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Key dates over December 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

12th December 1917 - Baby’s Body In Boot-Box

Rolling casualty count: 8372

War Front:

1st Batt: Batt inspected by GOC of 24thInfantry Brigade.

2nd Batt: Training began under Coy Command.

4th Batt: Batt training as usual. Draft of 5 officers and 36 other ranks joined. Lt CH Rouch assumed command of Y Coy. 2nd Lt GW Amesbury posted to W Coy, 2nd Lt AE Chatwin posted to X Coy. 2nd Lt S Gray posted to Z Coy with 2nd Lt EA Elliot.

2/7th Batt: There was heavy, hostile shelling of Villers-Plouich-Beaucamp. Capt H Goodwin was transferred to England wounded. Lt Col RP Balfour DSO, CO of Batt was killed by a sniper while examining the wire.

2/8th Batt: Batt supplying working parties and sent 1 officer and 60 other ranks to cover Fifteen Ravine.

Home Front:

The Housing Question - A recommendation from the Health and Housing Committee that a conference of representatives of the Local Authorities meet the Council in order to consider what action should be taken in the matter of housing. The Chairman said that the matter was of vital concern, because it was essential that there should be accommodation for the millions of soldiers and munitions workers when they returned to their former localities.

Baby’s Body In Boot-Box – Discovery in Roadside Ditch – At the Alms houses, Newland, Malvern the District Coroner held an inquest as to the death of a newly born child. P.C. Ernest Harley of Madresfield said that he received information that a box containing the body had been found in a small watercourse running at the side of the Worcester and Malvern road. There was nothing to indicate who put the box there and no clue had been found as to the mother of the child.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team