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Key dates over March 1916

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Lives lost on this day: 1

17th March 1916 - Co-operative Women’s Guild celebrates birthday

Rolling Casualty Count: 2807

At the Front:

2nd Batt: Relieved by the Scottish Rifles. A quiet day.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: A Squadron at Dueidar, C Squadron at Romani and D Coy at El Ferdan with HQ at Kantare.

On the Home Front:

Co-operative Birthday: On Wednesday, the “birthday night” of the Co-operative Women’s Guild was held in the Co-operative Hall. The President wished the Guild a happy birthday. She said the Guild had been opened 12 years, and it had now a membership of 180. The evening opened with a concert which was followed by a Dutch auction sale. Many of the members brought gifts, which were sold by the auctioneer (Mr. Taberer), the proceeds to go to the Serbians. The sale realised about £2.

Sturdy Bantams: Newsboy’s Pride: Pte. William (“Pat”) Workman, a former Worcester newsboy, and now with the Bantams at the front, writing to a friend, says: “ We went into action and gave the enemy plenty of our corn. They knew we were Bantams and tried to rush us, but we opened rapid fire on them for over an hour, killing thousands of them. I don’t think they will shout “Cock-a-doodle-do” again to us. They say they are coming for some eggs one of these mornings. They don’t half play us up because we are little chaps. We have lost two of our officers and a few lads, but never mind, what has to be will be over here. We have had terrible weather lately, but we seem to stick it like the bigger battalions. Our aeroplanes are doing good work. We have got plenty of warm clothes and cigs., so we go on all right. I have seen the graves of a lot of the Worcester lads whom I knew at the back of the firing lines. Keep the home fires burning.”

More Lighting Restriction Fines: Canon W.H. Chappel, Headmaster of the King’s School, pleaded guilty on behalf of a disobedient schoolboy and a thoughtless school-maid. P.C. Jauncey gave evidence of lights proceeding from a number of windows in the School house. Canon Chappel said he had 150 windows in the house, and nearly 60 inmates, and he had done everything he could to comply with the Order from the first. A fine of 20s was imposed.

Lieut.-Col. Sir Henry Webb, Bart, M.P., commanding the 14th Battalion of the Worcs. Regt. (Severn Valley Pioneers), has presented every warrant officer, N.C.O., and man in the unit with a mackintosh cape. During his command of the 13th Glos. (Forest of Dean Pioneers) Colonel Webb made a similar useful gift to the men of that battalion.

Road Obstruction: William Spares, 22, Quay Street, out-porter, was charged with causing an obstruction with a truck in Sansome Street. P.C. Price stated that the defendant left the truck outside a coffee shop from 5.50 till 6.20 pm. Fined 5s.

Information researched by the WWW100 team.