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Key dates over June 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

Lives lost on this day: 3

4th June 1917 - BIGAMY AT OMBERSLEY

Rolling casualty count: 6554

War Front:

2nd Batt: CO inspected the billets in am. Officers beat the Sergeants at cricket in the evening.

4th Batt: batt entrained for Bonneville at Arras Station and while they were entraining, enemy planes again dropped bombs on Arras. Batts arrived at Candas at 3pm and were met by guides who took them to good billets at Bonneville. Weather very hot.

2/8th batt: One man was taken to 3rd Army Rest camp.

SMD RFA: The enemy shelled us at 5pm but no casualties sustained. After fire had ceased, it was found that 4 gun-pits had been hit and 2 guns knocked out.

Home Front:

BIGAMY AT OMBERSLEY – Scoundrel Trapped at Fernhill Heath - At BERKSHIRE Assizes, at Reading, Graydon Maynard of Park Avenue, Worcester, pleaded guilty to bigamously marrying Margaret Newey on August 28, 1911, at Ombersley, and further with unlawfully marrying Charlotte Beck, of Edgbaston, on September 7, 1916, at Newport, Salop, his wife, whom he married on January 16, 1901, in London, being alive. Prisoner is the son of a gardener, who formerly resided in Kent. He went to America with his wife, and, leaving her there, returned to Ombersley, where he went through a form of marriage with Newey. He joined his wife again in 1912, this time in New York, and after staying with her for a little while, returned to England. Out of his lawful wife alone Maynard got £900. In June 1914 he got into communication, through a matrimonial agency, with a widow of means in Eastbourne. He represented to her that he was an engineer on a large railway at Hobart, Tasmania, and was over here to purchase machinery to the value of £500. He stated that he wished to take her back as his intended wife. This led her to dispose of her home. He then asked for a loan of £250, as he was short of money. This was found to be untrue and the lady declined to have anything more to do with him. Later he appeared at Stratford upon Avon, where he engaged rooms at the house of a widow. He stated that he was on holiday from New Zealand, proposed marriage, and endeavoured to get the deeds of her house property, but was not successful. So persistent was he however, that the lady had to leave her house for a while in order to get out of his way. Later he again appeared where he stayed at a hotel. He represented that he was a widower and an engineer from New Zealand and had come to England for an operation.

THE CALLING UP OF DOCTORS – The emergency Sub Committee reported that there were 188 doctors on the Worcestershire panel, of which 39 had already joined the Army; 85 were over military age, 21 had received the calling up notice, and 44 had not replied to a circular sent by the Committee, but the Committee were informed that the majority were over military age. The Chairman said a letter had been received from the Insurance Commissioners on the question of the calling-up of medical practitioners, and pointing out the importance of removing, so far as possible, the strain of the practitioners remaining in civil work. Insured persons might be notified not to make unnecessary demands on the time and services of doctors.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team