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Key dates over February 1917

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Lives lost on this day: 5

28th February 1917 - New pensions scale for widows and orphans

Rolling casualty count: 5561

War Front: 2nd Batt: Batt relieved by the 9th HLI and took over the Support Batt. A Coy was in the 2nd line, B and C Coys in Maud Avenue and Clery Chateau.

4th Batt: A party of 4 officers and 200 other ranks went to work at Plateau under Capt Roberts. Batt had baths pm.

2/8th Batt: Weather fine and mild at last.

9th Batt: A day of rest was allowed for the men. The supply columns had not caught up with the advance and men had to eat their iron rations. Major Gibbon was awarded the DSO and Capt CE Sladdon was awarded the MC.

10th Batt: Batt moved to HQ at Railway Avenue.

Home Front: Worcester Nurses Death – The District Coroner held an inquest at the Isolation Hospital, Newtown Road, as to the death of Rose Hewlett, aged 39, single a nurse at the Hospital, who dies on Sunday. Esther Pitcher, domestic servant at the Hospital stated that the nurse had been occasionally medically attended for indigestion. On Saturday afternoon she went into Worcester with witness and her sister. The nurse complained of pains and had some brandy, which did not relieve her. She was taken back to the hospital in a cart, put to bed, and the Matron attended her. Dr Legge attended her the next day. Dr Legge stated that he attended the nurse for nervous debility, anaemia and indigestion. The symptoms were not such as would lead witness to expect death. He had made a post mortem and found that inflammation of the bowels and peritonitis had set in. A verdict of death from natural causes was returned.

Soldier’s Pensions – The following shows the amounts receivable per week by a widow and children under the new scale: Widows without children; 10/0s 12/6d at 35, 15/os at 45. Widow, one child 15/0; Widow two children 18/6d; widow three children 20/6d; widow four children 22/6d. For motherless children the new rate is 5s each.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team