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Key dates over April 1917

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Lives lost on this day: 17

13th April 1917 - First Battalion in action at Guyencourt

Rolling casualty count: 5821

War Front: 1st Batt: The 2nd East Lancs attacked Guyencourt through our Line and then occupied a line beyond Guyencourt. Batt relieved by the 2nd Northants in support line and went to fair billets in south end of Heudicourt.

2nd Batt: Batt provided 2 working parties of 1 officer and 50 men and a guard of 1 officer and 25 men was sent to Beaucourt, a weak point, taking over the guard from the 58th Division.

3rd Batt: batt marched to Outttersteene en route for the trenches.

4th Batt: batt relieved the 11th Middlesex reg. During am , orders were received to be ready for an attack at 2,00pm but this was cancelled. At 5.30 the attack began on a line from Cambrai Road to Suenappe, but the Germans held on to it. Z Coy suffered heavy casualties from machine gun barrage from the enemy and 7 were killed.

9th Batt: There was sharp fighting at the Front Line but Batt was not in it. The Brigade took over the out-posts in the evening.

10th Batt: There was squad drill and platoon in the attack Coy drill, also 200 yard range bombing.

SMD RFA: At dusk, the remainder of the Batt moved into the advanced sector. Wagon Lines moved forward to a Quarry.

Home Front: WORCESTERSHIRE AND THE WAR – THE MISSING WORCESTER AIRMAN - Councillor R Morris of St. John’s, Worcester, has received a letter from the Officer commanding the Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps of which his youngest son, Sec. Lieut. Vaughan Morris, was a member, containing particulars of the circumstances in which as already stated, he was reported missing. The officer says: “He was out on photographic reconnaissance, and failed to return, and I am sorry to say that so far my efforts to obtain news of him have failed. Your son was a first class observer, and is a very great loss to the Squadron, and I most sincerely hope I may be able to give you better news of him.

DROWNED AT BLACKPOLE – Gloucester Boy’s Sad End – An inquest was held at Fernhill Heath respecting the death of Harry Probyn, aged 12 years of Gloucester, whose body was recovered from the canal at Blackpole Lock on April 9th.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team