Skip to navigation | Skip to content | Skip to footer

Key dates over March 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 29 30 31

Lives lost on this day: 5

17th March 1917 - Horrific accident on Droitwich railway line

Rolling casualty count: 5684

War Front: 2nd Batt: Batt In the pm representatives from the Batt played in a match against the Australians in Amiens.

2/7th Batt: Men had a holiday pm. The Brigade occupied the 1st and 2nd Line of the German trenches at Chaulnes without any opposition.

2/8th Batt: At 5m Batt found the enemy line unoccupied, crossed over and established posts. Four other ranks were wounded by a bomb but no enemy was seen. Two men evacuated sick.

10th Batt: Batt arrived at Boeseghem having stayed at Bonnieres, Croix, Tangry and Equideques

SMD RFA: Raid was cancelled as it was found that the enemy had already withdrawn.

Home Front: Shocking Accident at Droitwich: On Friday a shocking accident occurred to a woman named Clara Rollins (aged about 40), living at Grantham, the wife of a soldier stationed at Norton. She was on the Salt Union’s ash bank at Covercroft, picking cinders, when in some way she fell down the bank in front of the Union’s locomotive, which was just returning from the railway goods yard. The wheels went over her legs, completely severing one foot near the ankle, and severely lacerating the other. First aid was rendered by the Station-master, and the poor woman was afterwards attended to by Dr. Roden and the District Nurse, the latter and P.C. Garrard accompanying her to Worcester Infirmary, whither she was conveyed in Sir Harry Vernon’s motor.

Some time ago Malvern Link Church School sent a parcel of food and comforts, through the Worcestershire Regimental Comforts Fund, for prisoners of war. In the parcel was a tin of milk, on which Miss Nellie Prentice, of “Plynlimmon,” Albert Parke Road, Malvern Link, wrote her name and address. She hoas now received the following postcard, through the Ottoman Red Crescent, from Pte. A.J. Whaile, 2982, a prisoner of war at Angora: “Dear friend, I hope you will not object to my writing to you, but I received a parcel from the Worcestershire Regimental Comforts Fund, and on a tin of milk I saw your address, so I thought I would let you know I secured it safe.”

County War Agricultural Executive Meeting: Payment of Aliens: Mr Bird read a letter from Mr. Dennis Best stating that because of the increase in maintenance charges he had to allow aliens working for him 15s. per week, and he asked if he could deduct money from the wages of the men. The amount now allowed, 12s. 3d., was a ridiculous figure. If he paid more it would mean that he would be paying higher wages to aliens than to English men. The Clerk said the wage paid to aliens must be the wage current in the district, and the employer was entitled to deduct 12s. 3d. from their wages towards the cost of their keep. That figure was fixed some months ago, and if the Committee made some representations they might get it raised. Several members expressed the view that the allowance was sufficient, and it was resolved that no change should be made.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team