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Key dates over May 1917

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Lives lost on this day: 4

14th May 1917 - More German prisoners arrive at Evesham

Rolling casualty count: 6359

War Front:

2nd Batt: reports said that the enemy was likely to retire to the Queart-Drocourt Line shortly and the Batt was to endeavour to take a prisoner in order to confirm the rumour. A party of Lt Gillespie and 25 men set out and 15 of them were to enter enemy line. They were observed on reaching the hostile wire and had a stiff fight to get back under heavy fire. However they succeeded in killing 14 Germans but 5 of our men were wounded and several missing.

4th Batt: Batt received orders to go into reserve Trenches at Hargestwork, north of Tilloy at 4.30pm. Four platoons took over the strong posts.

9th Batt: Three armoured cars made a reconnoitre towards Deli Abbas and opened fire on enemy position. Two of the cars became bogged in sand within 400 yards of the Turkish border so the 3rd car went back to help. They managed to extricate the cars while the 9th opened fire and the remaining car took the Turkish post.

10th Batt: Draft of 42 other ranks joined from base. A working party of 2 officers and 100 men provided.

SMD RFA: A and B Coys withdrawn from action. A went to Tincourt and B to wagon lines at Hamelot.

Home Front:

The Week-End Storms: During Friday night there was rain; and on Saturday evening, following intense heat during the day, there was a heavy thunderstorm. The lightning was frequent and vivid and rain fell in a deluge, temporarily flooding the streets and beating down the flowers and plants in gardens. On Sunday, following another hot day, there was another heavy rainstorm, with a little thunder and lightning.

More German Prisoners: Twenty more German prisoners arrived at Evesham on Saturday, making 100 now employed on the land at Evesham.

A Win-the-War Cookery Book: So many requests have been received for a simple Cookery Book, that one has been published for the Food Economy Campaign with the authority of the Ministry of Food and will be on sale at all newsagents on Friday next. The object of the book, which is to be sold for 2d., is not only to give recipes for cheaply prepared dishes, but also to point out the main scientific principals underlying economical cookery. It is consequently well worth studying by even the most expert cooks. At the same time the simplicity of the wording is such as to make it quite intelligible to everyone.

At an Investiture held at Buckingham Palace on Saturday, His Majesty the King decorated Colonel Robert Leggett and Lt.–Col. Francis Tomkinson, Worcestershire Regt., with the D.S.O. and Captain John Bate and Captain Geoffrey Tomkinson with the M.C. Col. And Capt. Tomkinson are two of the fighting sons of Ald. Tomkinson of Kidderminster.

Information has been received that Pte. James Stanford, of the Worcestershire Regt., is reported missing. He was with the Salonika Army. He was employed in the Post Office here before he joined the Army about two years ago. He has three brothers serving; one has been killed and one has been invalided home with frost-bite.