Town Clerk William Smith created his own embarrassment when Fred and Bob appeared before the Luton Borough Tribunal on Thursday, May 25th, 1916. The name Hawkes did not appear against the names in the Saturday Telegraph report that, as was Tribunal policy, did not in any case normally identify appellants. But in this case it was evident that two Luton Town FC players, not related but with the same surname, were involved.

Fred appeared first and, when the Town Clerk was inquiring into his financial circumstances, he replied that his savings came "from a certain source". That produced a smile from Tribunal members who did recognise him.

Fred got conditional exemption from military service as the sole head of his business as a straw hat manufacturer.

When Bob (as depicted, right, in a Saturday Telegraph cartoon in 1915) appeared, the Town Clerk again went into the circumstances and he asked the usual questions concerning the establishment of the business and its financial details. To the amusement of the Tribunal members he gave the same reply as Fred to the question of his capital, that some portion of it was derived from "a certain source".

The Town Clerk was evidently determined to get at the facts this time. Now everyone knows what a busy man the Town Clerk is and that he has not had the opportunities of members of the Tribunal to make the acquaintance of the popular Bob and know his high character, so when he proceeded very seriously to ask Bob for definite revelations as to this source of income there was a general grin.

Bob blushed, but was loth to proclaim his fame, and the Town Clerk, who is not slow to grasp any laugh against him, smiled also and then suggested as delicately as he could that it might be betting.

At this Bob nearly fell off the chair, and members of the Tribunal roared with laughter.

The Town Clerk smilingly gave in, and the Mayor [who was chairing the Tribunal] informed him of Bob's identity. With characteristic good humour and courtesy the Town Clerk accepted the laugh against him and apologised to Bob for putting to him such an impossible (so far as Bob was concerned) question.

He neatly turned the tables on the Mayor and other members of the Town Council who are members of the Tribunal by remarking: "You see, you keep me so busy that I have not had the opportunity to see him at football, and I did not know him."

The Military Representative (Mr Gardner) regarded Bob with envious eyes and said: "You are just the man we want," and again Bob's modesty was evident, and a member suggested: "He wants you for the Footballers' Battalion, Bob."

The tribunal, however, evidently on the grounds that Bob was the sole head of a business, granted him conditional exemption.

[The Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: May 27th, 1916]