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Key dates over May 1918

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Lives lost on this day: 6

8th May 1918 - Gave Blood to Save Comrade’s Life

Rolling casualty count: 9681

War Front:

1st Batt: Batt inspected by Le General Desparez commanding the 6th French Army

2nd Batt: At 1.30pm orders received for Batt to march into position of Divisional Support as there was an enemy attack on the Divisional Front south east of Dickebusche Lake.

4th Batt: At 3am there was a heavy barrage on out right. At 10.15am there was an SOS signal from the 12th Australian Imperial Force on our left as the enemy had placed a heavy barrage on them at 10am and then raided without success. Our guns were exceptionally good in putting down a counter barrage. Another house and some hedges were burned to improve the field of fire.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: Eight enemy aeroplanes dropped bombs on the Regiment at Reveille to no effect, but repeated the operation further south near the Jericho Dumps where there were many casualties.

Home Front:

Gave Blood to Save Comrade’s Life – Mrs Watkins of Station Cottages, Aston Fields, has received a letter from her husband, Private C Watkins (47033) of the Lancashire Fusiliers, who is now in the Doncaster Military Hospital, stating that whilst in the Central Clearing Station, having his teeth attended to, a comrade was brought it dangerously wounded. He had lost a great deal of blood and to save his life Private Watkins volunteered for a transfusion of blood from his body, which saved the life of the comrade. Previous to joining H.M. Forces, Private C. Watkins was employed on the Midland Railway in the Engineers Department.

County Volunteers – Test Mobilisation on Pitchcroft - The test mobilisation of the Worcestershire Volunteers (2ND Battalion) - that “secret” about which there has been so much whispering in the city for weeks past – took place on Sunday. Happily the weather was ideal, not too warm for the men, who, with their full military kit, including the camouflaged steel helmet, would have been uncomfortably warm had May been at its sunniest. The feature of the parade, which differed from previous Volunteer gatherings on the Croft was the fact that the Battalion appeared for the first time as one whole self-contained unit, replete with its own Machine Gun Corps, motor and horse transport sections, V.A.D., etc.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team