15th November 1918 - Proposed changes in the Divorce Law

Rolling casualty count: 11524

War Front:

1st Batt: The Transport moved to Hergnies.

2nd Batt: Batt marched back through the Forest of Mormal to the village of Engelfontaine.

3rd Batt: Batt moved to St Aubert.

4th Batt: The baths were allotted to the Batt. The remainder of the day was devoted to drill and games.

14th Batt: The 63rd Division, RN, transferred from the 22nd Corps to 8th Corps and continued to hold the Front line. The Army Commander made his official entry into Mons. 150 officers and ORs represented the Batt in the march past.

Home Front:

A well-attended meeting to protest against the proposed changes in the Divorce Law was held at the Guildhall on Thursday night. The Chairman said that those who were anxious to protest against some of the parts of the suggested Bill had no idea or intention of preventing the poorest man in the country having the same facilities that the rich man possessed. That was no part of their programme. The Bill was an attack upon the sacredness of home which had built up England in the past and made her a pattern in many ways to the rest of the world. The arguments for the Bill were briefly that the separated husbands and wives would be condemned to life-long celibacy, for which they were probably quite unfitted, and which, in point of fact, they did not observe. It was said that this separation without the possibility of contracting a new lawful union produced grave immoralities, that it prevented re-establishment of an orderly home, and that an extension of the dissolution of marriage would enable orderly homes to be rehabilitated, and that this was the best way out of a bad business. The object of the legislation now proposed was that when a husband and wife had, in point of fact, been separated for a certain number of years, either party should apply to a Court of Law to have their marriage dissolved, so that both of them might be free to contract fresh unions.

Praise for Territorials’ Last Fight: A few days ago we published commendations of a Worcester Battalion, which, because of the restrictions then in force, could not be more closely identified. These restrictions have since been removed, and it is possible to announce that high praise refers to the 2/8th Battalion. This, it will be remembered, was the Battalion of Worcester Territorials raised during the early days of the war, and, like the 1/6th and 3/8th, it was in a special degree a local Battalion. The two attacks recently carried out by the 2/8th, for which these orders were issued, were possibly the last engagements of the Worcesters in the great war. It is reported that in the two attacks, for which they were specially mentioned, they took over 700 prisoners and captured an immense quantity of war material. The message sent to the Commanding Officer of the 2/8th from G.A.C. said- “My heartiest congratulations to you and your officers and men on the splendid outcome of your hard fighting: Their dash and gallantry are beyond all praise.”

Mr. Hope, in the House of Commons, on Thursday, detailed the arrangements for the immediate relief of British prisoners. In Holland a committee had been appointed by our Minister at the Hague. 30,000 field kits and 30,000 rations for a month would be sent as a first instalment. Dutch ships available would be used for transport of men to this country, and seven ships, capable of carrying 9,000 persons had been ordered. Three sailed yesterday. (Cheers.) The whole question of the removal of prisoners from camps in Germany would be dealt with at an International conference, to be held in Belgium tomorrow (Friday). In Bulgaria, except 16 officers and 30 other ranks, all our prisoners were now in our hands. The greater part of prisoners in Turkey would be assembled at Smyrna, and sent home through Italy and France. On arrival in England prisoners would go to large reception camps, where they would receive the heartiest welcome, and all their wants would be attended to.

Influenza: During the first four days of this week 12 deaths were registered in the city from influenza and two from pneumonia. Although still serious this death-rate is a great improvement on that of last week, when 41 deaths from these causes were recorded out of a total of 59 in the city from all causes.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team