Cpl Alfred Alexander Burt, the son of a long-serving Luton railwayman, won the Victoria Cross for bravery at Cuinchy after pulling the fuse out of a live bomb and throwing it over the parapet to save several lives. He had at first been recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal, but on Sunday, January 23rd, 1916, it was announced he would instead be awarded the VC.

Cpl Burt, 1665, 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment TF, was the first Hertfordshire Territorial to gain the VC, and the official record of the award stated: "For most conspicuous bravery at Cuinchy on September 27th, 1915.

"His company had lined the first trench preparatory to an attack when a large minenwerter bomb fell into the trench. Cpl Burt, who well knew the destructive power of this class of bomb, might easily have got under cover behind a traverse, but he immediately went forward, put his foot on the fuse, wrenched it out of the bomb, and threw it over the parapet, thus rendering the bomb innocuous. His presence of mind and great pluck saved the lives of others in the traverse."

The Luton News went in search of 'Tommy' Burt (picture right), the proud father who had given 40 years service to the Great Northern Railway and whose family were committed to war service. He had been given an "easy job" at Luton after suffering a bad accident at his home town of Hertford in which he suffered several broken ribs.

'Tommy' was found busy in the railway company's lamp-room in Luton, having previously been to Hertford, where he was visited by the Mayor and an ex-Mayor of Hertford and told that when his son came home they would "play him in" and give him a civic reception.

Mr Burt senior entered the service of the Great Northern Railway around 40 years earlier at King's Cross. Then he went to Daybrook, near Nottingham, and from there to Hertford, where he had worked for nearly 20 years before his accident.

"Now I've got an easy job," he said. "I've done my bit, and my sons are doing theirs."

Mr Burt had kept his home going at Hertford, but had lodgings at 11 Cross Street, Luton. He had been in Luton for three years, doing light work as one of the mess-room attendants and night watchmen.

In addition to VC son Alfred, Mr Burt had another son, Frank, who was seeing service in France. He had been a signalman at Grimsby before the war, when he joined the North Midland R.F.A. and was with the Division while they were training in Luton.

"He means to do something, for he keeps on volunteering for bomb-throwing," said his father. "I shouldn't be surprised tp hear of him doing something unexpected some day."

A third son, William, had run away from home one night to be a sailor, but he had to come back for his dad to sign his papers.

"I kept him a couple of days before I signed them," said Mr Burt. "Now he has risen from signal lad to be a warrant officer, and is a boatswain with a smart cap and a sword beside him. He has been ijn the Navy 16 years now, and is on the Swiftsure."

He added: "I've got another boy who has just started in the Post Office. He's mad to go soldiering, too, but he's too young for it, and his mother will have to say something before he goes.

"Then there's my daughter. She's 18 and was earning good money at piece work in a glove factory. But she came here one day and said she had given up her job, as she was going to Enfield to do her bit working at munitions."

[The Luton News: Thursday, January 27th, 1916]