Stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: July 29th, 1916.

Wearing sackcloth and ashes rather than shouting from public platforms was how the Mayor of Luton, Alderman J. H. Staddon, suggested that the second anniversary of the outbreak of war should be marked.

His outspoken view came in response to a letter from the Central Committee for National Patriotic Organisations which advocated holding public meetings throughout the country and the passing of a resolution declaring inflexible determination to continue the struggle to a victorious end.

"We should be in sackcloth and ashes rather than shouting at a public meeting composed mainly of men either over age or who have received conditional exemption from military service," responded the Mayor. "We are not the ones to shout, 'We will fight to the bitter end' while we are comfortably at home in our arm chairs.

"It is left for His Majesty's Government to deal with a question of this sort. Our duty at home is to see to it that we are providing the men and the money to assist the Government and the nation in the object they have set out to do, namely to thrash Germany all in our own good time."

• Another batch of wounded soldiers arrived at Wardown V.A.D. Hospital on Thursday afternoon from Cambridge. Men of the Worcesters, Gloucesters, Northamptons, Royal Rifles and Scottish Rifles were among those transported from the Great Northern Railway Station in private cars. The men were delighted with their new surroundings, one stating: "They are so wonderfully kind. There are no irksome restrictions, and you can stay out of doors until nine o'clock. You could not do it at Cambridge."

• The continued fierceness of the struggle on the Western Front has brought a good deal more sorrow and mourning into Luton than was at first estimated in the initial stages of the advance. The Bedford Regiment have been in the thick of the fighting - nay, some of the fiercest struggles, some of the most sanguinary slaughter, has been accomplished by the Beds Regiment. In spite of the enemy's genius for defensive preparation and crafty ingenuity of divers kinds, our heroes have never shrunk from the task, and the various battalions of the Beds Regiment have performed some of the most valiant and thrilling deeds of the war.

• Details of two more Lutonians killed were reported. Pte Charles Webb, 18, of Farley Green had been killed in action on July 7th, and Pte Leonard Stapleton, of 48 Saxon Road, was killed by a German shell on July 18th. And a service was also held at Breachwood Green Baptist on Sunday evening in memory of Pte Herbert Graves, who had been killed on the Somme.

• Our recent reports concerning prisoners of war in Germany have had considerable effect. Two prisoners we specifically dealt with received a parcel immediately, and two recent donations have meant eight parcels for poor fellows who are now behind German bars, barbed wire or bayonets. The Mayor [Alderman J. H. Staddon] and Mr Barford had represented Luton in a deputation which met the Chancellor of the Exchequer calling for a solemn undertaking by the Government that the country as a whole should accept full liability.

• Last night the newly formed Luton War Pensions Committee re-affirmed their protest against attempts to provide pensions and allowances to disabled soldiers, and widows and orphans, out of the voluntary contributions of the public.

• The members of the Park Street Baptist Band of Hope had their annual outing on Wednesday. The party journey by tram to Round Green, and a short walk brought them to their destination, a pleasant meadow in Stockingstone Lane which Mr Panter, the owner, has kindly lent for the occasion.

• A masterly monograph of The Domesday Water Mills of Bedfordshire, by Mr William Austin, of Luton, is included in the third of the volumes issued by the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society. Very useful is the map of the county showing the Hundreds [administrative divisions], main rivers, brooks and mills at the time of the great survey.

• This has been a week of activities with a view to securing many recruits for the new South Beds Volunteer Battalion. Recruiting on Sunday was centred on Dunstable (pictures above). The recruiting week was to have a grand finale at Wardown tomorrow, when a parade service would be conducted by the Rev C. Evelyn Charlesworth and considerably over 100 fresh recruits would be sworn in.