German forces continued to be pushed back by Soviet armies in the wake of the Battle of Kursk: this week they were forced to retreat from Orel. In Italy, following the deposition of Mussolini, King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Marshal Pietro Badoglio as head of the government. Also this week, with the occupation of Burma complete, the Japanese declared it independent; and Goebbels advised all nonessential personnel to evacuate Berlin because of the risk of bombing.
In Caithness the summer harvest was well advanced. As the John O’Groat Journal reported, in Dunbeath “Farmers are now busy with the cutting and curing of their hay, and the work is proceeding apace.”
On 26 July the Wick Police received a rather terse phone call from W. Coghill of Ackergill Mains: “A hand grenade has been left at our dipping place here by the Highland Light Infantry. Will you please have them collect it immediately.” A note added to the message sheet states that the Highland light Infantry had been informed and would indeed collect the hand grenade “immediately”.
Caithness County Council debated the question of queueing for buses this week: “there appeared to be no system of queueing at public bus-halts in the County, or at least, when queues formed, people came along and ignored them, with the result that people who had waited in a queue frequently found that they were crowded out.” The Council resolved to take up the matter with the bus company, though with what success is not recorded.
Wick meanwhile continued to be troubled by the nuisance of rats, this time at the site of a former piggery on George Street. Since the County Council did not appear to be dealing with the matter, the Burgh Council authorised their Sanitary Inspector to “deal with the nuisance of rats at the piggery in question, at Coach Road, the Railway Station and the Haugh. It was further agreed that the Sanitary Inspectors should, if thought advisable, apply to the Department of Agriculture for the services of a rat catcher.”
Finally this week the John O’Groat Journal reported that the Royal National Lifeboat Institution had awarded £11 9s “to the crew of its lifeboat at Thurso, and to twelve men from three other places, all of whom put out to the rescue of a raft with two men on board, which watchers of the Royal Observer Corps had seen in the fog. They found that the “raft” was a tree trunk, and the “two men” were two branches sticking up from it!”
Coming soon! Week 205, 2nd – 8th August 1943, will be published on Monday 1st August 2016. To view previous issues please use the menus on the right hand side of the page.
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