Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: August 24th, 1918.

The organisation of the Labour Party was carried a stage further at a meeting held on Thursday in the Co-operative Hall, Hastings Street. Mr Willet Ball, the prospective candidate, was in the chair.

The business of the meeting – which was fairly well attended – was the formation of ward associations in the town for electoral purposes.

The Chairman, in his opening remarks, emphasised the need of further organisation, and explained at some length the procedure it was proposed to put into operation. He pointed out that the work of canvassing, when the necessity arose, would be rendered easier in proportion to the measure of energy displayed in the preliminaries by the ward associations, and spoke of the steps which had already been taken in other parts of the constituency to bring the towns and villages into line.

In this connection, he paid tribute to the efforts of the Workers' Union, and stated that offers of service had been received in sufficient number to form a nucleus of the associations it was proposed to establish.

Mr T. Smith endorsed the candidate's observations, and pointed out that in order to secure the adequate expression of the voice of labour in South Beds, a great amount of spade work was necessary. He formally moved that three Ward Associations be formed for the borough of Luton, and the motion was carried.

Names of those who had signified their willingness to assist in the work were read, and a goodly number of others were added. Ward secretaries were provisionally appointed.

Mr Ball subsequently dealt with the financial position of the party locally, and appealed for sympathisers to take up individual membership.

• Chairman Mr Frank Rudd announced a meeting at the Town Hall of the Luton branch of the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilised Soldiers and Sailors that the building (pictured above), formerly used as the Volunteer Club, had been secured for its club premises. He emphasised the need for a full-time secretary, as things had to be neglected at present, he was sorry to say. They had not been able to cope with the work, but with a full-time secretary there were many things they wanted to do.

• The lack of local recreative facilities in the far end of Dallow Road resulted in three boys appearing at a Children's Court at Luton this morning on a charge of trespassing on the Great Northern Railway on July 30th. A fine of 10 shillings each was imposed, although the court heard that hundreds of men and boys crossed the line unpunished.

• The official record has now been published of the act of conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty for which Major F. W. F. Lathom, son of Mr H. W. Lathom, and justices' clerk for the Luton petty sessional division of the county, was awarded the Military Cross only a few days before he came home from France to be married at Tenterden in Kent last February. It was during an enemy attack on the last two days of 1917. Major Lathom was temporarily in command of the Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment holding the line, part of which had been overwhelmed by the enemy after an intense bombardment. He at once organised and held a position of importance until reinforcements arrived, and saved a critical situation.

• A descendant of the Lord Wenlock who erected the building now in ruins just outside Luton and known as Someries Castle, has just passed away. Lord Wenlock bought Someries in 1464 and acquired the Manor of Luton in 1467. His memory is commemorated by the Wenlock Chapel in Luton Parish Church.