Further problems involving tribunals and the military administration arose at a sitting of the County Appeals Tribunal in Luton on April 13th, 1916.

A man whose case had been adjourned to allow him to produce a certificate of discharge as a time-expired soldier had made enquiries and applied to the Record Office. The result was that it appeared that copies of discharges, which exempted men from the provisions of the Military Service Act, were somewhat hard to get.

Tribunal chairman Mr S. Howard Whitbread: "Wait a minute. If we ask for one they must give it."

Mr W. G. W. Willis, representing the man, said he had asked and not received, and he had heard that others had asked and not received.

The chairman said the case had to be adjourned again. He did not mind writing a letter himself to the officer in charge of the administrative centre to say that if the discharge was not furnished the Tribunal would give the man exemption. He added: "We will get the certificate."

Mr Willis said the inference was that the military knew the reason for which the discharge particulars were required. He did not want to put it any harder than that, but he thought the inference was obvious.

Military representative Lt Whittaker said he would apply for the record, and the case was adjourned, as was that of a second man who claimed to have been discharged disabled but was unable to obtain any documentary evidence to that effect.

A second problem involved medical examinations. The Dunstable Tribunal had adjourned the case of a man so that he could produce proof that his was a "home service" case.

The man said he did not go to Bedford at an appointed time because he had already been advised he would not know anything more than before. He had since been to Bedford and had been cursorily examined by one man, who told him to come up in his group, so he had wasted his time and money.

The chairman said it was a case of a man aged 39 about whom there was a question about his physical fitness. The Local Tribunal had ordered a public examination, and evidently had grounds for doubt about his physical condition. They accordingly came to no decision pending the production of a medical certificate, but no certificate had been obtained.

It was stated that the man had now been to Bedford Barracks for medical examination, and all he had been told was that he must come up in his group.

After the chairman said this was "extremely unsatisfactory," Major Orde, for the military authorities, said a copy of the medical officer's remarks were on the man's medical history sheet. The chairman responded that the remarks conveyed no medical information whatever.

The case was adjourned after Mr Whitbread said that based on the information before them about the man's physical condition the tribunal could not come to a definite decision.

The man said he had been examined by a medical officer for about half a minute and told to come up in his group.

The case was adjourned indefinitely for the military representative to arrange a further examination by the medical officer at which the man could bring attention to whatever was the matter with him.

The chairman said that the medical opinion should be put plainly on paper, without comment.

[Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: April 15th, 1916]