Digest of stories from The Luton News: Thursday, April 28th, 1917.

Twenty-three Luton borough policemen of military age were granted continued conditional exemption from Army service at the Luton Tribunal on Wednesday. Military Representative Lieut H. Gardner agreed to the exemptions but said the cases of some of the younger men would be reconsidered when new Chief Constable Mr Charles Griffin took up his duties.

Town Clerk Mr William Smith pointed out that police were in certified occupations because the late Chief Constable, Mr David Teale, had said they were necessary. All of the men involved were married - there was not a single man in the force.

The 23 police officers were listed as: George Stanbridge, aged 26, of 72 Butlin Road; John H. Wood, aged 26, of 36 Naseby Road; Alfred Ellingham, aged 27, of 43 Cromwell Road; Henry John Hills, aged 27, of 161 Dallow Road; George King, aged 27, of 46 Butlin Road; Alec P. Field, aged 27, of 35 Whitby Road; Arthur G. Fuller, aged 28, of 22 Maple Road; Major C. Harper, aged 28, of 1 Arthur Street; Horace Frost, aged 29, of 51 Hampton Road; John Biley, aged 29, of 97 Cowper Street; Thomas E. Shaw, aged 29, of 18 Grange Road; Richard C. Odell, aged 30, of 27 Highbury Road; Thomas Mason, aged 30, of 34 Newcombe Road; Thomas Simpkins, aged 31, of 19 Granville Road; Charles Speight, aged 32, of 12 Newcombe Road; Henry Parsons, aged 36, of 65 Clarendon Road; Robert O. Roberts, aged 36, of 76 Highbury Road; Sgt John Matsell, aged 37, of 16 Newcombe Road; William Wright, aged 37, of 1 Malvern Road; Russell A. Hencher, aged 38, of 26 Frederic Street; David Parsons, aged 39, of 6 Dunstable Place; Sgt Edmund Janes, aged 39, of 63 Langley Road; and Arthur J. Chapman, aged 42, of 28 Ivy Road.

• A verdict of accidental death was returned by a jury at an inquest held at the Sportsman, Stopsley, yesterday afternoon into the death of six-year-old Frederick Charles Armitage, who lived at Butterfield Green. He died from a fractured skull after walking from behind a moving noisy traction engine and into the path of a motorcycle travelling at about 5mph and sounding its horn. Mrs Mary Smith, who bathed the boy, said she believed the boys had died while lying by the kerb. His body was taken home in a milk float. Exonerating the motorcyclist from blame, the jury suggested that parents and schoolteachers should impress upon children the necessity of looking carefully both ways before crossing a road.

• Luton Roll of Honour (click on names in yellow for more detail): Cpl Ralph Marshall (Machine Gun Corps), of 44 Cambridge Street, Luton; Pte Horace George McDonnell (Beds Regiment), of 29 Malvern Road, Luton; Rifleman Horace Edward Bates (London Regiment), of 57 Buxton Road, Luton.

• The will of the late Rev E. G. Punchard, formerly Vicar of Christ Church, Luton, has been proved at £4,622. His death occurred at Ely on March 2nd.

• At the Borough Court this morning, Ernest Robinson, from Ealing, was fined 30s for dangerously driving a motor car in George Street on April 18th. A witness put the speed of the vehicle at 20 mph. The driver denied he was travelling that fast.

• Second Lieut EricC. Freear (Bedfordshire Regiment), who was formerly in the engineering department at Vauxhall Motors, was killed in action on April 15th. He lived with an uncle and aunt at Harpenden following the deaths of his parents.

• Following defeat away to Chelsea in a re-arranged match on Thursday, Luton Town completed their London Combination season with a 6-0 win over visitors Brentford today. Ernie Simms scored four of Luton's goals with Bob Hawkes and Butcher adding the others. The result meant Luton had scored 101 goals during the season, won 20 games, lost 16 and drawn 4. Simms was the league's top scorer with 40 goals for the season.