Stories from The Luton News: Thursday, June 1, 1916.

Restaurant proprietor Walter Edwards was charged at the Borough Sessions yesterday with being in possession of nine boxes of ammunition, contrary to the Army Act 1881. Walter Edwards, of 25 Manchester Street, said he had the ammunition but was not intentionally guilty. He was advised to plead not guilty.

Town Clerk Mr William Smith, prosecuting, said the charge had been brought under the section of the Act relating to persons stealing, receiving, exchanging, pawning or in unlawful possession of certain Government property, including ammunition.

A complaint had been made by the Commanding Officer of the Biscot Camp that certain ammunition had been missed. Police found the boxes of miniature rifle ammunition under a table in the kitchen at the defendant's premises. There were something like 90,000 rounds, and the price to the Government was £52 10s. One box still carried a Government stamp.

The defendant claimed he agreed to accept the ammunition from an infantry sergeant whose name he did not know in November 1914, expecting him to come back for it. He had not done so and neither had he been paid for it. He said he was told it was surplus material from America that would otherwise be buried.

Edwards said he had been very nervous about the ammunition and trembled every time there was an air raid. He was glad when the police came and took it away. He said he was a member of the Luton Rifle Club and had recently approached them about selling it. The ammunition was not of the type used at the Dallow Road range, but it was adaptable.

A maximum fine of £5 was imposed, with special costs of three guineas, for what the Bench described as a very grave indiscretion for which there were no extenuating circumstances whatsoever.

• Welcome news for the Rev J. Alexander Clapperton, superintendent of the Chapel Street Wesleyan Circuit, and his wife who had received official notification that their son, Pte A. E. Clapperton, 8th Beds Regiment, had been killed in action in France on April 19th. Yesterday a postcard arrived from him to say he was a prisoner of war in Germany. The card had taken 23 days to arrive via Holland.

• The Salvation Army withdrew an application made to the Town Council in April for permission to give performances in Wardown Park on Sundays, owing to the number of their members being called up for military service. It was resolved that the Luton Red Cross Band be permitted to perform in the park when they desired on Sunday mornings during the coming season, subject to the usual conditions and to the Council being able to cancel performances at any time.

• A serious accident occurred on Tuesday morning at Beech Hill, near the schools. A soldier named Driver Meileen, of the 59th D.A.C., R.F.A., was riding a horse when it apparently took fright, taking off at a terrific rate with the soldier seeming to have lost control. In Dunstable Road the horse fell heavily on the soldier and sent him flying against a milk van. Driver Meileen was taken to Wardown Hospital, shaken and bruised and having lost a lot of blood. He was released yesterday.

• Yesterday, in another incident, a horse driven by Hubert Ward was pulling a load of soil down Castle Street when it took fright and galloped down Market Hill. In George Street a boy scrambled on to the cart to try to get hold of the reins and managed to divert the horse into Manchester Street, smashing a fuse box belonging to the Tramway Company, The horse proceeded into Bridge Street, where it was pulled up with no-one hurt, but the boy looking white and shaken.

• Luton MP Mr Cecil Harmsworth met representatives of master and operative bakers at the Home Office yesterday to discuss the introduction of women into bakeries. The ladies had already been found capable of performing several processes previously carried on by men. But a lady who had been a Guardian for 20 years told Ampthill Rural Tribunal she would give up her car and her charity work if her gardener/chauffeur was not granted exemption from military service and she was expected to employ a woman chauffeur.

• Town Clerk Mr William Smith submitted to the Town Council the Board of Trade's Order dated May 6th, 1916, prolonging the period from August 11th, 1916, to August 11th, 1918, for wholly completing the tramways as authorised by the Luton Corporation Tramways Order 1905. Tramways manager Mr Wray was complimented on much improved running and frequency of Luton's trams, which of late had carried more passengers per mile than ever before.