Thomas Collier was born in Houghton Regis in 1890 and was one of eight children born to Edwin and Elizabeth Collier.  In 1914 he married Margaret Annie Reed in Luton and they had one son, Ralph.

He joined the army in December 1916 as a private in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and, after training, was drafted to Salonika, serving at both Vardar and Monastir principally attending wounded and sick horses.

Lance Corporal Huggins served with the 8th Bedfordshire Regiment in France from August 1915 and he survived the war. His family have donated photographs, service papers and his travelling clock and pocket book to Wardown Museum and these will be on display in the WW1 Exhibition from 5th August 2014.

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.

Letters from his commanding officer and fellow servicemen and his Memorial Plaque were donated to Wardown Park Museum by his great neice and will be on display at the WW1 Exhibition from 5th August 2014.

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. He was called up for service on 23 March 1916, and was first enrolled in 6th Royal Fusiliers (Army No. 6700), later transferring to 1/7th Middlesex Regt. (Army No. 203962). He was posted to France on 9 June 1916, but on 16 August 1916, while he was cleaning his rifle, the weapon went off, wounding his left arm, resulting in the amputation of the arm below the elbow.

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. 2531) with the Expeditionary Force to France on 15 March 1915, but was wounded by a gunshot wound to the throat on 25 May 1915, and sent back to UK on 5 June 1915. He was discharged from the Army on 11 February 1916.

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".

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. 524621, including East Anglian Field Coy RE, and in May 1918 he joined 69 Field Coy RE. He was appointed L/Cpl on 8 August 1918. On 29 March 1919 he was transferred to Class "Z", Army Reserve, on demobilisation.

Arthur Walter Aylott, formerly a private in the Bedfordshire Regiment (22450) and later the Machine Gun Corps (5200), died at 67 Dumfries Street, Luton, on February 17, 1919, at the age of 21.

He had enlisted in August 1915 and served in the Army just over a year before being invalided out on September 10, 1916 as a result of being gassed. He never fully recovered and developed consumption.

Born in Luton in 1897, only son of the late Bransom and the late Elizabeth Aylott, he had before joining up worked in the bleaching and dyeing trade for Mr Stewart Hubbard.

Information via his ancestor M. Ponsford.

From the Luton News dated 4th January 1917. LUTONIAN KILLED. Mrs A Brown of 2a Essex Street, Luton has received official information that her son, Pte Edward Brown, 19, who enlisted April 1st last year in the Northants Regiment, was killed in action on December 10th.

Prior to joining up he worked in the grocery department of the Bury Park branch of the Luton Co-operative Society and he has only been at the Front three months. Mrs Brown has also received a letter from Sec.Liet. A E Ward of the same regiment, who states

From the Luton News 22nd February 1917. SOLDIER'S WIFE'S SUICIDE. Young Mother Attempts to Strangle her Child. Sad Tragedy at Pepperstock. A particularly sad case of suicide following an attempt by a young mother - a soldier's wife - to strangle one of her two children, occurred at Pepperstock, within a couple of miles or so of Luton, during the weekend.  The unfortunate woman who took her own life was the wife of a soldier by name Ethel Margaret Field, 29 years of age, whose husband is a private in the R.A.M.C. and is stationed at Clacton.

From The Luton News 27th July 1916.  ANOTHER HERO GONE.  Well known both in his native Luton and in Ampthill and district, Pte Joseph Payne, son of Mrs E Payne of 15 Inkerman Street, Luton, has met his death in France after being nearly twelve months in the fighting line, joining the Army soon after war broke out.  He trained at Ampthill, where he made many friends and was drafted to a battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment.  On July 1st, just after the commencement of the big advance, he was wounded and a notification has now been received that he died from his wounds on July 16th.  Privat

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. Before joining the colours, Pte Preece was well known among footballers in Luton as secretary of the Ivydale F.C his home being at 207 North Street.

From the Luton News 13th July 1916.  OLD CELTIC FOOTBALLER KILLED IN THE GREAT BATTLE. Among the families plunged into sorrow in Luton as the result of the big battle begun on July 1st, is that of Mr and Mrs C T Armstrong, whose son, Pte Frederick Armstrong of the 7th Beds Regiment, has died from wounds received in that action.

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.

He first enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers (36056), being promoted to lance-corporal before gaining a commission with the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards in February 1917. He went to France the following August and returned to England in October 1917 after being wounded. He went back to France on Easter Sunday 1918, a fortnight before his death.