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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: 2

1st October 1917 - WHITELADIES FATALITY – FALL FROM THRESHING MACHINE

Rolling casualty count: 7684

War Front:

1st Batt: Batt in trenches in Warneton Section. The enemy quite quiet.

2nd Batt: Batt paraded under Major Pardoe for a rehearsal by the Commander in Chief.

2/7th Batt: Batt at Greenland Hill, Arras, in the trenches. 2nd Lt RM Bowen is to be Acting Capt. commanding D Coy. One other rank wounded.

1/8th Batt: Batt moved from Recques (Hazebrouke,) to the forward area. HQ, B and D Coys entrained at 8.30am for Vlamertinghe and from there marched to Brake Camp. D Coy proceeded to Reigersburg Camp from where it marched to Spot Camp for work. C Coy moved to Peselmoek during the night.

2/8th Batt: 2/8th Batt: Batt in Support trenches in Gavrelle Switch providing working parties.

3rd Batt: Batt in billets at Barbure where it continued training.

4th Batt: Batt in De Wippe Camp in huts, surrounded by sand-bags to lessen the effect of hostile bombs from enemy planes at night.

10th Batt: Batt in support at Hill 60. One other rank wounded.

14th Batt: Batt had been split up into small detachments around Arras area as the Pioneer Batt doing useful work in defences and communications in a camp west of St Nicholas, one mile north of Arras.

Home Front:

PRISONERS OF WAR FUND – SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS – County Committee – A meeting of the Prisoners of War Fund (Worcestershire Executive Sub Committee) was held today. The Honorary Secretary reported that the County Council had promised a contribution of £400 payable on four quarterly instalments of £100 each. Upton upon Severn Rural District Council promised £100 in four instalments of £25 each and Kidderminster Town Council offered a similar sum.

WHITELADIES FATALITY – FALL FROM THRESHING MACHINE – On Saturday the District Coroners held an inquest at Aston Hall Farm, White Ladies, Aston, respecting the death of Alfred Willets (59) Labourer, Lakes Swineherd, who died on Thursday as the result of a fall from a threshing machine. Sarah Shipley, daughter of the deceased, said that her father had been living with her and had been employed by Messrs E & J Watson, threshing machine proprietors. Some time ago he was attended by Dr Moore Ede for pains in the head. When Willets had these he was troubled by dizziness. Andrew Howes said he was assisting Willetts with a threshing machine. He was on the box “feeding”. Witness took a sack into the barn and on his return found Willetts on the ground. He was dead. It was Willetts business to sweep the top of the machine, which was running at the time, the broom was at his side. Dr Rusher, Pershore said that a superficial examination showed that death was from a broken neck.

Information researched by the Worcestershire World War 100 team