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Key dates over August 1916

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Lives lost on this day: 4

4th August 1916 - Battle of Romani. Advancing Turkish forces defeated in the Sinai Desert by Australian, New Zealand and British troops from Egypt. Turks begin to fall back towards Palestine.

At the Front:

2nd Batt: batt assembled at 5.30am and practiced an attack with “ Coys in the front line and 2 in support. All had breakfast after this.

4th batt: three german aeroplanes passed over our lines at 5.30am ,followed by 3 more at about 6,00am, going in the direction of Ypres. Men working on the duck boards. At night, parties working on wiring 2 saps leading to No 1A Crater and making fire steps there. Some men collecting salvage.

7th Batt: 250 yards of the Front were wired. Heavy shelling by the enemy.

SMD RFA: Partial relief by telephonists of HQ.

Yeomanry/Cavalry: the noise of battle could be heard at a great distance. With the mounted troops were 4 territorial horse artillery batteries and by 700 pm the horses were desperate for water. The turks were surrounded by the british and it developed into the worst battle on Egyptian soil. Heavy guns at Katia were shelling Romani and Kalib Gannit. Turks had planned to reduce the forts and destroy the railway west of Romani and then get to Kantara.

On the Home Front:

Drowned at Diglis – Discharged Sailor’s Last Bathe – One of the strangest of the many bathing fatalities in the Severn took place this morning, when a discharged sailor, who was known to be powerful swimmer, sank after swimming once across the Severn. The victim was Joseph William Smith aged 23, who was discharged from the Navy only on Tuesday last, with an injured knee. He was son of Mrs Smith, 7 Portland Street and leaves a young widow. On Wednesday he expressed a desire to go bathing, but his mother prevailed upon him to wait. He went this morning his sister accompanying him. Going across the river on the ferry, he undressed on the far side. Over his bathing suit he put on a canvas suit, given to sailors for use in case of emergency, together with a lifebelt. He swam across the river and was returning when he was observed to be in difficulties. What happened can never be known exactly, but whatever may have been the initial cause of the trouble, there is no doubt that when his cries for “Help” were first heard his arms were entangled in his jacket of the suit, and the lifebelt was some distance away. It is believed that when first in difficulties, he tried to rid himself of the canvas and in doing so, the right arms was caught in the left sleeve, when the body was recovered the jacket was wriggled around the shoulders, denoting the struggle which he had made to free himself.

For Church and Wounded Heroes – Enjoyable Fete at St Helens – A sale of work and entertainment took place in the grounds of St Helen’s Church, Worcester on Thursday afternoon, in aid of the Parochial Fund and the fund for providing comforts for wounded soldiers., the Countess of Coventry was there to perform the opening ceremony. The grounds, especially decorated for the occasion, wore an inviting appearance in the glorious sunshine. Lady Coventry was accompanied by the Earl of Coventry and upon arriving a guard of honour was formed by wounded soldiers, 22 in number, from Battenhall Mount Hospital.

Commission for Cathedral Singer – Mr E Lonnon, who about three years ago, came to Worcester as alto singer in the Cathedral Choir, after serving at the front for some time, has been given a commission in the Royal Engineers.

Another Drowning Case – Fifth in a Week – A three year old boy named Jackie Hall, son of Arthur Hall, Labourer, Dolday, went along the riverside this morning with his brother and sister. At about 11 o’clock the brother and sister (both young children about five and seven) returned home, but it was difficult to understand from them what had happened. Later a lady and gentleman told the mother that they saw the boy on the bank, but when they looked again, he was missing. Messrs Jenkins, fishermen, started dragging at 11 o’clock, but at 4.30 they had not found the body, though long before they hooked up the boy’s cap. It was hoped that the boy had wandered off over the fields, but his sister states distinctly that he fell in just below the weir.

Information researched by the WWW100 team.