Pte Horace Alfred Ward, 7269, 1st Battalion, Beds Regt, was killed in action at the first Battle of Ypres on November 14th, 1914. He was aged 30 and the husband of Alice, of 219 Castle Street, Luton, whom he married in 1905.

Pte Ward was called up as a reservist at the outbreak of war - a fortnight before his time in the Reserve would have expired. He was employed by Luton Corporation at the Electricity Station, and before that by Mr C. J. Worsley, engineer, of Melson Street, for a long period.

On the Reserves being called up he was at Felixstowe for a time, and then went to join the 1st Battalion Beds Regt at the front.

He was killed near Ypres, and the first news of his death came in a letter which Pte Plater, one of his chums, wrote to his relatives. Later it was corroborated in a letter from another chum, Pte Coleman. The War Office did not confirm his death until Saturday, March 13th, 1915 - four months later.

In his letter Pte Coleman said Pte Ward was shot as his party were being compelled to retire. He was buried by the Germans with some of their own dead.

At the time of the 1911 Census, he was a 27-year-old engineer's fitter living at 219 Castle Street. He and Alice, 28, had a five year-old daughter Mabel.

In the 1901 Census he is a carpenter living at 98 Midland Road, Luton, with his Barton-born parents Kenrie and Annie Ward. His father was the caretaker of a board school.

In the 1891 Census, Horace is a six-year-old scholar living with his parents at 33 Church Street, Luton. His father is an engineer's jobbing fitter and his mother a straw hat machinist.

[219 Castle Street would now be in London Road, just below the junction with Ashton Road.]