The events of April 1918
After what had been a relatively quiet time in the war with far fewer casualties being reported, news now started to arrive of the
effects of Germany’s Spring Offensive. Reports of men killed, wounded and taken prisoner increased dramatically. Under a new
editor, the Shipley Times & Express changed policy and instead of printing only local stories, started to give a wider picture of what
was going on at the front and at Westminster.
One of the decisions taken by government was to increase the age at which men could be called up to 41 which in its turn led to
anxiety among some industries about where they were to get enough people to work at home. One of the solutions was to train
more women, especially for agricultural work.
One result of the war was that some men were already back home, discharged because of injury or health problems and society was
already struggling to know how to deal with them fairly, foreshadowing one of the major post-war problems.
At home, Easter started with a somewhat muted celebration partly because of events at the front, war weariness and the food
shortages. People were being urged to grow even more of their own food while there was a push to develop rabbit breeding to
provide meat. Inevitably, some tried to turn the situation into a personal profit and the courts heard cases of farmers watering
down their milk.
With the cricket season about to start, the Bradford League mounted a strong defence of their decision to keep playing throughout
the war and there was great anticipation for the coming contests which would again feature some of the country’s biggest names.
Inevitably the weather also had a say in things, leading to a call for the start of the cricket season to be delayed.
The links here will take you to pages containing stories published exactly 100 years before. The headlines shown are only a taste of
the stories that appear on that page.
5 April 1918
- Windhill vicar writes from the Front Line
- Letters home from “Eccleshill Road”
- Serving men condemn striking miners
- Easter on the Glen not what it was
- Service vacancies for 50 year olds
- Windhill’s Wild West shooter
- Killed after just two days in the trenches
- Civilian distress shames ‘shirkers’ at home
- POWs give the view from the other side
- From young shaver to established barber
- Milk dealers must tackle fair distribution
- School garden makes a profit
- Killed after just two days in the trenches
- Civilian distress shames ‘shirkers’ at home
- POWs give the view from the other side
- Hero honoured while on brief leave
- Brothers serving their country
- Lady impersonator promoted
12 April 1918
- Windhill vicar writes from the Front Line
- Letters home from “Eccleshill Road”
- Serving men condemn striking miners
- Government should take care of TB cases
- Missionaries head for China
- Anniversaries of Yorkshire poets
- Killed after just two days in the trenches
- Civilian distress shames ‘shirkers’ at home
- POWs give the view from the other side
- Attacked for ‘carrying on’ with soldier’s wife
- Everyone pays price for a ‘treat’
- Cricket is important to the war effort
- Killed after just two days in the trenches
- Civilian distress shames ‘shirkers’ at home
- POWs give the view from the other side
- Spring Offensive casualties grow
- Three of five sisters widowed by war
- Church organist missing
19 April 1918
- Windhill vicar writes from the Front Line
- Letters home from “Eccleshill Road”
- Serving men condemn striking miners
- Rallying call for yet more sacrifice
- Vicar happy to be in the North
- Woman finds sister-in-law hanging
- Killed after just two days in the trenches
- Civilian distress shames ‘shirkers’ at home
- POWs give the view from the other side
- Cosy rooms for discharged soldiers
- Eager anticipation of new cricket season
- Eight-year-old girls doing their ‘bit’
- Killed after just two days in the trenches
- Civilian distress shames ‘shirkers’ at home
- POWs give the view from the other side
- Soldier buried on his birthday
- Officer’s lucky escapes
- A family at war
26 April 1918
- Windhill vicar writes from the Front Line
- Letters home from “Eccleshill Road”
- Serving men condemn striking miners
- Medicals for older men prior to call up
- Folly of starting cricket in April
- Artificial respiration can’t save boy’s life
- Killed after just two days in the trenches
- Civilian distress shames ‘shirkers’ at home
- POWs give the view from the other side
- Idle man leads rabbit breeding campaign
- Young women train for agricultural work
- Simple frock for quiet entertainments
- Killed after just two days in the trenches
- Civilian distress shames ‘shirkers’ at home
- POWs give the view from the other side
- Gassed, blinded and now KIA
- Soldier half an inch from death
- Remember, we’ve still to bat!