Luton's People 1914-1918
This page contains a list of soldiers/civilians from Luton and surroundings 1914-1918, and the ancestors of people who live in Luton today. It has been compiled from the 1918 Luton Absent Voters List, Rolls of Honour; and information researched and uploaded by project volunteers and members of the public.
If you find your ancestor here, and there is only basic information available, then feel free to use the comment box to add further information you may already know. The WWI Project Team, can then add this further information to the basic data we already hold.
The sources of this information can be found via the links below. Please feel free to download and use this information, but please please search for and upload your ancestor to the site if/when you find them:-
Absent Voters List
Luton Roll of honour
Before adding anybody to the site, it is always advisable to search for your ancestor first.
From the Luton News 15th February 1917.
From The Luton News 9th January 1917. FROM THE RANKS. Another Brave Lutonian Receives a Commission. We are pleased to announce that Pte Frederick Lewis Pedley, son of Mrs Pedley of 73 Conway Road Luton, has been gazetted to a commission.
From the Luton News 9th January 1917. A WHEATHAMPSTEAD SOLDIER. Reported Missing.
Private Alfred Brightman was one of five sons of Samuel and Sarah Brightman of Great Bramingham who served on the Western Front. Tragically four of the five sons were killed. Alfred was killed in action in Flanders on 26th Oct 1914, aged 25. He was the first Brightman son to die.
Herbert Brightman was one of five sons of Samuel and Sarah Brightman who served on the Western Front. Tragically four of the five sons were killed. Alfred was killed in action on 25th October 1917, aged 34. He was the third Brightman son to be killed.
Frank Brightman was one of five sons of Samuel and Sarah Brightman of Great Bramingham who served on the Western Front. Tragically four of the five brothers were killed. Frank was reported Missing Presumed Killed in France on 12th Oct 1916, aged 32. He was the second son to be lost.
Richard was one of five sons of Samuel and Sarah Brightman of Great Bramingham who served on the Western Front. Tragically four of the five brothers were killed. Richard died of wounds on 10th November 1917 in France, aged 24. He was the fourth son to be lost.
Walter was one of five sons of Samuel and Sarah Brightman of Great Bramingham who served on the Western Front. Tragically his four brothers were all killed between 1914 and 1917.
Albert was the third son of George and Ann Horsler of Great Bramingham, who had seven sons serving on the Western Front. Three brothers were killed and two, including Albert, were wounded.
William Horsler was the eldest son of George and Ann Horsler of Great Bramingham, who had seven sons serving on the Western Front. Three brothers were killed and two, including William, were wounded.
Edward was the second son of George and Ann Horsler of Great Bramingham who had seven sons serving on the Western Front. Three brothers, including Edward, were killed and two were wounded.
Walter is the sixth son of George and Ann Horsler of Great Bramingham who had seven sons serving on the Western Front. Three of the sons were killed and two were wounded. Walter had the good fortune to come through unscathed and to return home after being demobilised in 1919.
Arthur was the fourth son of George and Ann Horsler of Great Bramingham who had seven sons serving on the Western Front. Three brothers, including Arthur, were killed and two were wounded.
George was the fifth son of George and Ann Horsler of Great Bramingham who had seven sons serving on the Western Front. Three brothers, including George, were killed and two were wounded.
Frank was the son of George and Ann Horsler of Great Bramingham who had seven sons serving on the Western Front. Three brothers died and two were wounded. Frank was fortunate to survive unscathed and return home after being demobilised in December 1919.
Harold Campbell Abbot joined the 1st Btn Bedfordshire regiment.
He was killed in action in Flanders on 17th April 1915 aged 19.
Hubert Douglas Stratford was born in Luton in 1889, the son of Edward Douglas and Kate Stratford. His father was an auctioneer and land agent living at 33 Downs Road, Luton.
From the Luton News 13th July 1916. OLD CELTIC FOOTBALLER KILLED IN THE GREAT BATTLE.
