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Key dates over November 1914

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Lives lost on this day: 4

5th November 1914 - 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment landed in France

Rolling casualty count: 389

1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment landed in France, having sailed from Alexandria, Egypt, and were stationed at Merville.

2nd Batt: Digging 2nd line of defence. Night attack;

3rd Batt: Bois de Ploegsteert: In trenches. Heavy shelling and a lot of sniping of trenches.

Church Army and the War: The poor workers employed at the Church Army’s HQ workroom for the relief of women distressed by the War have made over 450 needlework garments for soldiers and those in poverty through the situation, since it was opened about 2 months ago. Orders have also been received for 200 mittens and 300 pairs of socks. The work is organised by the Society’s ‘Women’s Relief’ Department. Numbers of dressmakers, bookfolders, and boxmakers, who have been thrown out of work by the War, have been sent to the Church Army’s ‘Private Aid’ Departments for assistance, and are being given immediate help while their cases are investigated with a view to putting them into permanent employment again, wherever possible.

Hallow Man’s Charmed Life: Mrs Finch, of Hallow, has received a letter from her son, Pt J Finch, of the Shropshire LI, at the front. He says “ I am in the very best of health. We have been in the trenches for the last 8 days, firing and under a heavy fire day and night. I have not had a wash for 6 days, and we have had only one lot of tea during the whole time. I think I have been very lucky so far. We have lost a lot of men during the last few days and on Friday morning, a young chap on my right got wounded. On Saturday morning, the one who had come to fill the gap on my right was killed and I had my hat blown off at the same time. We are now relieved from the front firing line for a bit, but I expect we shall be at it again very soon.”

Sgt W Sherwood, of the Worcs Regt, who is a well-known Walsall boxer, has sent a postcard which shows that he is a prisoner in Germany. He states that he is wounded and in hospital, but is going on nicely.

Bromsgrove Men Wounded: News has been received at Bromsgrove during the week that 5 Bromsgrove soldiers have been wounded. They are as follows; Pte J Walters of the 2nd Warks, of Sidemoor; Pte J Pugh, 2nd Worcs, of Little Lane; Pte P Holmes of 1st Lincs, of Broad St, Sidemoor; Pte Wm Troth, of the Worcs, of Catshill; and Pte A Quarrell, 1st Gren Gds, who was stationed at Bromsgrove as a police-constable…In a letter home, Pte Pugh states that his mate on the left of him was killed outright, and the other on his right was wounded. He states that the battle is like being “in a Field of Hell.”

Information researched by Sue Redding