Stories from The Luton News: Thursday, August 31st, 1916.

From the stirring battlefields of France to the peaceful cleaning of tramcars in Luton's depot is somewhat of a far cry, but that has been the experience of Pte Harry Smith, of 17 Arthur Street [previously 164 Leagrave Road], who after the din and strife of conflict, now finds ample time to ruminate upon the whole waste and folly of warfare.

This brave young fellow - he is only 22 years of age - joined the Lincolns when they were billeted in Luton, on November 7th, 1914, and went out to France in February 1915.

There, in March, he so distinguished himself in, as he modestly remarks, "fetching in some wounded chaps under machine gun fire" that he won the DCM [Distinguished Conduct Medal] and the Croix de Guerre. He was wounded himself whilst thus heroically engaged, first through the right forearm and next a piece of shell passed through the lobe of his right ear and grazed his neck.

At Loos, the head of the humerus was shot away by an explosive bullet, sustaining him so serious an injury to a shoulder that he has lost the use of his right arm. He, however, is a blithe and cheery soul - like so many of our gallant lads - and is able to undertake "a bit of cleaning work at the Luton depot".

He is married, and has been a resident of the town five or six years. He has received the £20 which goes with the DCM distinction (and is in receipt of 3s 6d a week for life also), but the medal itself he had not received at the time of our going to press.

• The family of the late L-Cpl Ronald McCormick, whose home was at 159 Wellington Street, Luton, had just received an intimation from the headquarters of the Bedfordshire Regiment in Egypt that, as a mark of respect from officers, NCOs and men, a marble cross, measuring three feet from the base, has been erected over the young soldier's grave. The cross bears the inscription: "Erected by his comrades to the memory of No 3142, L-Cpl R. McCormick, Bedford Regiment, who died at Suez 12th July, 1916 R.I.P." L-Cpl McCormick died from enteric [typhoid] fever.

• Other Luton families were also in mourning. Mr and Mrs Arthur Day, of 17 Holly Walk, learned that their son Pte Percy Haydn Day, aged 21, had died on July 27th, from wounds sustained in action on the Somme. Pte Percy Dumpleton died in hospital in Egypt on August 22nd, leaving a widow and young daughter. And Pte Gerald Sidney Brunton, of 9 Vicarage Street, a single man aged 21, was killed in action on the Somme on July 30th. [Click on links for more information].

• It is feared that a bullet wound in the right arm of Pte F. Farr (pictured right below), son of Mr and Mrs Farr, of 142 New Town Street, Luton, may eventually result in the injured limb having to be amputated. Pte Farr, who is in the Bedfords, took part in the fighting around Ypres and has now been in a Leicester hospital for some weeks. He is aged 21 and was employed at the Diamond Foundry.

• Now in the Clopton War Hospital, Stratford-on-Avon, Pte F. Hurst (pictured left above), of 23 Ash Road, Luton, was slightly wounded on July 1st in the Big Advance but was able to return to the trenches only to be wounded on July 10th at Trones Wood by a bullet that entered his right cheek and came out at the back of his neck. He was operated on for a severed right artery and was now "recovering beautifully". Prior to enlistment he had been employed by the London Central Meat Company at Bedford.

• Pte W. Keats, of the Bedfordshire Regiment, who mother lives in Warwick Road, Luton, is in the 4th Scottish General Hospital at Glasgow recovering from head, shoulder and knee wounds received in on the Somme on July 28th. The former Diamond Foundry worker said he was getting on well, though still unable to walk.

• In the first case of its type, the owner of a house in Selbourne Road was fined 15s for breach of the lighting order, despite having blinds drawn. Chief Constable Teale said there were hundreds of of cases in Luton of windows fitted with light coloured blinds that did not prevent light escaping and he intended taking action in those cases.

• Mr Arthur Loose, the ever-courteous and obliging custodian of the Town Hall, is now 54. He first came into the service of the Corporation when Mr G. W. Gilder was Mayor (1884), first as foreman of the lighting of the town and then 15 years later as resident caretaker of the Town Hall. For over 20 years he was also a member of the Luton Fire Brigade.

• Mr J. D. Leiper (pronounced Leeper), late of Buxton and Aberdeen, is our new Postmaster, and he commenced upon his Luton duties yesterday. We trust that Mr Leiper's stay amongst us may be a happy and lengthy one, and join with the courteous Mr Berrett (late Acting Postmaster) in tendering him a sincerely cordial welcome to Luton.

• A meeting of influential tradesmen held at the Town Hall yesterday considered the possibilities of a scheme for the saving of waste paper and turning it into money. The Mayor gave the prices obtainable from two paper mills for various kinds of waste. A working party was elected to consider a waste-paper scheme for Luton.

• On Monday afternoon, George Pruton, who is employed by Messrs F. Ray, of Vicarahe Street, was unloading flour from a dray in Chapel Street when a tram-car collided with the dray, knocking some bags of flour on to the road. Little damage was done, beside the spilt flour.

• On Saturday morning a horse attached to a cart, the property of Messrs Godden and Rudd, coal merchants, John Street, for some unknown reason took fright and dashed away from the Thermo Works, down Hitchin Road, and finally crashed into No 31 Church Street, smashing a window. Curiously enough, the animal was uninjured.

• When Pc Hill caught Arthur Holton, of 150 Farley Hill, playing football on Farley Hill on August 27th, he gave a false name and address. At the Borough Sessions yesterday, he shamefacedly admitted playing but could find no excuse for lying. It was said that he was playing with three older boys with a ball similar to a tennis ball. Chief Constable Teale said youths played with all kinds of balls, "some tie bundles of paper, some rags - they are not particular what they get, for they will kick anything". The boy was fined five shillings.