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Key dates over May 1918

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Lives lost on this day: 7

15th May 1918 - Redditch Manufacturer’s Suicide

Rolling casualty count: 9717

War Front:

1st Batt: Batt relieved the 2nd Batt Scottish Fusiliers and C Coy relieved 1 Coy of the Manchester Regiment in the Hooge Sector. A draft of 71 other ranks joined the Batt.

2nd Batt: Owing to the continuing hot weather, training was in classes and parades started at 6am so that men could rest in the middle of the day. Capt Hopkins MC re-joined the Batt having completed 6 months of duty at home

4th Batt: Batt Y and Z Coys were allotted the baths from 8 to 10am. Drill and musketry, plus Lewis gun classes for 16 men per Coy under Lt GS Kipps. Two officers and 4 NCOs per Coy attended a day course in the use of No 36 Rifle Grenade Dischargers. All signallers paraded under the Signalling Office. A working party of 150 OR was found to work on the Reserve Lines near La Motte Station. All leather jerkins and fur coats were returned to Ordnance.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: Arrangements were made for the men to visit Jerusalem. Excellent work was done there by the YMCA who provided guides to show the men round.

Home Front:

Redditch Manufacturer’s Suicide – Depression Caused by Overwork – at Feckenham on Tuesday, the District Coroner held an Inquest on the body of John Tipping, Managing Director of English and Co., needle makers of Redditch. The widow said that he had been in very indifferent health lately and had been attended by a doctor for the last three weeks. He was suffering from nervous thermia. Last Saturday morning he seemed no worse than usual. About 11.30 wanting to speak to him she found him in his dressing room in a sitting position on the floor with a wound to his head. She had heard no report of a gun, but he was in the habit of keeping it there. He husband had been very depressed lately.

City War Pensions Committee – Work for Discharged Soldiers – Mr Fairbairn reported that complaints had been received of the way discharged soldiers were treated at Blackpole Factory. The men were given a ticket in an envelope at the Labour Exchange to go to Blackpole and on arriving there they were not received very courteously. In some cases the envelopes were not opened and the men were told that the factory was not “a convalescent home”.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team