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.

The man was admitted to the Baths at the busiest period of the evening, between 7.30 and 8 o'clock. The Baths Manager (pictured left) went round announcing the closing time as usual, and twice knocked at the closed door of the cubicle occupied by the soldier. Receiving no reply, Mr Cooper looked underneath the door and, seeing a pair of boots there, climbed to the top of the partition and looked over.

In the bath lay the soldier, the reverse way of the bath, his head under water and the feet elevated, the legs tied together with string. Mr Cooper burst open the door and with an attendant commenced the work of artificial respiration until a doctor arrived.

This was the first death at the Baths during Mr Cooper's 25 years of management of the Baths and only the second [a heart attack] there since 1887, when he first became connected with the Baths.

[The following Thursday's Luton News reported that an inquest jury returned a verdict that the 40-year-old soldier, who had lived with his father Charles George Fowler in Clerkenwell, committed suicide whilst temporarily insane. The Coroner said it was possible that the sudden change of occupation for the former clerk had caused his nervous temperament to give way, and under an uncontrollable impulse he took his own life. Pte Fowler was buried with full military honours at the Church Cemetery in Luton, on the Wednesday following the inquest.]

• The funeral was held at the General Cemetery yesterday of Driver Stanley Bell, 121219, Army Service Corps, who died following an operation at the Bute Hospital. He had joined up in September 1915 and was soon dispatched to France to be in charge of an armoured car. He fought at the battle of Loos but was disabled through illness. He spent time in hospital in Sheffield and a convalescent home in Derbyshire before being discharged as unfit in January. On his return to Luton he had taken a job as a chauffeur and another at the Bell Hotel but had again been hit by illness. His home was at 87 Frederic Street, Luton, and he died on Saturday [April 22nd], aged 29.

• Compulsory "conscription for all" and an end to single young men first was in prospect after the Military Service Bill was withdrawn amid widespread criticism in the House of Commons on Thursday within two hours of it being introduced. Sir Edward Carson, who opened fire on the measure, said he strongly disapproved of a proposal which would mean teenage boys being called to the Colours in favour of married men aged 21 upwards who were better able to withstand the strains of war. Enlistments under the existing group system would cease forthwith and all married men of military age could be accepted for immediate service with the Colours.

• The Bedfordshire Regiment received special mention in dispatches from British Headquarters in France yesterday following considerable operations in Flanders and Artois. The dispatch read: "Last night the Bedfordshire Regiment carried out a very successful raid near Carnoy. The raiding part rushed trenches and, after fierce hand-to-hand fighting, drove remaining Germans into their dug-outs and bombed them there. Our casualties were eight wounded, all brought in. German loss considerable."

• The Sinn Fein Easter Uprising in Dublin affected Luton Town's team for their final London Combination fixture of the season, away to Brentford. Both Hargreaves and Dyke were among troops from St Albans called to assist in quelling the rebellion, while Butcher was engaged on Government work and Ernie Simms had been been sent back to his unit at Newcastle after being charged with being AWOL. Whittemore and Poltock were included in a forward line that nevertheless beat their hosts 3-0. The Blues scored all their goals in the first half through Whittemore, Bob Hawkes and Tempest. The result meant Luton finished the season in 12th place in the 14-team league.