13th March 1916 - 2nd Batt relieved by the 1st/6th Scottish Rifles

Rolling Casualty Count: 2799

At the Front:

2nd Batt: Batt relieved by the 1st/6th Scottish Rifles and went to billets at Annequin.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: All movements have to be made using a compass as there are few features on which the troops can take a bearing. It is not flat but there is ridge after ridge of low sand hills.

On the Home Front:

A Worcester Schoolmaster as Conscientious Objector: At a meeting of the Worcester County Council Mr. Parkes asked what action Council proposed to take with regard to an assistant master at Worcester Royal Grammar School who had been before the Worcester Tribunal as a conscientious objector. Mr. Parkes said that two of his boys had attended that School in the past, but he was bound to say that he would not be willing for them to continue under the tuition of a man like that, and that he would withdraw them. He thought that the conscientious objection to service under the Military Service Act was an abomination, and wanted stopping. He did not think that a person who was either afraid or not prepared to serve his country was the right person to teach boys at a public school. The Chairman said that he could not say anything about that case, for the reason that he had the honour to be a member of the County Appeal Tribunal, before whom, that particular case was to come…Mr. Parkes said that he had had an opportunity of expressing his own indignation (and, he felt, that of the Council) that a young man at a public school, instead of teaching young men their duty to their King and country should have set an example the other way about. (Hear, hear).

Worcestershire Men’s Acts: A long list of acts of gallantry on the battlefield for which Distinguished Conduct Medals have been awarded was published recently. The list includes several men in Worcestershire Battalions…For example: 9098 Sergt. H. Boyd, 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment: For conspicuous gallantry in an attack when he assisted in bringing in wounded men, and by persistent firing inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy’s bombing parties. He gave the greatest assistance to his company commander during the operations. Sergt. Boyd had been four times recommended for the honour. During an attack Sergt. Boyd exposed himself fearlessly while signalling for assistance, and for that act was promoted on the field; 2911 Pte. E. Donovan, 1/8th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment (T.F.). For conspicuous devotion to duty. When both his comrades on a listening post were wounded, he managed to get them back to safety, and then went out again and brought in their rifles and equipment; 23291 Pte. F. Knowles, 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment. For conspicuous gallantry when he went over the parapet by daylight within 40 yards of the enemy and dragged in a wounded man of another regiment.

City Police Court: Drunk: Jane Ritchie, 18, Crown Street, was summoned for being drunk in Crown Street. She pleaded guilty. She said she had trouble at home. P.S. Hollis said that the defendant was unable to stand, and eventually she had to be conveyed to the Police Station on a truck. Defendant had been quite a nuisance. She was fined 5s.

National Egg Collection: Five hundred and fifty eggs were collected at the Guildhall for the week ending March 11th, as against 1,256 the previous week. Kempsey 104, Powick and Callow End 80, and Inkberrow 74 were the largest contributors.

Aid for Fighters’ Dependents: The Worcester Soldiers and Sailors’ Families Relief Sub-Committee, up to the 7th March, had 1,561 cases registered. These included: Wives 981, mothers and other dependents 580, children 2,817. This was an increase of 19 cases during the past four weeks. The cash disbursed up to 31st December, 1915, was £3,091 11s. 8d. That disbursed from 1st January to the 4th March, 1916, was £286 17s. 2d. Total from 11th August, 1914, to 4th March, 1916, £3,378 8s. 10d.

Writing on Guildhall Window Panes: Mr. Daniels, the custodian of the Guildhall buildings, has made an interesting discovery, which, so far as the present writers knowledge extends, has not hitherto been notified. Last Saturday one of the windows in the front of the Guildhall would not move; so Mr. Daniels mounted a ladder to ascertain the cause. In doing this he found written on one of the panes of glass the following: “Thomas Chambers came to Worcester on March 26, 1809; W. Partington came to Worcester on April 7, 1817; H. Stockall, 1822.” From the situation in which they were placed it may be assumed that they were workmen employed on the building in some capacity long before the complete restoration of the Guildhall was undertaken.

Information researched by the WWW100 team.