Stories from The Luton News, June 24th, 1915

Two Lutonians were among the 26 Bedfordshire Regiment men mentioned in Field Marshall Sir John French's despatches for gallant and distinguished service in the field.

One was the late Coy Quartermaster-Sgt Joseph Horne, 6006, who was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle on March 12th, 1915. [Pictured, right, is Coy Sgt Major Horne with his family.]

The other man was Coy Sgt-Major Frederick William Bliss, 5313. [He would survive the war but died on July 10th, 1919, aged 42 (Fort Pitt Military Cemetery)].

Also mentioned in the despatches was Pte Joe Coxall, from Stopsley [then not part of Luton].

• Two Luton men have been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. They are Pte W. Medlock, 8178, C Company, 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, and late of 22 Ash Road, Luton, and Pte Will Ellingham, of the Northumberland Fusiliers.

• The death at the front of Pte Alfred Joseph (Dick) Whitworth will cause great regret to many people in Luton and Kimpton. He was a brother of "Tubby" Whitworth, the Clarence footballer, and one of the four soldier sons of Mr C. E. Whitworth, schoolmaster at Kimpton.

• It will be remembered that Cpl Martin was killed whilst bandaging the leg of Pte H. Cook, another Luton lad, and Cook was afterwards dragged into the British trenches. It now transpired that he was saved by Pte Percy Smith, whose parents live in Wimbourne Road, Luton. In hospital at Bury St Edmunds the rescued man said: "We lay there until darkness set in, and then I took hold of Pte Smith's legs and he dragged me about 250 yards back to the British trenches, although wounded himself, and we had to get across two ditches."

• Hopes of good news over the fate of Pte Vic Hayward, 3024, 1/23th London Regiment, were fading. The captain of Wardown Bowling Club and son of Alfred and Emma Hayward, of the Sugar Loaf Hotel, King Street, Luton, was said by a Luton comrade to have been seen lying wounded before being reported missing. "I feel sure Vic was killed, and extend to you my deepest sympathy," wrote Pte Eddy Fisher. [Victor Lawrence Hayward was killed in action on May 26th, 1915 (Le Touret Memorial)].

• Lieut H. C. Brice, 4th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, died in Belgium on June 11th from wounds sustained the previous day in a hand grenade explosion. The lieutenant was billeted in Luton at the time the 1st North Midland Division were stationed here.

• Pte J. A. Gurney, 2nd Beds Regiment, whose home is at 29 Althorp Road, Luton, was in the East Suffolk Hospital at Ipswich recovering from severe wounds sustained in action on May 16th at Festubert.

• An independent tribute to the gallantry of the Bedfordshire Regiment is paid in a letter just received by a member of our staff from Pte M. McKay, 15th London (Civil Service Rifles). He writes: "I saw the Bedfords do a charge some time ago, and very fine it was too! And then when they had captured the trench they could not get any food through to them for 36 hours. But it would seem they hung on. Good old Bedfords!"

• In a letter to his parents at Hazelhurst, London Road, Luton, Pte A. Godfrey described a football match between the 47th Division, Supply Column M.T.A.S.C., to which he belonged, and the Queen's Own Camerons. Pte Godfrey said he was "in the pink".

• Also said to be in the pink were about 100 men of the second draft from the Training Camp in Ampthill, who entrained for the Front on Tuesday morning at Ampthill Station.

• Recruiting had been slow during the past week. Only three men had enlisted into the 5th Bedfordshire Regiment - J. Glenister, S. J. Bird and F. Puddephatt - and five in to the Regular Army - S. Adams, J. W. Baton, J. Freeman, J. Larman and E. Barrett.

• Mr John Douglas Tearle, son of Mr John Tearle, of Beechhurst, Stockwood Crescent, Luton and well known in Wesleyan Methodist circles, is now fighting in the Dardanelles.

• At a meeting of the Old Age Pensions Committee on Tuesday, eight full pensions of five shillings a week were granted. There were also 13 applications from dependants of soldiers, two of which were not agreed and grants of between 2s 6d and 6s a week made in the other cases.

• A report in the Yorkshire Post said straw hat factories in Luton and St Albans were busy with War Office contracts for straw helmets which would be covered with khaki cloth to be issued in lieu of pith helmets to soldiers in Egypt, India and the Far East. There were also large orders for Panama hats for Army nurses. The Luton News said it believed efforts had been made in those directions but they were unsuccessful and the Yorkshire Post report was "somewhat highly coloured".

• A total of ￡195 15s 3¼d was raised by ladies and girls dressed in white for charity from Queen Alexandra Rose Day sale of blooms in Luton yesterday. Collectors' wreath money brought the final total to ￡207 7s 6¼d in aid of he Children's Home in London Road and for Mr Groom's Crippleage. [The picture below was taken on the day by Luton photographer W. H. Cox.]