Diary: Engineers at strike meeting

Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: May 12th, 1917.

Engineering unrest headlines

On April 29th, 1917, a meeting of members of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers was held at Luton Town Hall. It was a secret gathering, and rumours had been circulating ever since concerning what would happen next.

Already in the North of England a number of engineers were unofficially on strike, and there were now rumours locally that the production of munitions here would be seriously affected by the possibility of a cessation from work of a considerable number of men at works in Luton.

This was the background to a story published in The Saturday Telegraph on the day that a meeting was being held at Luton Town football ground with upwards of 500 men attending and the strong possibility of trouble from soldiers opposed to strikers.

The military authorities evidently had an idea of the feeling among the ranks. Pickets had been put in place in the vicinity of the ground and soldiers were refused admission. Entrance was available only from Kenilworth Road, where stewards barred the way to all but recognised members of the A.S.E. Members of the Press were also excluded.

"At the time of writing it is not known what will be the result of the meeting, but it is freely rumoured that there will be a full resumption of work by all the men who are now out on Monday morning," said the Telegraph.

[It was not until May 21st that, with Government intervention, the men finally returned to work, and there would be extensive Press coverage and public condemnation of the strikers in the meantime].

  • Just before five o'clock on Thursday afternoon, a man named Arthur Welch, employed by the Luton Corporation, was driving a water cart along Manchester Street when he collided with a tramcar on which Mr Harry Newberry,of 35 Burr Street, was the motorman. The tram was coming from the Town Hall and collided with the water cart, which was jammed into Mr Barker's motor standing outside his shop. One of the wheels of the motor-car was broken and the mudguard smashed. Fortunately, no-one was injured.

  • This morning two accidents in which tramcars were concerned took place in Luton. The first happened at 8.25 involved a collision between Messrs Laporte's motor lorry, driven by John Cousins, 12 Cumberland Street, and a tramcar driven by Walter Hutchins, of 73 Salisbury Road, at the junction of Crawley Road and New Bedford Road. Both vehicles sustained damaged. About an hour later a tramcar being driven down Upper George Street by Motorman Dingwell made contact with the side of a coal cart belonging to Messrs How and Byfield. The horse was knocked down and one of the shafts of the cart was snapped off.

  • News has been received of the death in action on May 4th of Captain Arthur Wilton (City of Winnipeg Battalion, Canadian Division), who several years ago resided in Ashton Road, Luton. He was the nephew of Mr and Mrs Smart, of Selbourne Road, Luton, - Mr Smart being one of the directors of Luton Town Football Club. After going through the Boer War, he went to Canada but returned on the outbreak of war as a private, quickly rising through the ranks until made a captain in May 1916. He was wounded at Ypres and later awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty.

  • Names to be added to Luton's Roll of Honour: Cpl Eli Thomas Wilson (EastAnglian Royal Engineers), 14 Maple Road, Luton; L-Cpl Aubrey Oliver Pryer (Royal Warwickshire Regiment), 51 Belmont Road, Luton; Pte Archie Walter Patten (Beds Regiment), 109 Ash Road, Luton.

  • The Roman Catholic Chaplain to the Bedfordshire Regiment has written to Mrs McDonald, of Maple House, Ash Road, Luton, informing her that her husband was wounded and in hospital in Egypt. An old reservist, L-Cpl McDonald was called up at the outbreak of war and proceeded to the Front last January. He was previously employed by Mr F. S. Biggs, straw hat manufacturer, Guildford Street, Luton.

  • In a supplement to the London Gazette last night, three awards of the Victoria Cross were announced, one of whom, Christopher Cox, is a private in the Bedfordshire Regiment. His announcement read: "Pte Christopher Cox, No 13909, Bedf Regt. For conspicuous bravery and continuous devotion to duty when acting as a stretcher bearer. During the attack of his battalion the front wave was checked by the severity of the enemy artillery and machine gun fire, and the whole line had to take cover in shell holes to avoid annihilation. Private Cox, utterly regardless of personal safety, went out over the fire-swept ground, and single-handed rescued four men. Having collected the wounding of his own battalion, he then assisted to bring in the wounded of an adjoining battalion. On the two subsequent days he carried out similar rescue work with the same disregard of his own safety. He has on all occasions displayed the same high example of unselfishness and valour."

  • Luton Town have had a most successful season. One cannot say exactly how far the clun has benefited financially. It cannot be much, but it has undoubtedly paid its way, contributed a sum of £100 to the revenue of the country in the shape of amusements tax, and, thanks to the generosity of the directors and the secretary, has given facilities for the raising of a considerable sum for charity.