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Key dates over November 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: 33

1st November 1918 - Serbian troops recapture Belgrade

Rolling casualty count: 11397

War Front:

1st Batt: Batt billeted in Marchiennes, carrying out schemes in open warfare.

2nd Batt: Batt in billets at Forest, training and waiting to advance.

3rd Batt: Batt in training at Cavrou.

4th Batt: Batt paraded at 1330 hours for a Brigade Ceremonial and was inspected by the Corps Commander. He expressed his appreciation of the smartness of the Batt after two months of heavy fighting. 2Lt NM Goodman and a draft of 208 ORs joined the Batt.

14th Batt: Batt marched to Le Cauroy and embussed for the area north west of Douai, and debussed at Henin. The Batt marched to billets at Le Forest. Batt transport went by road to Ablain St Nazaire.

Home Front:

The death occurred on Thursday, in London, from influenza pneumonia, of Lieut. Debenham Stuart Coombs, T.R., (Middlesex and Dental Hospitals), younger son of Dr. and Mrs. Wellesley Coombs, Foregate Street, Worcester. Educated at Miss Robson’s School and the Royal Grammar School, he was studying to be a dentist when war broke out. He served for a considerable time in France, and latterly had been engaged in Army medical work. He leaves a young widow, a Northampton lady. His elder brother is serving with the Canadians.

Influenza Outbreak: Though the number of deaths from the influenza epidemic in Worcester is still considerable, it is now believed that it is on the wane. The City Medical Officer of Health (Dr. Mabyn Read) says that the medical men in the city stated that fewer fresh cases are not being reported. On Wednesday and Thursday there were 10 deaths in the city from the disease or from pneumonia or other causes arising from the diseases, but all the cases are old ones. So far the number of deaths reported in the city from influenza during last week and the first four days of this week is 40.

Poaching: Walter Adams (68), labourer, Roberts’ Lodging-house, 23, Quay Street, was charged with poaching. P.C. Repton said while in Bridge Street he saw defendant, who had rather bulky pockets. He searched him, and found the rabbits, a net, and some pegs. He took him to the police station. The Chief Constable said the defendant had been convicted 34 times for the same offence in Worcester, Kidderminster, and the surrounding district, and the last time he was brought before the Court he was fined £5. Defendant said he had nothing to eat, and must get something. Fined £5.

Pte. Reginald Yarnold, Worcesters (T.F.) (husband of Mrs. V. Yarnold, 22, Arboretum Road, Worcester, and only son of Mrs. and the late Mr. J. Yarnold, New Street, Worcester) has been killed in action. He had been in France for about 19 months. Previous to joining up two years ago he was in business in New Street. He was an old boy of St. Martin’s, and a member of the Cathedral Voluntary Choir.

At a meeting of the Victoria Lodge, R.A.O.B., at the Saracen’s Head Hotel on Wednesday evening, the Mayor of Worcester (Bro. Ald. Arthur Carlton, CP.) initiated into the Order Messrs Flay and Radcliffe, and afterwards proposed in graceful terms the health of the newly initiated, and in reply Bro. Flay, after thanking Primo Carlton for the impressive way in which he had conducted the ceremony, and alluding to the charitable work of the Order, said that in anything which had the idea of benefiting their fellow creatures he was with them; he knew of no better object than that of helping those who had fallen by the wayside, and at all time it would give him a great deal of pleasure to do what he could.

Worcestershire Honours: Bar to the D.C.M: 8713 Co.-Sergt.-Major G. Crump, D.C.M., Worc. Regt. Worcester: Observing a wounded man of another unit lying out in the open, he walked out under heavy rifle and machine-gun fire at close range and brought him in on his back. He then placed his command, consisting only of two Lewis guns and a dozen men, in the best defensive position, and himself continued to work one gun until he was the only man left in the team. He was awarded the D.C.M. in December, 1917.

Information researched by the Worcestershire World War 100 team