An application was made some time ago by the Luton Corporation for a share in the mementoes of war, said the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph of January 11th, 1919. Mayor Henry Impey had since received the information that the gun awarded was a trophy won by the Bedfordshire Regiment and had been allotted by the regiment.

In a letter to the Mayor, Capt and Adjt H. Seys Phillips, 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, wrote that his Commanding Officer had applied to the War Office for No. 12538, 77mm field gun, captured from the Germans by the battalion to be allotted to the Borough of Luton.

“It is felt by all ranks that the Borough of Luton should be one of the first to receive a trophy captured by this battalion. This gun is one of the first two we have been asked to allot by the War Office. I therefore have much pleasure in asking you on behalf of the battalion to accept the field gun in grateful recognition of the support the Borough of Luton has given to the county regiment during the war.”

The field gun arrived this morning, reported the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph of February 15, 1919. However, the gun was said to be in a shockingly damaged condition and appeared to have been hit direct by a big shell.

The gun, said the report, would be mounted at Wardown the following Monday morning at a spot near the suspension bridge, and on the side opposite to the boat house.

Severe weather in which Wardown Lake froze over and was used for skating prevented the gun being installed, and The Luton News reported that the field gun would be mounted as soon as weather conditions allowed.

The gun that was eventually placed in Wardown Park was, however, the 4.7 naval piece, pictured above, made by British firm Armstrong Whitworth's and captured by the 1/5th Bedfords from the Turks in 1917. That was placed in position on September 25th, 1920, and dismantled in World War Two.