An interesting letter has been received by Mrs Taylor, of Langley Road, Luton, from her son Pte A. W. Taylor, serving with the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in France. He writes:

Stories from the Luton News: Thursday, May 4th, 1916.

Writing from Rugby to the headmaster of the Stopsley Council School, Harry Titchmarsh, of the 4th Beds Regiment, thanked him for his congratulations on the winning of the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

A street barricade erected by the rebels in Dublin during the Rising [Wikipedia]

Waller Street Baths, Luton, in 1914

Some men were never cut out to be heroes in the military sense. In fact psychologically they could not even cope with military life, let alone experiencing the horrors of trench warfare.

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

An extraordinary and startling fatality occurred at the Luton Corporation Baths last night. Pte Charles William Fowler, a driver with No 3 Battery, C Company, No 6 Artillery Training School, Biscot, was found drowned in one of the slipper baths by the manager of the Baths, Mr Archibald H. Cooper, under circumstances which point to a determined suicide.

Ampthill Camp during World War 1 [BLARS - Z1306/1/32/4]

A perhaps romanticised view of life in the Duke of Bedford's training camp at Ampthill was given by an unnamed Lutonian in an article published in the Luton News.

Stories from the Luton News: Thursday, April 27th, 1916.

During the last few weeks hundreds of Derby recruits have come in from all parts of the Kingdom to join the London R.F.A. at Biscot Camp, and Lutonians are much interested in these stalwart young men as they march through the town every morning. They are en masse a fine spectacle.

Sapper Harry Newman, Royal Engineers, of 208 Park Street, Luton, serving with the British Expeditionary Force in France, writes: "We are having much better weather her now, but the trenches are very wet and muddy in places.

"We are on night work as we cannot do anything in the daytime or we should soon be shelled out. We had to dig three of our chaps out of the mud as they went in up to their waists, and the mud here is as bad as glue.

Having scored two goals that helped Luton beat Watford 3-1 in a return London Combination home match on Easter Monday [April 24th, 1916] centre-forward Ernie Simms fell foul of the law after the final whistle.

His new, young wife Grace was among the 6,000-plus spectators at the match but she had to leave without him after he was arrested as an absentee from the Royal Field Artillery stationed at Newcastle.

Stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: April 22nd, 1916.

The War Office regulations for the recognition of the Volunteers as part of the military forces of the Crown were issued on Thursday. In the official communication it is pointed out that in the opinion of the Army Council the controlling body in each county should be the County Territorial Force Association.

Stories from the Luton News: Thursday, April 20th, 1916.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded by a jury at Luton Court House on April 17th, 1916, on the first man to die of injuries sustained while working at the George Kent munitions works at Chaul End.

Leonard George Gower, a married man aged 26, of 18 Albert Road, Houghton Regis, was struck in the abdomen by part of the machinery he was operating on April 4th. He died four days later at the Bute Hospital, Luton.

Fifty-seven men of the 8th Bedfordshire Regiment, including four from Luton and one from Sundon, were killed when the Germans made a successful attack on British front line trenches near Ypres on April 19th, 1916.

Leagrave and Limbury fire engine 1925