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Key dates over January 1917

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Lives lost on this day: 11

26th January 1917 - RFC pilot in fatal accident at Farnborough

Rolling casualty count: 5363

War Front: 1st Batt: Batt relieved the 14th Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders in trenches due north of Bouchavesnes and facing the wood at St Pierre-Vaast.

2nd Batt: CO and Coy Com reconnoitred the Line during the am.

4th Batt: Twelve Vickers guns were posted on Giro Avenue to work on the impending local attack by the left on Le Boeufs Brigade Camp. Batt relieved by the 1st Royal Dublin Reg. Just before the arrival, the neighbourhood of Batt HQ was shelled for 20 minutes but luckily no-one was hurt.

Home Front: 500 ft. Fall: At Aldershot, an inquest was held today on the body of Lieut. Phillip Evans, Royal Flying Corps, of Worcester, who was killed in an accident to an aeroplane he was piloting on Wednesday. Evidence was given that deceased had only just gone up, and when over the Farnborough Aerodrome his machine was seen to be in difficulties, and finally fell on the Common. The wreckage caught fire, and the unfortunate officer was dead when extricated…Deceased appeared to lose control of the machine a few minutes after he left the ground. When he reached the height of about 500 feet he attempted to turn to the right , and the machine dived for about 200 feet, and then started spinning to the ground. An expert pilot stated that the engine had apparently been running when the machine fell, and, had it been shut off, the outbreak of fire would not have been so likely. Medical evidence showed that death was caused by a fracture of the skull. A verdict of “Accidental death” was returned.

“The Stop Gaps” at Long Odds: Describing recent experiences on the Western Front, a Staff Officer described how the Worcestershires held the “Hole in the Wall” and won a new nick-name: “In my Division they call the Worcestershires ‘The Stop-Gaps.’ It doesn’t sound very complimentary, but in truth it is one of the most honourably earned nick-names in the British Army. The day it was won we had just cleared a big stretch of front, and in doing so we had prolonged our line a bit more than was intended. Between us and the troops on our right there was a gap, which the Germans could have made great use of had they known of its existence. The Worcestershires were due for relief, and were probably looking forward to a quiet spell in billets after three hard days. Instead they were ordered to move in on our right to fill this gap, this ‘hole in the wall,’ as we called it. We didn’t know at the time the name of the battalion that had come to the rescue, so in reports we spoke of them as ‘Blank Battalion of the Royal Stop-gaps.’…The Worcestershires kept well under cover, and the advancing exultant Germans thought they had struck something soft. They were allowed to approach within 500 yards of the hole in the wall unmolested by anything but the usual big-gun fire…Suddenly all was commotion, Rifles cracked, machine-guns tapped out death, and bombs exploded in the ranks of the foe. The ‘Stop-gaps’ were at work. The resulting rout of the enemy was complete…”

Our 18 Year Old Soldiers: The Proclamation calling to the Colours lads born in 1896 and 1899 will be issued shortly. Class A Men (these are more than 18 yars and 30 days) must report on February 15th. Class B men, those born in 1899, must report 30 days after they reach the age of 18. In no case will the young men be sent abroad till they are 19. They will be trained, and will form the home troops, thus releasing the general service men, who are necessarily detained on home service under the present conditions…It is expected that this new Proclamation will result in a large number of recruits from Worcestershire, especially in the thickly-populated districts in the north of the county.

Judge Tobin and Girls Who Sit at Home: His Honour Judge Tobin sat at Malvern County Court this morning. A debtor, who appeared on a judgement summons, on being asked by His Honour if his daughter was doing anything, said she was at home, doing house-work. She was apprenticed to the dressmaking, but was unable to follow it up. His Honour: We don’t want women to be dressmaking nowadays, when they ought to be at munitions, where they can help their country and earn heaps of money. Why doesn’t she put her back into it? What is she doing sitting at home? Boys have to go away from home into the trenches.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team