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Key dates over March 1916

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Lives lost on this day: 1

22nd March 1916 - Heenan's Man promoted to Captain

Rolling Casualty Count 2816

At the Front:

8th Batt: In the morning GOC came to see the line and saw the bad condition of the trenches and the ground in front. He realised for the first time the impossibility of making sufficient reconnaissance in the short time given and forbade the Raid until a later date.

2nd Batt: Permanent working parties by day and night. The footbaths were used by D Coy. Divisional rest was cancelled.

9th Batt:Officer of the Indian cavalryrode into the Batt`s outpost and asked for help. Two platoons of D Coy were sent out and then the hostile cavalry withdrew.

SMD RFA: Final preparations for projected raid.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: During the month the Regiment has been brought up to full strength by large drafts from England. When it left Ballah for duty at Qatea, an extreme outpost of the Canal Defenses, it was in a high state of efficiency.

On the Home Front:

Dog Without License: William Yarnold, 3, Gregory Bank Cottage, was summoned for keeping a dog without a license. Defendant said that it was his wife’s dog, and she had always taken out the license. Defendant was fined 9s.

Amelia Charles, Tallow Hill, was charged with the larceny of one neck-fur, value £1, the property of David A. Harper, Bridge Inn, Lowesmoor Terrace. Mr. Harper said that after his daughter had reported the loss of the fur he saw Mrs. Charles, who denied that she had taken it, and said it was her daughter’s, and she had a muff to match. She failed to produce the muff, so he informed the police. D.C. Handley went to her house and saw her daughter. She did not show him the muff and neither did she know of her mother’s interview with witness. Defendant replied that she had burnt the fur. Mr. Harper said he was willing to have her back. Defendant was fined £1.

Local Officer’s Promotion: Mr. F. Harrison who accepted a commission as Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, and left for France shortly after war broke out, has now been raised to the rank of Captain. Mr. Harrison was well-known in Worcester, and formerly held an important position at Messrs. Heenan and Froude, engineers.

News of 8th Battalion Prisoners: Pte. L.R. Green, writing from Munster says: “ I am in hospital stil, but my wounds are healing quite satisfactorily. We are getting good treatment and being well looked after so that is everything isn’t it? There are plenty of chums here for us and we get on very well on the whole;” Pte. G. Bates writing from Giessen to his wife, says: “I am in the best of health and spirits, and am being treated fairly well. I am in a good camp and with lots of other British prisoners.”

Pershore Man Killed: Pte. Robert Knott has been killed in action. He is well-known in Wick and Pershore, being a grandson of the late Mr. Charles Royston, and a nephew of Mrs. Baylis of the Telephone Exchange, Pershore…He went out to France in July last and was only 20 years of age. A chum, writing to the family, says: “ At about 4am Bob got up on the fire step to execute his duty, but, unfortunately, a German sniper shot him through the head, and death was instantaneous. He suffered no pain. He was the most generous and willing lad in the platoon. Never did he complain of circumstances, and I am heart-broken in consequence, as we two mated together since leaving Weston-Super-Mare.”

William Bishop, of 2, Landsdowne Road, was charged with stealing a half-pint bottle of stout, belonging to Messrs. Lewis, Clarke and Co. The firm had suffered many of these petty thefts and not only in their own interests, but in the interests of public morality, they had decided to bring all these cases to the Court. In this particular case the stout was not taken off the premises, but, all that was necessary was to prove that the bottle had been moved from one position to another with felonious intent…After hearing the evidence, the Bench dismissed the case.

Information researched by the WWW100 team.