Air raid precautions for Dunstable set out on a February 1916 poster.

Stories from The Luton News: February 17th, 1916.

Luton was to get an electric apparatus, termed a "squawker," to notify the inhabitants when hostile aircraft were approaching. But when the Watch Committee recommendation was debated at Tuesday's meeting of the Town Council there were concerns that rather than keeping people indoors, the air raid early warning would bring them on to the streets to face the danger of falling bombs.

The Committee had recommended that the Council make strong representations to the Home Secretary with a view to the Chief Constable receiving early and official notice of the approach of enemy aircraft and that an electric alarm be fixed on the police station to warn the public of a threatened raid.

Alderman Oakley, Chairman of the Watch Committee, said that before it was used the siren would need to be sounded in practice at a fixed time to acquaint the public with its sound. Then, in the event of a raid, or of Zeppelins being known to be in the neighbourhood, people would know it was the signal to extinguish lights and keep indoors.

Offering an alternative view, Councillor Oakley said hooters had been sounded in Leighton Buzzard the previous week after aircraft had been seen on the North-East coast. That caused a lot of commotion and brought everyone on to the streets - something that was needed to be avoided.

Councillor Impey said friends in the Midlands had told him that towns there had escaped Zeppelin attacks because they were put in absolute darkness after the sirens sounded.

Before the Committee recommendation for a siren was adopted, the Deputy Mayor (Councillor Walter Primett) said the public should have enough common sense to keep indoors when it sounded.

• On Saturday Mr and Mrs J. Palfrey, of 19 Grove Road, Luton, received the news that their son, Cpl Walter Palfrey, of the 8th Rifle Brigade, is in hospital at Boulogne suffering from loss of speech, no doubt the result of shock due to the heavy fighting. He is 26 years of age and was a moulder at the Diamond Foundry prior to joining the 4th Rifle Brigade. He went to France with his regiment last January and was wounded at the end of last May and invalided home, returning to join the 8th Battalion.

• Pte Ernest William Potts, of 90 Langley Street, Luton, who has been serving in the Mediterranean with the 1/5th Bedfordshire Regiment, and who was invalided home after an attack of enteric fever, was home on leave from Halton Camp during the weekend. On Saturday he met so many friends who provided him with refreshment that he fell into the hands of the police, and on Monday morning had to answer a charge of being drunk and disorderly and also of assaulting Pc Wright. He said he did not know anything about it, but was bound over to keep from the drink for six months with 4s 6d costs, and fine 20s or 14 days for assaulting the constable.

• Travellers coming into Luton were amazed at its lights and said that the town was making itself the laughing stock of England, said a member of Luton Tradesman's Association at a meeting on Monday evening. Satisfaction was expressed that following representations made by the Association a more stringent attitude had been adopted by the authorities and there was much less light from shop windows.

• Since Monday all aliens, no matter what their nationality, have had to register with the police authorities. At the Borough Police Office the officials were kept very busy dealing with those who came to register. Very complete details were taken - name, place and date of birth, address in this country, occupation, employers, and, in the case of friendly aliens, the reason why they are not serving in the army of their country.

• A further 11 people were fined for breaches of the Lighting Order in Luton. Properties involved were in Lea Road, Chapel Street, Richmond Hill, Ridgway Road, Dunstable Road, Dale Road, Napier Road and Selbourne Road.

• In August next the Council's powers to complete the tramways within the borough will expire, and application is to be made by to the Board of Trade for an order prolonging the completion for a further two years. The powers which are expiring deal with Leagrave Road, the extreme ends of Dunstable Road, and London Road routes etc.

• The severe gales of mid-winter so loosened the roots of the elm tree by the Old Moor that it fell about a fortnight ago in comparatively calm weather. Now that the main trunk has been sawn across, the age of the tree can be calculated by counting the annual rings. These are fairly distinct, except those of the earliest years of the tree. They indicate that it is not less than 136 years old, nor more than 140. The lowest estimate gives the date 1780 as the beginning of its existence, during the reign of George III.