LOCAL CASUALTIES: 1 - Private James Cooper 7715 3rd Batt.

ROLLING CASUALTY COUNT: 6

3rd Worcs Batt. Had a long and trying day of marching in dust and stifling heat followed by thunderstorms and torrential rain before they finally reached Caudry on August 26.

On Saturday a sensation was caused at Workington by the news that Dr G H Wollatt PhD (Gottingen), Principle of the new Workington Technical College, and former Principal of Worcester Victoria Institute Science and Technical School, had been found dead in bed at his residence. Deceased was aged 40. At the inquest the widow stated that he had been overworked and worried by the petty persecution to which he had been subjected on account of rumours that he was a German spy. Medical evidence was to the effect that Dr Woollatt had not wholly recovered from an attack of pleurisy, and a nurse testified that when she laid the body out she saw no punctures and nothing wrong at all.The Jury returned a verdict that death was due to natural causes, and expressed regret at what the Coroner described as the “vile, abominable, and infamous rumours” circulated about the deceased; The whole of the Worcester County Council officials have signified their willingness to be enrolled as special constables in order to protect the county buildings. About a dozen of the staff are now on service with the Territorial or other forces.

The Chairman asked the Committee to sanction an arrangement he had made with regard to the children of elementary schools helping farmers in harvest work. He read a letter sent by the Director to various authorities, in which it was stated that whereas unusual difficulty might be experienced in some parts of the county in harvesting it might be possible to utilise the services of stronger children of the elementary schools.

At the suggestion of Mr T Lawson Walker, it was resolved to ask Staffordshire to fall into line with Worcestershire in regard to hop picking, as at present women could not come hop-picking, because they could not bring their children with them. A great deal of distress would be alleviated, he said, by allowing the children to accompany their mothers to do agricultural work in Worcestershire.

Fall of Namur.