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Key dates over January 1915

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Lives lost on this day: 1

8th January 1915 - Recruiting for military transport

Rolling casualty count: 576

1st Batt: ‘B’ Lines: Quiet day, very little shelling by either side but owing to the weather it was perhaps the most unpleasant spell in the trenches to date; 2nd Batt: Relieved by Irish Guards, marched via Richbourg-St-Vaast to Vieille-Chapelle and went into billets; 3rd Batt: Relieved in trenches by Liverpool Scottish and marched to billets at Westoutre.

Motor Drivers (Car and Petrol Lorry) required for Mechanical Transport, Army Service Corps. Enlistment: For period of war only. Pay: 6/- per day, all found, with separation allowance, if married. How to join: Candidates for enlistment should present themselves at the Guildhall Recruiting Office, Worcester on the 9th January 1915, where they will be seen by a Mechanical Transport Officer. They should bring with them testimonials showing previous experience in motor driving. No applicants will be seen without references. Accepted men will be enlisted and required to proceed to the Mechanical Transport Depot on the following day. IMPORTANT: The Mechanical Transport Officer will be in Worcester for one day only, so candidates should not fail to present themselves on the 9th January;

A special meeting of Kidderminster Chamber of Commerce was held on Wednesday afternoon to consider the question of the proposed British Government aided scheme for the manufacture of synthetic colours which are largely used in the carpet trade, and the main source of supply of which has been Germany. There was an unusually large attendance. The Mayor proposed that the Chamber cordially approve of the scheme of the Government Committee for the manufacture and supply of aniline dyes, and would urge local consumers of dye goods to co-operate in supporting the scheme. It was decided to send copies to all users of dyes in the district;

Seven British wounded soldiers arrived at Worcester Infirmary this afternoon. They were conveyed by motor ambulance from Birmingham, and they had a very good journey. They were representative of various regiments, one of them, Bandsman Leicester, was in the 1st Batt. Worcs. Regt. He is suffering from frost bite. He says that the Battalion suffered very severely from this form of casualty. There were other similar cases among the seven;

For People Who Feel The Strain of War: Under the strain of war-time, thousands of people are at this moment unconsciously approaching a breakdown. Their nerves are actually being burned up without being replaced, and suddenly their nervous, mental, and physical strength give out. To meet this situation the late Surgeon –General of HM Forces, Sir William Taylor, KCB, now directs the production of Sanaphos, the new addition to diet which counteracts the effects of this strain…Sanaphos is of course all British. It completely supersedes the German preparation, Sanatogen, and its many imitations. The fixed retail prices are, 1s, 1s 6d, 2s 6d and 5s;

Lts. A. Vernon Rowe and Holcroft, of the 8th (Reserve) Battalion, have completed a course of training at the Military Engineering School at Chatham; On Wednesday 84 recruits were enrolled at Norton Barracks, bringing the total for the first 3 days of the week to 306. The authorities have written to the Barracks expressing their gratification at the number of recruits being received at Norton; During the last 2 or 3 weeks several audiences have been amused and delighted by entertainments in which the four Belgian soldiers, known as the “Four Chums, “ now being treated at the Infirmary;

Information researched by Sue Redding