10th November 1917 - Third Battle of Ypres ends with the capture of Passchendaele village

Rolling casualty count: 8108

War Front:

1st Batt: Batt relieved by the 2nd Northants and returned to Romarin camp, which was Brigade Reserve. 2 Coys from the Front Line came back by train in very wet weather.

2nd Batt: Batt supplied more working parties. The 1st Queens carried out a raid on enemy trenches during the night and 1 prisoner was taken.

4th Batt: GOC of Division examined the CO and 2nd in Command at Brigade HQ. In pm he gave a lecture on musketry to all officers and full NCOs of the 88th Brigade on the forthcoming training and operations in semi-open warfare.

2/7th Batt: Men attended classes in interior economy. There was general cleaning and baths for the men.

2/8th Batt: Men resting. 2ndLt GW Palmer re-joined from hospital.

10th Batt: Batt moved by bus to the Merris Area with HQ near Moolencher.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: The Reg marched off again and reached a series of sand hills leading down to the Wadi Hesi and then to a village called Arak el Menshiye in pursuit of retreating Turks.

Home Front:

Capt. E. Lionel Jones, M.C., Royal Fusiliers, who has been decorated with the Military Cross, joined the Army in January, 1916. Passing through the Inns of Court O.T.C., he gained his commission as Sec.-Lieut.’ went out to France in January last and after four months’ service was awarded the M.C. for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. He was for many years a very ernest worker in the Y.M.C.A., Hon. Treasurer of the St. John’s Cricket Club and was among those decorated with the Military Cross by His Majesty at Buckingham Palace on October 31 last and has since returned to the front.

Mr. F.T. Price, Secretary of the Worcester and District Tobacconist’s Association has received a letter from the Tobacco and Matches Control Board asking him to acquaint retail customers that a memorandum has been issued relative to supplies of manufactured tobacco for civil use during the Christmas season. This memorandum states that all supplies for civil use are based upon the maximum amount available month by month. Members of the retail trade are informed that it will be necessary for them to restrict their sales during the Christmas season to the ordinary requirements of their customers in order to ensure that the supplies which are available shall be sufficient for the ordinary consumption of all and should not be depleted by extensive Christmas purchases.

Scouts’ Ambulance Contest: By the kind permission of the Matron, an ambulance competition for the Whiteley Shield was held at the Infirmary on Thursday. The examination paper was drawn up by Miss W.M. Barnard. It was arranged that the competing troops should not know what the question would be, so that this necessitated each learning the whole of the work laid down in The Ambulance Test contained in the Scouts’ Test Book. This tended to make the contest more interesting and much harder. Three teams entered for the competition. The Judges were Miss Watson (Matron) and Miss Ellison (one of the Sisters). They both expressed themselves agreeably surprised at the manner to which the boys answered the various questions put to them and stated that it reflected great credit on their teachers. The contest was very keen and the Judges had a difficult task in selecting the winners. St. John’s were the winners (94 points), St. Barnabas were second (90 points) and St. Martin’s third (78 points).

The City Coroner held an inquest this morning respecting the death of Charles Perks (32), 1 House, 3 Court, Dolday, who died on Wednesday evening. Dr. McKean said that he was called to see Perks on Monday. He was suffering from acute diarrhoea and pains in the abdomen. He was in a state of collapse. Mrs. Perks told witness that her husband had had haddock for supper on Nov. 2nd and the symptoms corresponded with ptomaine poisoning. Meat or fish might appear perfectly fresh and yet be subject to poison. The poison might be caused by the food being cooked in a dirty pan and might be destroyed in cooking. Mr. Roberts, fishmonger, said that he sold a number of haddocks on Friday and had received no complaints about the fish not being fresh. The Jury returned a verdict “that death was due to ptomaine poisoning” and added that there was not sufficient evidence to show how the poisoning was caused.

The first meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Subjects, History and Literature, took place on Tuesday evening in the Parish Room, under the chairmanship of the Rector, the Rev. Wilfred Neales. A paper by Mr. Stone on “The Church’s Relationship to Social Problems” was read and discussed.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team