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Key dates over May 1915

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Lives lost on this day: 8

17th May 1915 - 2nd Worcestershires continue the attack

Rolling casualty count: 1263

1st Batt: In trenches; 2nd Batt: The 2nd Division were ordered to continue the advance today. The Battn to be formed up in breastworks line ‘D’ at 8am and relieve the Glasgow Highlanders in front breastworks when latter go forward. The attack to commence at 9.30am. The Battalion moved to line D as ordered and while there was heavily shelled by 6” and 8” howitzers. Several portions of the breastworks were blown in and about 20 NCOs and men were killed and wounded (mostly ‘C’ Coy). At 10.30 am ‘C’ & ‘D’ Coys moved into front line breastworks as Glasgow Highlanders moved forward. ‘A’ & ‘B’ Coys moved into line D in support. The enemy kept up a continuous shell fire all morning on the whole of the front line and communicating trenches, at times being terrific, 91 casualties from shell fire being reported this day;3rd Batt: In billets at La Clytte;

Labour Shortage and Employment of Boys: A meeting of the County Education Committee was held on Saturday…The Chairman read a circular from the Board of Agriculture on the question of labour shortage on farms, in which, among other suggestions for meeting the difficulty, were the employment of gangs of labourers going from farm to farm, disabled soldiers, the extended use of Irish labour, the employment of able-bodied old-age pensioners, suitable women who have received instructions in milking and other light farm work, and also of school children in certain cases;

The Elementary Education Sub-Committee reported that up to the date of their last meeting the number of children absent from schools for employment on account of the war was 283. Of this 97 were in the Pershore district, 41 in the Martley, 34 in the Droitwich and 26 in the Evesham districts…The Chairman remarked that very few of the Bromsgrove children seemed to go on the land. Possibly they found the circuses more amusing than work on the land. (Laughter);

Alleged Impropriety: Edward Henry Bear (25), labourer, 27 Powell’s Row, St. John’s, was charged with assaulting a child of ten years, Florence May Birbeck , of the Bransford Road, in a field off Slingpool Walk…Prisoner pleaded not guilty. His mother said that prisoner was discharged from the Army in 1912, being medically unfit. There was insanity in the family, and prisoner showed signs of being mentally defective. Defendant was remanded for a day, pending medical examination.

Information researched by Sue Redding