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Key dates over February 1917

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

Lives lost on this day: 4

1st February 1917 - Germany begins a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare

Rolling casualty count: 5379

War Front:

2nd Batt: Batt in the field where the Support Coys did all the carrying work for the Coys in the Front line. Heavy firing near the HQ by the enemy around 5.30pm.

3rd Batt: Batt in Divisional reserve at Nieppe.

4th batt: Batt at Morval and it was relieved by the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers. There was enemy bombardment during the relief. There were no cases of trench foot when they reached Carnoy.

2/7th Batt: Batt in training at Marcheville on Coy and Specialist activities.

2/8th Batt: Batt in billets at Domvast in very cold conditions.

9th Batt: Batt moved up from Reserve in preparation for a fresh attack near the Shumran Bend of the Tigris.

10th Batt: Batt at Bertrancourt. A water patrol of 1 NCO and 27 men was provided.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: Regiment at El Arish patrolling eastwards into the Desert and carrying out tactical schemes

Home Front: Worcester and War Loan – City Council’s Proposed £50,000 –At a meeting of the Finance Committee on Tuesday, the Mayor reported on a conference in London which he attended as Chairman of the War Savings Committee, and he suggested that the City Council should invest any available funds in the War Loan; and that, if possible, the sum should be equal to £1 per head of population of the City.

Ladies’ Column –In days before the word war was ever on our lips, and we were going on in th careless way that showed that nobody – certainly no woman ever believed that we were within a short distance of national upheaval, January was the month of balls, when women and men went from county to county to attend the annual county ball, each in the finest dresses that could be designed or purchased, and each one more beautifully turned out than the other. Hunt balls and county balls came round as regularly as the seasons, and no gatherings of the year were more eagerly anticipated by both men and women. Like so many other gladsome functions, they are events of the past, how soon to be resuscitated lying for the present on the knees of the gods. Probably many years will go by before we settle down into the old routine again, but that is no reason why men home from the front should be deprived of the pleasure of a little dance, Things are comfortless enough “out there”.

Information researched by the Worcestershire World War 100 team