December Snippets From the Royal Leamington Spa Courier and Warwickshire Standard – 1914

Pen and ink type postcard of soldiers of the Warwickshire Regiment. 1910s.
Warwickshire County Record Office reference PH(N) 274/44

Here are some Christmas themed snippets from the Royal Leamington Spa Courier and Warwickshire Standard Newspapers for December 1914.

Warwick and Country Edition Page 4, Column 5, 4th December 1914

Impact of War on children. Church of England Waifs and Strays – Leamington Branch. Girls’ Home, 4 Portland Place, Leamington. It was announced that the Annual Children’s Fancy Dress Ball would not take place this year in consequence of the war. Children orphaned through the War have already been taken into the Society’s Homes. It was reported that in the Leamington Home at the present time there were 3 little girls whose father was working on board a mine sweeper.

Warwick and Country Edition Page 2, Column 6, 4th December 1914

Recruit Resolved to Become Teetotal. “A Recruit’s Resolve”. At the Police Court for Warwick Borough, Samuel Gill pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly in Coten End, Warwick. He stated that “6 of them came from Atherstone to enlist”. He had been formally attested and passed by the doctor and was celebrating the event. He further said that he could not find the Barracks. He now promised that he would go straight to the Barracks and that he would be henceforth a teetotaler.

Warwick and Country Edition Page 4, Column 5, 11th December 1914

School Children and Soldiers at the Front. Since the start of the war the children of Hunningham School have sacrificed the greater part of their sweet money for the Weekly Dispatch Tobacco Fund for servicemen and had written cheery letters to them. The Newspaper printed a letter of thanks to the school from Private Fishwick at the Front.

Warwick and Country Edition Page 8, Column 1, 11th December 1914

School Children Preparing Bandages. “How the Little Ones Can Help.” Kenilworth Council School had prepared a box of bandages for the Red Cross Society. The children had boiled, torn and rolled the material for the bandages.

Warwick and Country Edition Page 4, Column 1, 11th December 1914

W H Smith still in the same location in Leamington Spa 100 years later. A Christmas advertisement was published for W H Smith, 54 The Parade, Leamington Spa. “Fancy Goods for Xmas Presents” “Christmas Cards and Fancy Calendars”.

Warwick and Country Edition Page 5, Column 1, 11th December 1914

Royal Gift to Warneford Hospital. Warneford Hospital received from the King, a hamper of pheasants for wounded soldiers.

Warwick and Country Edition Page 4, Column 3, 18th December 1914

Cakes for Soldiers at Home and Abroad. A confectioner in town had received an order from a lady for 230 2lb cakes for soldiers. Thirty were to be sent to France and the rest would be distributed to soldiers in the UK.

See the original article by visiting Warwickshire County Record Office. Click here to find out more about visiting.

Sources

Royal Leamington Spa Courier and Warwickshire Standard , 4th, 11th & 18th December 1914, courtesy of Warwickshire County Record Office.

Originally published on the Warwickshire at War 1914-1918 Blog.

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