Skip to navigation | Skip to content | Skip to footer

Key dates over October 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: 9

29th October 1917 - CHILD’S BODY FOUND IN DROITWICH HOTEL GARDEN

Rolling casualty count: 8021

War Front:

1st Batt: Batt relieved the 2nd Rifle Batt in Warneton sector. Relief completed by 10.30pm in good weather. 1 officer joined the Batt. I other rank was wounded.

2nd Batt: It was a full moon and the camp was bombed heavily by enemy planes

2/7th Batt: Lt Col P Balfour DSO Glos Reg., took over command of the Batt. Working parties provided.

1/8th Batt: Batt relieved by 1/7th Worcs in the trenches north east of Vimy. Patrols sent out during the night.

2.8th Batt: Weather fine. Capt. CW Holcroft re-joined the Batt. 3 other ranks wounded.

3rd Batt: Batt returned to the trenches taking over from the 8th Royal North Lancs.

10th Batt: Church Parade am.

Yeomanry /Cavalry: Reg. on the road to Khalassa which was once a place of considerable size and importance but nothing found but ruins.

Home Front:

WORCESTER’S TRIBUTE TO FALLEN HEROES – Memorial Service at the Cathedral – RECEPTION OF 6TH BATTALION COLOURS – In memory of the “brave and the true who have died the death of honour, especially those men from this city and county who have fallen in this war and others of the Worcestershire Regiments” – as the bidding prayer expressed it - a memorial service was held in Worcester Cathedral on the evening of All Saints Day.

CHILD’S BODY FOUND IN DROITWICH HOTEL GARDEN – An inquest was held at the Town Hall Droitwich, this morning regarding the death of the newly born male child of Mabel Perkins, domestic servant, Worcestershire Hotel. James Farmer, gardener at the hotel, said that when sweeping leaves in the garden on Monday morning he saw a brown paper parcel among the leaves . On opening it he found it contained the body of a child. He reported the matter to Mr Culley, his employer and also to the police. Dr Roden said he saw the body at the mortuary. There were no marks of injury on the head or the body. It was a seven months’ developed male child. It was quite healthy, and had evidently breathed. The cord was torn – not tied. He did not think that the child had lived after birth had completely taken place, or that it had a separate existence from its mother. In his opinion the cause of death was want of proper attention at birth, and if the mother was alone at the time she would be unable to give it proper attention. Phoebe Perkins, wife of George Perkins, Hanbury Terrace, Droitwich, said her daughter Mabel was a staff maid at the hotel. She knew she was pregnant only from August last and did not know she was expecting her confinement immediately.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team