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Key dates over October 1916

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 31

Lives lost on this day: 20

31st October 1916 - More 10th Battalion casualties from heavy shelling on the Ancre

Rolling casualty count: 4775

1st Batt: Batt marched back to Sandpits camp at 4pm.Batt had had a rough time in the trenches, which afforded little cover. There was great difficulty in getting supplies, rations and water, which had to be brought on pack animals. It was 5 or 6 miles over a road less waste, full of shell holes and wet mud.

2nd Batt: Batt relieved 5th Scottish Rifles which took a long time owing to the muddy state of the ground.

4th Batt: Batt moved at 10.30am and went via Mametz, Fricourt and Mealte. Transport went a different route. Billets good with beds for the men and all were relieved to be at Ville-sous Corbie, away from the sound of guns.

1/8th Batt: Batt marched via Millencourt to new billets at Albert.

10th Batt:Heavy artillery by day and much retaliation by the enemy. Patrols reported no wire in front of the new trench, which is deep and in fairly good condition,

Yeomanry/Cavalry: Training continuous and Regiment secured services of Capt Hatton, an expert in bombing and demolition. There was little to practice on except date palms but it provided firewood for the troops.

Preaching Economy – Why it is Essential In a telegram Mr Mckenna, Chancellor of the Exchequer says: I doubt whether the vital consequence of the savings movement has been fully appreciated. The demand for munitions and men, for goods and services with which to enable our fighting forces to win the war, grows daily, and the requirements of Sir John Jellicoe and Sir Douglas Haig cannot be properly met unless civilians avoid competing with them for goods and services by restricting their expenditure to what is essential for health and efficiency, and by lending to the nation the money which they save. Moreover, nothing will do more to keep down the cost of living than individual saving. Personal economy is essential if we are to win a complete a victory, it is essential if we are to secure a satisfactory peace when victory is won, and it is all important for the reconstruction period, when we shall need all our capital to help to make our country a happier place than it was before.

Information researched by The Worcestershire World War 100 team