9th July 1918 - A Distressing Accident

Rolling casualty count: 10220

War Front:

2nd Batt: At 2.30am, a German light machine gun was captured by 2nd Lt Morton – Hicks with 2 overcoats belonging to men of the 118th RIR, 56th Division. RE covered the Brigade Front with a double apron of wire.

4th Batt: There was 1 hour`s parade for all coys doing PT and Drill, then the rest of the day was a holiday. 35 OR per coy and 10 officers from HQ were taken to the Divisional Horse Show at Le Mont Petit, near Racquinghem. The drums took part in a competition and took 3rd place. Lt ER Newcombe joined the Batt.

Home Front:

City Police Court: Stealing from a Tea Room: Ernest Edward Taylor (14), errand boy, 1, The Drive, Checketts Lane, was charged with stealing from the tea room at No. 27, The Cross, two 10s. notes and 4s. in money, the property of Miss Maud Mary Langstone, jeweller’s assistant of 35, Rowley Hill Street, and pleaded guilty. Complainant said that on the Friday she placed the money in the pocket of a coat and left it in the tea room. The boy had been there only a week. He went home to dinner and did not return to work. D.S. Handley said that he saw the boy on Pitchcroft, searched him, and found the money. The boy, in reply to questions, admitted taking the money. The boy was a very bad lad. When he was given money he would keep it, instead of bringing the articles he was sent for. He was beyond the control of his parents. Fined £2.

City Police Court: Bound over for Pilfering: Mabel Sleet (15), of 65, Victoria Avenue, telephone operator, was charged with stealing 1s. from a jacket in the cloak-room in the Masonic Hall, Trinity Street, the property of Doris Edith Hallett, 10, Spring Gardens, the Tything. Complainant stated that on Monday, in consequence of several petty thefts which had taken place, it was arranged that a watch should be kept in the cloak room. A shilling was marked, and then place in her jacket pocket. She kept watch for about two hours and then saw defendant come in, tap all the pockets, until she reached the jacket with the shilling in. D.S. Penlington stated that defendant at first denied having the money, but afterwards drew it from the top of her dress. Previous to this, the defendant worked at the Public Hall, where the same kind of pilfering took place, until she was transferred to the Masonic Hall. The Chairman said that she would be bound over for six months.

A Distressing Accident: This morning Mr. Harry Joseph White (42), nurseryman and seedsman, 13, Vernon Park Road, fell into the Canal near Bilford Lane, and got so entangled with his bicycle in the water that he was drowned before help could reach him. He had business to go to Blackpole Factory this morning, and he was seen riding along the canal side by Mrs. Whitehouse, wife of the Bilford Lane lockkeeper. She was at a bedroom window, and at a considerable distance she observed him fall into the canal with his bicycle. She hurried to Gregory’s Mill Lock, half a mile away, and fetched her husband, thence to the spot where she had seen the accident. Sometime necessarily elapsed before they reached the spot. With a drag they pulled the body and the bicycle to the towing path. The rider’s coat, which was torn, was entangled with the handle bars, and his legs were jammed in the front wheel. So much so that body and bicycle could not be separated before they were recovered from the water. These circumstances suggest that when Mr. White found himself precipitated into the water, he became hopelessly hampered in any attempt to swim and save himself.

County Petty Sessions: Fishing Offences: James King, St. George’s Lane, pleaded guilty to fishing without a license. He had three rods and only one license. Fined 5s. Thomas Owen, 180, Hurst Street, Birmingham, was charged with a similar offence. He had a bank line in and was using a rod. Defendant said that he did not know that he had to have another license. He was fined £1.

Cow with Broken Leg: Matthew Darlington, Lyppard Grange, was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a cow. According to the prosecution Edward Smith, butcher, 66, Lowesmoor, saw a cow lying in defendant’s float in Worcester. He took it to the slaughter house and saw that it had a broken leg and he at once slaughtered it. Harold Bint, Meat Inspector in the city, said the cow had a badly fractured leg and the rough ends were worn off indicating that they had been rubbed one against the other. He and Inspector Way, of the N.S.P.C.A., were of opinion that the cow had suffered unnecessarily by not being slaughtered at once on the spot when she sustained a fracture of the leg. For the defence, Mr. Hemming said that the cow got into a hedge and broke its leg on the Sunday. Defendant placed the cow in a cow-house on straw, and saw that it was as comfortable as could be, and the next day sent it to be slaughtered. He contended that defendant behaved in a humane way to the cow, having regard to the fact that it was difficult to get a slaughterer. Defendant said he thought he should not be doing it right if he himself had slaughtered the cow. The Chairman said a majority of the Bench thought that though there was an error of judgement, defendant did not act altogether unreasonably, and they dismissed the case.

Local Honours: The Military Cross: T./ Sec. Lt. J. Cowherd, Worc. Regt: He attempted to force a bridge, and was driven back by machine-gun fire. He advanced again behind a Tank, and when the bridge collapsed he remained, holding the bridge-head until the evening; T./Sec. Lt. W. Hall, Worc. Regt: He defended his position with great determination against a heavy enemy attack, and succeeded in keeping the enemy out. Later, he went forward to a dug-out in rear of the enemy’s lines and rescued some wounded men who had been left in it, bringing them to safety through the enemy’s lines. His resolution and courage undoubtedly saved them from falling into the hands of the enemy.

Sergt. S. Yapp, Worcesters (brother of Mrs. Miles, Willow Street, Diglis, Worcester) has been awarded the Military Medal. He has been in the Army since October, 1914, and has been wounded on two occasions. His nephew, Corpl. W. Yapp, Warwicks, is also a military medallist.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team