• The Moor in a less turbulent 1947.

With the heralding of peace, the Luton Civil Liberties Committee has been resurrected. A meeting was held on the Moor on Tuesday afternoon [November 12th, 1918] with various objects, the chief of which was to congratulate the German people on having overthrown the evil of militarism.

Several local Labour leaders were the speakers, and as the views of these gentlemen in some instances did not agree with the views of several soldiers who were on the “argumentative” side, the meeting turned out to be of a very lively character.

The gathering was preceded by a small procession from Park Square, one or two of the members carrying red flags.

Mr William Rogers presided at the meeting and the speeches were delivered from a lorry on the Moor. At the outset heads were bared in memory of the bereaved.

Mr George Ball was the first speaker, and spoke of the record of his brothers in the war. He moved a resolution to the effect that that meeting of citizens of Luton welcomed the signing of the armistice, and congratulated the German people on their great victory over their militarist rulers; also expressed the confidence in the internationale of people, and declared its determination to stand by the German people to resist any attempt at isolation or intervention similar to that which had occurred in Russia. The resolution also demanded the release of all political prisoners in this country.

At the outset of his speech, Mr Willet Ball [prospective Labour Parliamentary candidate for Luton and South Beds] was subjected to interruption, but managed to proceed for a time. He said our brave men had died in the cause of freedom and the rights of people to decide their own destinies. Not one of them had given his life for the capture of foreign trade or that one yard of territory should be added to the British Empire, or that secret treaties should be made by diplomats behind the backs of the people.

The safety and freedom of peoples were the ideals set before them at the beginning of the war. There must be a peace made by the people, and a meeting of the workers' internationale at the same time and place as the peace conference. This was the surest safeguard against future wars.

They claimed freedom of the Press and freedom of speech, which they had not had while our brave fellows had been fighting for these very principles.

During the latter part of his remarks, several soldiers in the crowd became restive and told the speaker to “shut up”.

Mr Harry Smott, the next speaker, was subjected to great interruption, and he appealed to the interrupters for a fair hearing. They asked him why he had not been in the Army and he said that he had been rejected three times.

A little later several soldiers went up to the platform, and one of them cried, “What do you want to preach Bolshevism for?” Another soldier demanded that the Red Flag attached to the platform should be taken down. While the speaker tried to continue, the soldier mounted the platform and, amidst some cheers, he demanded the red flag should be removed.

There was no bitter feeling exhibited, however, and the crowd treated the incident as a huge joke. The speaker evidently thought it better to humour the man and allowed him to take the flag down, and to replace it with a Union Jack. When the Union Jack was fixed, one of the soldiers stated: “We fought for that. The war is over, and we don't want a revolution.” Another declared that “they did not want any Bolshevik business.”

The soldier left the platform and, as the disturbance was likely to continue, the Chairman called upon Mr T. Knight to take the platform as being a more experienced speaker to deal with interruptions. He was warmly applauded by supporters, and humorously held up a red notebook and apologised to the soldier for the colour.

Mr Knight was accorded a good hearing in comparison with his colleagues. He spoke of the service his brothers had given to the Army, and described what he himself had done in his own sphere. He said that human life had been held too cheaply in the past, and they welcomed the armistice knowing that the sacrifice would be ended.

They welcomed the supremacy of British arms, and he was proud to live under the Union Jack, which stood for the liberty of the world, and not the liberty of a section.

He demanded that no ties of royal blood should save the Kaiser from the punishment which he so richly deserved. They demanded the destruction of any power anywhere which could secretly diturb the peace of the world.

Mr Knight went on to demand equal rights for soldiers and civilians, and said that soldiers were debarred from taking part in political meetings. This statement caused an outcry from the soldiers present in denial, and one soldier went up to the platform again.

After a short harangue, Mr Knight was allowed to proceed, and he said that they honoured the German revolutionists for turning out those responsible for this war. They did not want a similar revolution in England, but they wanted peace and happiness and the right to work for the elevation of the workers of the world, despite the efforts of those who wanted to create a class war.

Again the soldiers intervened, and an officer who stood near the platform urged the soldiers to give the speaker a hearing. The soldiers agreed to remain quiet on the understanding that a discharged soldier present would be allowed to speak. But by an irony of fate, the discharged solier turned out to be Mr W. J. Mabley!

Mr Knight proceeded at some length, and said that while they wanted a revolution, they wanted it to be peaceful and with an entire absence of physical violence. They wanted a secure happiness and peace, with a living wage and decent conditions for the workers. Above all, he pleaded for a fair chance in life for the helpless children.

He instanced local cases of profiteering in food, and, hinting at the next General Election, asked his hearers not to be carried away by any passing emotion, but to weigh the programmes presented very carefully before voting.

In order to give the views of a discharged soldier and satisfy the soldiers, Mr Mabley mounted the platform, and made another of his trenchant speeches, declaring that he had tolerated all sorts of kicks, and was s till prepared to do so in the fight for democracy. But as the old country was, it was the best he knew.

Mr S. Robinson spoke amidst cries from the soldiers for a repetition of Mr Ball's statement praising the Bolsheviks.

The resolution was afterwards put, and the Chairman declared that it was carried with only two dissentients.

A collection was afterwards taken and divided between the Children's Home and St Dunstan's, and the meeting broke up in good order.

[The Luton News: Thursday, November 14, 1918]