conditioned fish, and a lovely brace of perch, the heaviest near 2lbs weight. On Thursday, two other sportsmen in water near Ledbury grassed four fine pike of from 5lbs to 93/4lbs., all taken with live bait. They had the misfortune to lose a still larger fish, the trace breaking at the swivel.

Local News: Serious Railway Accident: Alfred Hughes, aged 36, of 304, Astwood Road, who fell between a moving train and the platform at Shrub Hill Station, on Wednesday morning, is lying in a critical condition in the infirmary. He passed a very bad night on Friday.

Worcs and the War: Cavalry of the Line: Major Baker, the Chief Recruiting Officer for the Worcester area, makes two announcements which will be read in another column. Eligible men are there recommended that “the door is still open” for enlisting under the group system and being passed into the Reserve. Men are also wanted to enlist in the Cavalry of the line for the duration of the war. The standard height is 5ft 4in, with a maximum weight of 11st. Details can be obtained at any Recruiting Office.

3/7th and 3/8th Battalions: It is expected that the 3/7th and the 3/8th Battalions will leave Malvern shortly for a sea-coast resort.

Suppressing the “Long Pull” – Worcester Publicans’ Summoned: At the City Police Court this morning…five licensed victuallers were charged with giving the “long pull.” Their names were Alfred George Wall, Bull’s Head Inn, High Street; Arthur Edward Hale, Alma Inn, Lowesmoor; Cecil John Instan, Boat Inn, Lowesmoor; Thomas Martin, Locomotive Inn, George Street; Harry Denley Price, Ram Inn, Shrub Hill Road. Each was charged with supplying to William Stuart Handley more than the half a pint of beer for which he asked. In the last case it was alleged that the licensee supplied the beer, but in the other cases that their servants supplied it. …It was not suggested that the beer had been tampered with after it was issued from the public houses. His clients would, on his suggestion, plead guilty to a technical offence. Mr. Southall said the proceedings were taken under the recent Order made by the Centred Board of Control. He said the Act of Parliament under which the Order was made expressly made it the duty of the police to enforce the regulations…Under the Licensing Consolidation Act, liquor should be sold in measures marked according to the Imperial standard. By giving extra measure the defendants were offending under that Act. In 1908 a determined effort was made by the Magistrates to put down the “long pull,” and again in 1909 and 1914, to put down what Magistrates called “a pernicious practice.” It caused undue competition in the trade, it jeopardised the fair trader, and it affected the consumer, who thought he was getting half a pint of beer and actually got more.

Information researched by the WWW100 team.