Diary: Munition girls entertain the wounded

Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: September 22nd, 1917.

Kent's munition girls 1917

  • Kent's munition girls, some of whom entertained wounded soldiers, here waiting to greet King George V in 1917.

The mess room at the Messrs George Kent Ltd works presented an animated appearance this afternoon when a hundred belles from the workshops of the firm entertained a similar number of Tommies broken in the war. Seventy of the men came from Blackmore End Hospital, and the others were from Wardown.

The soldiers from Blackmore End were met at the station by Councillor Escott and conveyed to the works in motor cars kindly lent by the Vauxhall Motors Ltd and Messrs G. Kent. These firms also supplied motor cars from Wardown.

The party repaired to the mess room, where a bountiful meat tea was provided. After the singing of God Save The King, Councillor Escott welcomed the wounded heroes.

Selections were rendered by the Signals Concert Party, who, under the direction of Mr Wellsby, afterwards delighted both guests and hostesses with a fine musical entertainment.

The spacious hall had been lavishly decorated, Mr E. W. Way having the arrangements for this is hand. The general arrangements were in the hands of a committee under Misses Child and Hathaway, assisted by Mrs Nicholls, Councillor Escott and other friends. Cigarettes, sweets and other luxuries were distributed.

  • There was not a large attendance at the Luton Town Hall last night at the meeting for Discharged Soldiers and Sailors to form an association on trade union lines. For a full report click here.

  • Ingram-Barford weddingA pretty military wedding (pictured) was solemnised on Thursday at the Primitive Methodist Church, High Town, the contracting parties being Gunner James McDonald Ingram, of Hillhead, Ashburnham Road, and Miss Gladys Daisy Barford, younger daughter of Mr and Mrs Albert Barford, of 193 High Town Road. At the conclusion of the service, The Rev William Curry, on behalf of the choir, of which both the bride and bridegroom are members, presented a silver fruit stand. Before enlisting, Gunner Ingram was with the Luton Iron Foundry Co Ltd with his father, who is manager.

  • So successful have been the experiences of new allotment holders in the Dallow Road district that steps have lately been taken to secure additional land for cultivation. Representations were made to the Borough Surveyor by the Kingsway and Ashburnham Road allotments holders, and it seems that at the same time the allotment association which is responsible for the management of the permanent allotments on the Dallow Road, near the Chaul End works, were in negotiation with Mrs Crawley's agent (Mr Woodcock) for additional land. Meanwhile, a meeting held in the Adult School Institute in Dallow Road on Tuesday evening unanimously agreed to amalgamate the Kingsway association with the Dallow Road allotment holders.

  • We hear that Miss Winifred Bunker, youngest daughter of Mr and Mrs W. F. Bunker, of Tennyson Road, has volunteered as a shorthand-typist for France. Yesterday in London she was passed A1, and she expects to get her orders to join up in the Women's Army in a fortnight's time. At present she works for hat manufacturers Messrs Wing, Arnold and Wing, of Guildford Street.

  • Major Sidney J. Green, elder son of Mr and Mrs J. W. Green, is home on leave from France. He is looking very well indeed.

  • The many friends of Sgt Harold Warren, R.A.M.C., son of Councillor George Warren, are pleased to see him in Luton once again. He is home on ten days leave from France.

  • Luton Town entertained a Southampton side only a shadow of their past seasons. Butcher and Pugh scored in the first half and Clarke and Jones in the second to give Luton a comfortable 4-0 win that could have been by a bigger margin.