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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: 0

15th March 1916 - More Conscientious Objectors at Evesham

Rolling Casualty Count: 2799

At the Front:

1st Batt: relieved from trenches by 20th London Regiment

2nd Batt: More fatigue parties and then had the use of footballs!. Lt Roberts and a draft of 13 NCOs and men joined the Batt.

8th Batt: Batt relieved by 7th Worcs and proceeded to Divisional Reserve in Courcelles.

9th Batt: The reminder of the Batt followed in the steamer “Rameses”, which had been a Cook`s Nile steamer and therefore quite comfortable.

On the Home Front:

British Farmers’ Red Cross Fund: The 59th Worcestershire list of contributions, acknowledged this week, consists of the following: Agricultural Jumble Sale at Tenbury, by the Tenbury Agricultural Society, per Mr. W. Baldwin (1st instalment), £1,000 which brings the total fund to £1,886 10s. 11d. The grand total of the Fund to March 10th was £247,697 13s. 8d.

Officers’ Instruction Classes: Provisional arrangements have been made for a course of 20 lectures by officers of the Regular Army, at the rate of one a week, to be delivered at the Birmingham Municipal Technical School – and the course being open to officers and to Senior N.C.O.’s who are recommended by their Company Officer. Full information as the the subjects of the lectures, and other matters, can be obtained from Lieut.-Col. J. Livingstone Wood, Hon. Secretary, Headquarters’ Staff Office, Bank Buildings, The Cross, Worcester, so early application should be made. By order, J. Baldwin, Major, Brigade-Major, Worcestershire Volunteer Regiment.

Leigh Man Killed: Mrs. Ward, of Coles Green, Leigh, has received information that her son, Pte. E. Ward, of the 14th Battalion, Worcs. Regt., previously reported missing as from August 6, is now reported killed on that date. He enlisted after the outbreak of war and had only been in Gallipoli two days before he was killed. He was unmarried.

Grimley Woman’s Attempted Suicide: This afternoon, at the County Magistrate’s Office, Marion Grimley was charged with attempting to commit suicide by cutting her throat with a razor on February 28th. Defendant had been living with Mrs. Charlotte Smith, St. Martin’s Gate, from 17th January to the 28th February and during the whole of that time she had been ill with heart trouble. She was depressed and had had a nervous breakdown…Dr. Pollard, Hon. Surgeon of the Worcester Infirmary, said she was suffering from a transverse wound in the throat, dividing the muscles and opening both the pharynx and the larynx. The razor used required very great force and great determination to inflict such a wound, as it was very blunt. After an operation, she progressed exceedingly well, and was now physically fit for discharge. Defendant was formally charged and was committed for trial at the Quarter Sessions.

More Conscientious Objectors at Evesham: A number of conscientious objectors came before the Evesham Rural District Tribunal. A.E.Thorne, market gardener, said he objected to all military service and to all wars, based on his contentions on the preaching and teaching of Christ. The command of Christ should take precedence of the requirements of the State. He had been a Quaker all his life. The Military Representative: It would be rather unfortunate for our country if we were all Quakers? – I can’t agree with you. I think it would be better for the country if we were. Asked what he would do if he saw a man killing a child, and the only way to save the child was to kill the man, applicant said he did not think he would kill the man. He was not married, but had sisters. Would you stand by and see the Germans do what they did to women in Belgium? – I should not sit still. I think we should trust in God rather than in the weapons that man’s ingenuity has forged. Total exemption was granted.

General Infirmary: Week ending 11th March, 1916: Patients admitted, 21; patients discharged, 13; in the House, 89 (including 5 wounded soldiers, 14 Royal Engineers, and other troops).

Information researched by the WWW100 team.