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Key dates over July 1916

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Lives lost on this day: 12

8th July 1916 - Row in a Pea Field

Rolling Casualty Count: 3590

At the Front:

1st Batt: Capt Little of D Coy made a reconnaissance of Contalmaison and found it strongly held by enemy. At 4,15pm another attack was made but enemy fired a tremendous barrage on all fronts leading to shelter Alley and Peake Wood and again men had to fall back.

2nd Batt: PT and running before breakfast. Left at 9.0am and marched to Lillers where they entrained for Saleux arriving at 6.0pm.

3rd batt: By 11.00am Batt in Aveluy Wood trenches and moved to Usna Hill in bivouacs at night

10th Batt: Inspection by Major Gen Bridge DSOCMG and he thanked all men for their good work so far and assured them that the Division would go down in history.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: Hostile aeroplanes came over on bomb dropping expedition, but there were no casualties.

On the Home Front:

Women’s Farm Labour: Dear Sir, I should be much obliged if you would make known through the medium of your paper, that a Bureau of Inquiry (staffed by the Women’s Volunteer Reserve) is now open at the Worcester Cattle Market, by kind permission of the Chairman of the Markets’ Committee, on Monday mornings, from 10.30 onwards. Farmers in need of imported woman labour, or wishing to make inquiries as to the conditions under which such labour can be obtained, are cordially invited to apply to the above. Mary A. Pakington, Hon. Sec.

Solicitors’ Roll of Honour: At the annual meeting of the Law Society on Friday, the Treasurer stated that 165 solicitors and 102 articled clerks have been killed in action, and 70 solicitors and 24 articled clerks mentioned in despatches. Two solicitors have received the C.B., 8 the C.M.G., 10 the D.S.O., 4 the D.C.M., and 32 solicitors and 21 articled clerks the Military Cross.

A Wonderful Record: A sergeant in an Irish regiment, wounded by a bullet through the wrist, has a wonderful record of service. He left England in August, 1914, and, after fighting through Mons and the Marne, was wounded in 17 places at the battle of the Aisne. These quickly healed, and in six weeks’ time he volunteered again for service at the front. After being wounded in the head at Loos he was brought back to England, and in a month’s time he was, at his own wish, sent to his battalion once more. He went into action in a deadly spot, and, speaking as an old Regular, he could not say enough in praise of the gallantry of the Irish.

Row in a Pea Field: Edward Bradley, William Dawkins, and John Purchase, pea pickers, employed at the Open Barn Farm, Kempsey, were charged with causing grievous bodily harm to Joseph Cuddihy, also a pea picker. Cuddihy said that he was working with the defendants. He was talking to another man, and bade him “good night,” and then the three defendants came from behind a barn and hit him with some stakes…Dawkins then made a statement that his son was taking a horse to the field, and Cuddihy hit him. Dawkins then went down to Cuddihy and they fought. The magistrate dismissed the case against Purchase and Bradley, and fined Dawkins 10s.

Blind Boys’ Boat Race: This afternoon, on the Severn, at Worcester, a crew of the Worcester Cathedral King’s School beat a crew from the Worcester College for the Blind by six lengths. The race was up stream over a half-mile course from Diglis to the Cathedral Ferry steps. The King’s School were a very good crew, and pulled strongly all the way. The blind boys rowed steadily. They showed a wonderful improvement on last year’s form, and their form in the race was much the best they have yet shown on the water. Next week they will go to London to compete in several events with the blinded soldiers at St. Dunstan’s Hostel.

Information researched by the WWW100 team.