Diary: Luton YMCA huts for Folkestone

 

Stories from The Luton News: Thursday, January 27th, 1916.

Luton has accepted responsibility to provide three inter-communicating YMCA huts on Folkestone Leas for the convenience and comfort of some of our Australian and Canadian brothers-in-arms. As the result of an appeal by Mayor Alderman J. H. Staddon, the greater part of the money is already to hand or promised.

At Mrs Crawley's At Home at the Winter Assembly Hall yesterday, the Mayor said he had already received seven donations totalling a thousand guineas towards the £1,500 aimed at. Factory and flag efforts were certain to produce more than the balance.

  • Cpl Alfred Alexander Burt , 1665, 1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment, became the first Hertfordshire Territorial to be award the Victoria Cross. His proud father, Tommy Burt, was a railwayman based at Luton.

  • Lieut Edmund Wallis Beck, aged 26, Acting Adjutant of the 8th Bedfordshire Regiment, died at Boulogne on January 9th, 1916. He was seriously wounded on December 19th near Ypres while giving warning of a gas attack. His mother was living at Hillcrest, Hart Hill, Luton.

  • Official notification has arrived in Luton of the death around 15 months earlier of Pte Oswald Simmonds, a former employee of Messrs George Kent Ltd and previously Messrs Hayward Tyler Ltd. A native of Mitcham who had lived in Luton for some years, he was a reservist of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment who was called up at the commencement of the war and went through the early and severest fighting. He had been reported missing in October 1914.

  • Major Richard R. B. Orlebar, who is in command of the 2/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, has been gazetted Temporary Lt-Col, as from November 5th. Prior to the formation of the third line of the 5th Bedfords, he was with the second line, and led the recruiting party which marched through the county last year in a vigorous effort to draw in more men to the 5th Battalion . He also brought a party of the 3/5th over from Windsor to the least great recruiting drive at Luton.

  • Pte Pugsley DCMRifleman B. J. Pugsley (pictured right), aged 21, 17th Londons, has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry in maintaining communications, carrying messages to detached companies under heavy fire. He came to Luton five years ago to take up a position as assistant draughtsman at the Diamond Foundry. He was secretary of the Davis Athletic Swimming Club and a member of the Diamond Entertainers. His parents were living in Coventry.

  • At a meeting of the Governors of the Luton Modern School at the Town Hall on Tuesday, it was suggested that selected plans for the new school to be erected on a site off Alexandra Avenue should be displayed at the Public Library.

  • We have received a copy of the first number of The Hart, the official magazine of the 4th Battalion Beds Regiment, which is to be issued monthly. Edited by Cpl J. F. Watt, it is a revived and revised version of an earlier regimental magazine that had its origin in the device of the old Harte Militia, which was merged in the 4th Battalion Beds Regiment.

  • 'No conscription' is the vote of Luton trades unionists for the Labour Party conference in Bristol this week. It came after much debate on Sunday night, and the result was a majority of only one!

  • There were at least 20 cottages in the Luton Rural District Council area that were unfit for human habitation, according to Surveyor Mr H. Pickering. It was agreed that four of the cottages - two at Barton and a pair at Sharpenhoe Road, Streatley, should be closed as they were in a particularly bad condition.

  • Shoeing smith George Pammenter, of the Northants Yeomanry, was grooming a horse at the Dunstable Road stables yesterday, when the animal kicked out, catching him the abdomen and causing internal injury. He was taken to the regimental doctor and later to the Bute Hospital.

  • An elderly man names George Whittemore, of High Street, Stopsley, employed as a labourer at Messrs Balmforth's works, was clearing scrap iron away on Tuesday morning when a heavy plate of metal fell on him, causing a nasty gash to his forehead. He was taken to the Bute Hospital, where he is progressing favourably.