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Key dates over March 1918

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: 8

13th March 1918 - Balloon Telephonist gives description of Experiences

Rolling casualty count: 8553

War Front:

1st Batt: Batt marched to Abeele and entrained for Lumbres. Batt marched to Meringhem where it was HQ Reserve.

4th Batt: The Bosche shelled the back areas with an HV gun. About 5pm, 1 shell fell on California camp, killing 6 and wounding 6 OR of Z Coy. Another attack took place on the Line on our right. An SOS was sent up and the Batt stood to.

Home Front:

Upset! – Alice Mable, 4 Wellington Gardens, Wellington Street, was fined 10s. for being drunk in Broad Street. P.C. Corbett said that prisoner was incapable of taking care of herself. Prisoner denied that she was drunk, but only upset. She saw her son who refused to have anything to do with her.

Stray Horse: William Hubert Brazier, 21, New Street, was fined 2s. 6d. for being the owner of a horse found straying in St. George’s Lane.

2nd A.M. W. R. May, of the R.F.C., only son of Mr. R. May, of 71, Barbourne Road, who is a balloon telephonist, has written home giving a description of his experiences when the Osmanieh, on which he was travelling to Egypt was sunk, within sight of land, on December 31st. He writes, “I have arrived safely at my destination. I wish I could say the same for all my pals. I cannot now describe all my experiences. We all went through something we shall never forget. We had lost all idea of danger and were all cheerful at the prospect of soon reaching terra-firma, when the shock came. Of course all our packs and kits are now down among the fishes and what we had in our pockets is spoilt. You can take it from me that it is quite true that you do think of a terrible lot of things while you’re deep down under water.”

City Education Committee: The Committee recommended the purchase of a piece of land in the Albert Road, 1,466 square yards, at 3s. 6d. per yard, for an open-air school site; also that the General Purposes Committed be asked for the use of the Fort Royal playground for open-air school purposes on the lines of last year. Both recommendations were approved.

A Fruit Deal: Edward Alfred Rogers, fruit dealer, 7 Vine Street, Evesham, claimed from Mrs. Elizabeth Watkins, trading as Joseph Watkins, market gardener, of the Bull Ring, Worcester, £99 3s. 6d. damages for breach of contract to sell and deliver apples. His Honour found there was a contract to sell about nine tons. He allowed a margin of one ton, which left eight tons to be delivered

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team