Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: December 1st, 1917.

• Pre-WW1 hat workers in Luton.

Last night one of the chief questions which came before the Luton War Pensions Committee was the announcement that a scheme has been prepared by the Luton Chamber of Commerce for the training of disabled soldiers and sailors as straw hat machinists, blockers and stiffeners.

The scheme provides for the training of a maximum number of 70 men per annum at an estimated cost of £600, and the Disablements Committee recommended that the scheme be approved and forwarded to the Ministry of Pensions.

In moving this, Mr W. J. Mair said all the details were not yet available, but those who formulated it deserved thanks for the scheme, as drafted, showed they were men who knew their business. It was drawn up under the chairmanship of Mr Currant and was one of which they might be proud.

There were great possibilities attaching to such a scheme, said Mr Mair. He looked forward to the near future when the terrible slaughter of human life would be ended. Luton people would perhaps desire to raise a memorial to remind the children and their children of the supreme sacrifice of many heroes.

Luton would undoubtedly become one of the largest industrial centres in the Midlands, and there could be no finer memorial than a technical school or institute. In the days to come te whole educational system would have to be reorganised, and the town must recognise its responsibilities not only to the disabled men but to the children.

• At the sitting of the Luton Borough Tribunal on Wednesday evening, Lieut Gardner submitted a list of 51 men who hold conditional exemption and asked that they should have the Volunteer service condition attached. The Town Clerk (Mr William Smith) suggested that he should be instructed to write to the men stating that the Tribunal considered they should join the Volunteers, and if they had reasons for not doing so they could make application to the Tribunal, but unless there was good reason it was useless to trouble the Tribunal. This course was agreed to.

• The meeting of the Luton and District Discharged Sailors and Soldiers Association last evening was well attended and was characterised by an animated discussion on the Comrades of the Great War. Mr Mabley, in a fiery speech which drew loud applause, asserted that the CGW movement was contaminated with the money of the autocracy and were blacklegs working against the interests of democracy. He said no working man with a conscience could join the CGW.

• The usefulness of the Luton Bute Hospital Work Guild during the few years it has been in existence has been much appreciated by the hospital committee. It has been the means of securing much useful ward linen and clothing for the patients, thus contributing largely to their comfort and the efficiency of the institution. Guild Hon Secretary Miss Williams, of Farley Lynches, has once more issued am appeal for all kinds of articles necessary for household management.

• Members of the Silver Stars Football Club will regret to learn of the death of a former colleague, Cpl Ernest Walter Brooks (London Regiment), whose parents live at 108 Ridgway Road, Luton. Ten weeks ago he was posted as missing, and on Thursday morning an official notice announced his death in France on September 20th. Aged 25 and a compositor by trade, he was an old apprentice of Messrs Marshall, Brookes and Chalkley, who carried on business in Frederic Street, Luton.

• The marriage took place at Christ Church on Tuesday between Miss Madeline (Madge) Horn, daughter of Mr and Mrs George Horn, of Ashburnham Road, Luton, and Ernest A. Waterson (E.R.A., R.N. HMS Comus), of Dublin. The happy couple left for the South Coast for their honeymoon, after which the bridegroom will rejoin his ship. The bride is a War Office worker.

• Centre-forward Fox completed his second hat-trick in successive weeks as Luton Town overwhelmed visitors Training Reserve Brigade 7-0. In total, Fox scored four goals, included a first half penalty, with Pugh, Butcher and Jones adding the others against a TRB side reduced to ten men for much of a second half in a game finished early with an injury also to their goalkeeper. Chief excitement of the second half had been a melee in the crowd in which a soldier and a civilian came to blows.