1st January 1917 - Less trains - higher prices

Rolling casualty count: 5160

1st Batt: Batt on fatigue work at Bray and then marched to billets at Vaux

2nd Batt: The day was a holiday for all Coys with special dinners. The Sergeants had a mess dinner in the evening.

3rd Batt: batt relieved the 8th Loyal North Lancs Reg in the same trenches as before.

4th Batt: batt at Molliens-Vidame where usual training continued with the tactical scheme in wood fighting. The Cos riding class for officers took place pm.

2/7th Batt: Batt at Mouquet farm in trenches and were relieved by the 2/8th Worcs.

10th Batt: Batt in action on the northern flank of the Field of operation near Gezencourt

11th Batt: Batt in Macedonia in front of the Bulgarian trenches among the mountainous ridges of the Serbs` greek frontier.

SMD RFA:The OC the Brigade made Brevet Lt Col and major SJ Thompson received the DSO in the New Year`s Honours List.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: Reg at Batia in wild, windy weather with torrential rain.

Home Front: Trains Reduced: Rates Increased: Today the majority of the British railways will bring into force their new war time-tables and increased fares. The wholesale cutting off of trains and slowing down of the remainder will have the effect of putting backwards railway services to what they were a quarter of a century ago. In the meantime in respect of many railways, notice is advertised of increases of travel rates.

Noisy Peace Meeting: On Sunday the quietness of Victoria Park, E., was disturbed by a peace meeting held by Miss Sylvia Pankhurst and other members of the Workers’ Suffrage Federation, and at last the park-keepers cleared the place. The row was started by two little dogs who interrupted the speeches. “Cat-calls” and contradictions of the speakers followed. Then came two old soldiers waving a Union Jack and singing “The Red, White, and Blue.” The platform was swept away by a hostile crowd, Miss Pankhurst had a narrow escape from being trampled on. The police decided to take no measures, unless the park-keepers required assistance. There were no serious injuries.

The Dean of Worcester is still searching for paintings, pictures, and prints of his predecessors, with the view to complete, as far as possible, the portrait gallery in the Deanery, which he has already increased more than threefold. He has had copied or photographed all the pictures which he has yet found but there are still many gaps in his list…The chief gaps in the Deanery Gallery are of Deans of the 16th and 17th centuries.

In the astronomical sense 1917 will be a crowded year, for it will contain the maximum number of eclipses, no fewer than four of the sun and three of the moon being scheduled between January 1 and December 31. It is very rarely that seven eclipses occur in one calendar year: the thing has not happened since 1805 – an auspicious date, it is observed, for those who look forward this year to other eclipses than the heavenly ones.

Burning Fatality at Worcester: Alice Smith (49), St Paul’s Street, when going upstairs with a lighted lamp, slipped and broke the lam, and set fire to her clothing. Her husband saw her at the foot of the stairs trying to extinguish the flames with her hands. He wrapped some matting around her to extinguish the fire, but to little purpose. Neighbours had heard the poor woman’s shrieks and the one of them on entering the house found that Mrs. Smith was already badly burnt about the head and shoulders. Her underclothes were burning, and this was stopped by a rug being wrapped tightly around them. Brandy was given her, and linseed oil used till Dr. Bennett arrived and ordered Mrs. Smith to be taken to the Infirmary. Her daughter, Alice narrowly escaped being burnt also, for in attempting to help her mother, the front of her dress became ignited, but was accidentally put out by a neighbour carrying water colliding with her as she was running out of the house. The water was thrown down her dress. Mrs. Smith died in the Infirmary.

Volunteer Band Concert: In the Public Hall, on Wednesday evening, at 7:30, the Band of the 2nd Battalion of the Worcestershire Volunteer Regiment will give a concert (by permission of the Officer Commanding the Battalion, Col. Webb). The proceeds will go to the Band (who have no other funds), and will be used to pay the cost of the repair of their instruments. This comprises about 30 proficient instrumentalists (all excepting a few over military age) and a goodly proportion of them were members of the Civil Military Band.

Information researched by the Worcestershire World War 100 team