Daily Diary, August 2, 1915

ROLLING CASUALTY COUNT: 1,638

Second Battalion: Quiet night. Too light for patrols. Morning passed quietly except for a few shells between 10am and noon. At 2pm relief of Battalion by Second Highland Light Infantry commenced, completed by 4.30pm. After relief the Battalion marched to billets in Beuvry.
Third Battalion in Bivouac one mile North of Dickebusch; Royal Field Artillery: Authie: First and Third Batteries registered zones. Second Battery Training.

Bank Holiday in England: The August Bank Holiday of 1915 will long be remembered as among the worst ever experienced. Three years ago we had tremendous thunderstorms on the Bank Holiday, and such was the torrential rain during the week or two previous that the river was flooded, but that day was not nearly so bad as yesterday. Three years ago the sun shone after the storm, and it was possible to hold a number of fetes in the district. But Monday, surely it was about the dreariest day that holiday makers had ever known! Perhaps it was the beautiful weather of Sunday after the early morning rain) which prompted so many thousands of visitors to come to Worcester, (between 20,000 and 30,00 people were despatched from the Black Country districts during the last few days.) Kidderminster, Stourport, and the Severn Valley from Birmingham and the Black Country. They must have belonged to the Blue Sky School, hoping that despite the torrential downpour of the early morning the weather would clear as it cleared on Sunday. Unhappily they were disappointed, and their condition was they walked through the Worcester streets or motored through the Worcester charabancs was pitiable. Such was the exodus from the Black Country that the platforms at Old Hill, Rowley, Cradley Heath, Langley, etc., were crowded with passengers from an early hour, but train after train ran into the stations filled from end to end, and hundreds of the excursionists remained on the platforms for a period of four and five hours before special relief trains were put on. Many became tired of waiting, and the railway officials refunded the money to them.

A wedding took place at St Stephen’s Church, Barbourne, the contracting parties being Gilbert, son of the late William and Mrs Pearce, of Leominster, and Ida, second daughter of Alec and Amy Curtis, of Ravenshurst, Ombersley Road, Worcester, grand-daughter of the late Councillor Edwin Yeates. The bride was attired in her travelling costume of grey cloth, and wore a white felt hat with white ostrich feather ruche. She carried a sheaf of lilies, and wore a diamond and ruby ring, both the gifts of the bridegroom. She was attended by two little bridesmaids who wore white silk dresses, trimmed with silk embroidery and Valenciennes lace insertion. Their mob caps were of pink silk covered with net and finished with pink satin ribbon and lace. They carried baskets of pink Dorothy Perkins rambler roses tied with pink statin lovers’ knots. Both bride and bridegroom were the recipients of many handsome and useful presents.

DCMs for Worcesters: Sergeant FE Lamb, Third Battalion: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty at Hooge on June 16, 1915, in going into the open under very fierce rifle and machine-gun fire and bandaging the wounded, four of whom he carried into cover, and with assistance brought in another man.  

Information researched by Sue Redding.