Skip to navigation | Skip to content | Skip to footer


Key dates over May 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: 11

1st May 1918 - A Worcester Appeal – Straying Sheep and Damages

Rolling casualty count: 9642

War Front:

1st Batt: Batt billeted in Camon resting in good weather.

2nd Batt: Batt paraded at 8.30pm in the aerodrome near St Marie Capell and marched to Heuringhem, near St Omer. There was an hour’s halt at midday when dinner was served. Three men fell out and were admitted to Field Ambulance. New billets quite good.

3rd Batt: Batt still in Front Line along 25th Divisional Front.

4th Batt: Batt in Reserve trenches east of Hazebrouck. Co and CCs reconnoitred towards Strazeele with a view to making a counter attack and visited Australian positions there.

1/7th and 1/8th Batts: Batts in trenches near Mount Kalsenlaka , in Italy and looking down on Asiago Village, where snow and sleet gave way to a fine day.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: Regiment near Es Salt in the hill. Orders received for a dismounted attack on the town the next day. Men assembled at dawn and advanced but news came that the Australian patrols had entered Es Salt unstopped so the Reg returned to bivouacs, fed the horses and had breakfast.

Home Front:

Older Men and Tribunals – Withdrawal of Counsel’s Help – Under the new Service Bill, today is the last day time an applicant before a Tribunal may be represented by Counsel. This is one of the privileges hitherto conceded to the younger men, which is to be denied to older men as they are called up for military service.

A Worcester Appeal – Straying Sheep and Damages – Justices Lawrence and Avory sitting at a King’s Bench Divisional Court today, gave judgement in an appeal from the decision of Judge Ingham at Worcester County Court in the action Meyer against Purnell. Plaintiff had claimed damages for trespass by defendant’s sheep, the County Court dismissed the claim. The sheep, after straying were found by the police to be scabby and were not allowed to be removed from the Plaintiff’s land for some weeks. The defence set up was that it must be proved that defendant knew the sheep were scabby before damages could be recovered in respect of the period during which they were detained on the land by the police.

Information researched by the Worcestershire World War 100 team