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Key dates over June 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

Lives lost on this day: 7

16th June 1918 - Great increase in pulmonary tuberculosis

Rolling casualty count: 10103

War Front:

2nd Batt: 2nd Lt J Watkins –Jones was sick and went to hospital. A quiet day with some gas shelling. Brigade commanders visited Batt HQ. 1 OR was wounded.

4th Batt: The garrison was at the Front Line again but had to be withdrawn again as the gas cylinders were to be let off at the first favourable opportunity. Draft of 654 OR joined the Batt and 55 were sent to W Coy.

10th Batt: Batt consolidating the new front line. 5 men killed and 22 wounded.

1/7th Batt: At 4.30 am the converging attack started and the Austrians were driven back through the forest. Prisoners and field guns were taken. The Batt halted to reorganise.

1/8th batt: At 4.30 am the Batt advanced and it met sharp fire, but the heart was out of the Austrian troops after their long battle and they were beaten back by the Batt, 1/7th Worcs, Royal Warwicks and Royal Berks

Home Front:

County Council: The Chairman, in presenting the report of the Standing Joint Committee, said there was a prosecution pending against a man for supplying German prisoners with bread. The danger of such practices was that there was communication with the prisoners behind the backs of the guards, and that the prisoners might store the food for use in case they made their escape. Mr. T.W. Parkes agreed with the Chairman but he saw that Col. Green had stated that he should take steps to institute prosecutions in such cases.

County Council: The Highways and Bridges Committee reported that the Road Board had intimated that, subject to the sanction of the Treasury, they would be prepared to make a grant of £2,000 towards the cost of the surface tarring work proposed to be carried out during the current year. The Committee had resolved to contribute the sum of one penny per superficial yard inclusive towards the cost of tarpainting main roads in the respective urban districts for the session 1918 on the same terms and conditions as last year. Mr. Lambert said the department had tarpainted about 60 miles of road. Because of the fine weather they had been able to get on better than last year.

County Council: Dr. Dixey reported that one of the most serious things they had to deal with was the great increase in pulmonary tuberculosis in the last yaer. The deaths had increased by 4,490 between 1913 and 1916, and this was accounted for by the fact that there was a large number of discharged soldiers suffering from tuberculosis, and there was an equal increase in the number of women. It was suggested that this was due to the fact that a good many women, unfit for the work, had been attracted into munition works by high wages. Many men went into the institution, and then had to go back, after a few months, into small houses totally insufficient for isolation, and there was no wonder that in a short time they spread the infection to others of the family. One of the most important needs after the war was a generous scheme dealing with the housing of the working classes.

About 100 boys of the Worcester Cadet Corps., the Commander of which is Admiral Cuming, D.S.O., were on parade on Pitchcroft on Wednesday, when they went through various exercises under Drill-Sergt. Nash, late of the Volunteers. This was the second time they have appeared on the Croft, previous to which they held their drills in the Drill Hall, Silver Street, which was very kindly lent for their use…There are three companies, A, B, and C. ‘A’ is Messrs. Heenan and Froude’s, ‘B’ Messrs’ Williamsons, and ‘C’ Messrs. McKenzie and Holland.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team