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Key dates over July 1918

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Lives lost on this day: 2

3rd July 1918 - Silver wedding of the King and Queen

Rolling casualty count: 10204

War Front:

1st Batt: Much work being carried out at night repairing trenches and re-erecting wire. Nightly patrols found the enemy very quiet except for occasional machine gun fire at wiring parties.

2nd Batt: Nothing was seen of the enemy in the day but plenty of machine gunning at night. Coys still working on the Lines and re-wiring.

3rd Batt: Batt detrained at Hesdin and men were taken by buses to Wavrans, near St Omer.

3rd Batt moved to billets 3 miles from the camp, taking the place of the disbanded 10th Batt. 5 ORs joined from Divisional Draft

4th Batt: Batt on the range from 2-4pm when inter coy competition fired at falling plates. The Batt had trials for the Brigade Sports.

14th Batt: Colonel forty was invalided home and command of the Batt passed to Lt Col HC Maben, DSO, MC.

Home Front:

City Council: The Mayor said that on St. George’s Day our French Allies showed their appreciation of what the British were doing and on the French National Day, July 14th, he thought that they ought to reciprocate and testify their appreciation of the magnificent work of our French Allies, who had borne the brunt of the War. He asked to be allowed to wire that appreciation on July 14th. Ald. Kershaw seconded. Carried.

City Council: Mr. A. Allsebrook wrote that the Worcestershire Fruit and Vegetable Society were proposing to open the Fruit and Vegetable Market (the Old Sheep Market) on July 16th. He said they had arranged the transfer most amicably with Mr. A.G. Griffiths, who had shown them every consideration. Lady Deerhurst wrote inviting the Mayor and Corporation to the formal opening and expressed the hope that the Mayor would be able to auction some of the produce. The Mayor said that he hoped members of the Council would attend the opening ceremony. They all appreciated what Lady Deerhurst had done.

City Council: The Mayor referred to the forthcoming silver wedding of the King and Queen, saying that in happier circumstances the Faithful City would have liked to do something of a tangible character, but he felt sure that they would not like the occasion to pass without giving expression to their feelings with regard to our beloved King and Queen. London was to be allowed to do something of a solid character, but with regard to other places their Majesties had expressed a desire that something should be done on behalf of the Red Cross. The Society had written urging the city to make a collection of gold and silver articles. Those articles would be sent by him to London and melted down and the Mint would credit the Red Cross Society with the value. That collection would take place at the Guildhall on Saturday. Broken articles would be acceptable, because all could be converted into bullion.

Chat and Comment: £450 is to be paid for having the statue of Charles I sandbagged. It is recorded of this statue that at the time of the Revolution it was handed over to a blacksmith to be broken up; that he sold secretly to devotees pieces of old iron as relics; and that at the Restoration he triumphantly produced the original statue intact. He had merely hidden it.

Brotherhood Prize Distribution: For the prize distribution, in connection with the Men’s Own Brotherhood, the Mayor of Worcester kindly lent the County Cricket Ground and between 2,000 and 3,000 members of the Brotherhood, Sisterhood and friends spent a very enjoyable evening on Tuesday. The prizes, numbering about 500, were gracefully distributed by the Mayoress (Mrs. Carlton), this ceremony being divided into two sections, a capital entertainment supplying the remainder of the programme, which occupied over two hours. Admission was at the popular charge of sixpence, the whole of the proceeds going to the Mayor’s Fund for Homes for Disabled Sailors and Soldiers and as the expenses were guaranteed, no entertainment tax was levied.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team