From The Luton News 13.7.1916. SAVED BY HIS HELMET. Well known Luton Footballer's Experience. How the British Soldier Goes into Action. Despite his wounds, Pte H C Preece, 2nd Battalion, Beds Regt., writes us a very cheery letter from a V.A.D. hospital at Broadstairs.
From the Luton News 22nd February 1917. SOLDIER'S WIFE'S SUICIDE. Young Mother Attempts to Strangle her Child. Sad Tragedy at Pepperstock.
In late August 1917, munitions worker Violet Golding, aged “sweet 17,” became one of the youngest people named to receive the newly constituted Medal of the Order of the British Empire. The award followed an accident at George Kent's Chaul End munitions factory the previous June.
Son of Alfred George Ives Pedley and Isabella Pedley, of Luton, Beds.
Many soldiers in WW1 perished and disappeared without trace. But for the Luton family of Private Harry Wilkinson there was a chance to lay his remains to rest 85 years later.
My Grandfather, Robert Wright, volunteered to join the army on 12 June 1914 – the day before his 26th birthday. This was clearly before hostilities had been declared, but by this time it was looking more and more certain that a war was approaching.
Having served from 1908 to 1913 in the Territorial Army (Army No. 1554) with 54th Div. RE, Sydney Brown enlisted in the Royal Engineers in November 1914. Between 1914 and 1918 he served with various units (Army No.
Charles Smith Neale, a hat packer by trade before the War, enlisted into the Army in December 1915, and was posted into the Army Veterinary Corps (Army No. 16205). He was later posted to the RFA (Army No. 155728). He was discharged in May 1918 as "no longer physically fit for war service".
Frederick Howard Harman was a son of George Edward Harman and his wife Amelia (formerly Shoosmith), who lived at 20 Stockwood Crescent, Luton. He had been born in 1883 in Southampton, and had married in 1909, moving to Watford to live.
Archibald (Archie) Odell was an older brother of my paternal grandmother (he was my great-uncle). He was enlisted at St Albans into the 24th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regt. (The Queen's) on 4 September 1914, aged 29. He was posted as a Private (Army No.
Herbert John Odell (a nephew of my great-grandfather, and my first cousin twice removed!) was born in 1892, and like his father John (with whom he lived at 25 North Street, Luton) was a plasterer by trade.
My first cousin twice removed (his father, John Barrett, was a brother of my great-grandmother), Ernest Ethelred Barrett had been a house-painter at the time of the 1911 census of Luton, aged 16, living in the family home at 53 Hibbert Street.
Private Betts of Ashton Road Luton served with the Mounted Field Ambulance Division of the Royal Army Medical Corps. He arrived at Gallipoli on 7th October 1915 and died of wounds on 10th October 1915.
Lance Corporal Huggins served with the 8th Bedfordshire Regiment in France from August 1915 and he survived the war.
Private Turner served with the 5th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment in Gallipoli and was wounded in August 1915. His family donated photographs and papers to Wardown Museum and these will be on display in the WW1 exhibition from 5th August 2014.
Private Hudson served with the 5th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment in Gallipoli in August 1915. His family donated his pocket diary to the Wardown Museum and it will be on display at the WW1 exhibition from 5th August 2014.
Charles Taylor served in the Royal Garrison Artillery in Salonika. He was born in Luton 19880. He and his wife Alice ran the Gardeners Call Public House in Luton for 50 years.
George Stokes, was one of the first Luton-born casualties of the war to be reported missing in the pages of the Luton News. He was serving on HMS Amphion, the first Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the conflict.
James Edward Genn was born in Boughton, Nonchelsea in Kent in 1881 to James Billet Genn & Eliza, nee Potter.
17 year old Frank Cashmore died at Wardown Park V.A.D. Hospital on the 15th October 1914.
He was the son of James and Mary Ann Cashmore, of I, Arthur St., West Bromwich.