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Key dates over May 1917

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Lives lost on this day: 1

17th May 1917 - Nursing staff troubles

Rolling casualty count: 6367

War Front:

1st Batt: All Officers, Reg. Sergeant Majors and Sgts. went on Artillery training.

2nd Batt: Batt marched to a camp at Moyenneville.

3rd Batt: Batt relieved from trenches by 10th Cheshires and returned to Div Reserve at Mont St Eloy. Under orders to move at 30 minutes notice.

4th Batt: the south end of our line was shelled and 2 men wounded. Gas shells fell in the vicinity of Batt HQ but no damage done.

2/7th Batt: Batt marched to Herley near Nestle with breakfast enroute and moved to Villers –Bocage and billeted.

2/8th Batt: Batt marched to Mesnil - St Nicaise.

Home Front:

A meeting of the County Food Production Executive was held on Wednesday: The Chairman said that the Committee had now been able to take possession of the cottage which was wanted to facilitate the employment of more German prisoners and 30 extra prisoners had been sent down. Mr. Ward said that in the Droitwich area there were 6,000 acres scheduled and he calculated that 15 tractors would be required to do the work. The Chairman said the Board told him that they hoped to put 30 tractors at the Committee’s disposal. Mr. Ward said they would need 120 tractors in the county. Mr. Dixon agreed. He said in his district they would want 10 tractors if they worked every day of the week and ploughed 6½ acres a day. If Sundays were knocked out it would take 200 days to plough the extra land. Mr. Lander said the Board had also stated that they were going to supply the Committee with horses. They hoped to get thousands of horses from the Army.

Wounded but not Seriously: Mrs. Walter Collins, of 26 Lowell Street, Arboretum (formerly of Barbourne), has received notice that her son, George Collins, Royal Warwickshires, has been three times wounded in the leg and once in the arm, besides being buried in a trench. He is at a base hospital waiting to be brought home. He worked first at Robert Allen’s Brewery and afterwards at the Shrub Hill Engine Sheds. He joined up in May, 1916, when he became 18 years of age and went to France in January last.

Worcester Board of Guardians, Staff Troubles: Ten members of the Nursing Staff sent a letter respectfully urging the Board to retain the services of the Superintendent Nurse, as “they would feel her loss very much.” No action was taken. Nurse Stanton wrote that “she was at a loss to know why the Board desired her resignation,” observing that only recently the doctor complimented her upon her work. The Board considered the matter in Committee, Miss Stanton appearing before them and they decided to adhere to their previous decision requesting her to resign. The Board decided on application to grant testimonials to Miss Agnes Smith, assistant nurse and Miss Pardoe, nursery attendant, who tendered their resignations on having obtained better appointments.

Duty and Discipline: The Duke of Sutherland and Lord Sandhurst have joined the Duty and Discipline Movement, whose quiet patriotic work on behalf of the recognition and practice of virile individual character amongst all classes as an imperative Imperial asset and vital obligation to the State is being widely supported. May war-time subscriptions include one from the Bishop of Worcester.