Diary: Hat workers start clocking on

Digest of stories from The Luton News: Thursday, October 18th, 1917.

Dillingham hat workers in 1907 (T.G. Hobbs)

  • Dillingham hat workers in 1907 (Photo: T. G. Hobbs).

In view of the movement to effect a reform in the hat trade hours, it is interesting to note that Messrs Dillingham & Sons, Upper George Street, are among the firms to take the lead in introducing a new clock system. It has been installed and inaugurated this week, and each employee on entering places a card in a slot and automatically stamps in.

The commencing hour in the mornings is now eight o'clock, instead of nine. The time for dinner is from 12.30 to 2pm, the tea-time is eliminated, and work ceases at 6.30pm. There is also a bonus system for the female employees on the amount of earnings, provided the margin of late arrivals and lost time allowed is not exceeded.

Mr Cyril Dillingham explained to our representative that the firm has adopted the system apart from any outside suggestion, and simply to concentrate on the amount of work to be turned out. He says that the scheme has already proved very successful, and a bigger volume of work has been accomplished.

  • A warning. Some of the Lutonians who sheltered the London refugees a fortnight ago are now repenting their emulation of the Good Samaritan. One lady left in her house one afternoon a party of Londoners whom she had sheltered, but on her return she found that they had departed with their luggage. From her own house had also disappeared various ornaments of bric-a-brac. She has not been able to trace the refugees. We are told of another case where London guests departed in the same way, and the good lady of the house could not discover £12 she had laid by for the landlord. It would be wise for the kindly disposed to take the precaution of verifying the home address and character of such refugees in future.

  • Owing to the shortage of labour, said Mr Albert Laird, the well-known pig breeder of Sundon, I am compelled to very much reduce my herd for the second time this year. Mr Laird is disposing of about 60 of his famous large white and 70 of his middle white breeds on Friday, October 20th, when Messrs John Thornton & Co will conduct an auction at Manor Farm, Sundon. No fewer than 370 prizes, including 21 championships, have been won by those two herds, and other breeders are sure to make the most of their opportunity to secure some of the the animals on sale.

  • We are glad to note that Mr W. B. Munns, of Tennyson Road, has been gazetted second lieutenant in the R.F.A. as from September 21st. He is now home on leave after training at Salisbury Plain, pending his being posted to a unit. His many friends, particularly at Chapel Street Wesleyan Church, are pleased to see him home again.

  • This afternoon the wedding took place at Christ Church of Miss Muriel E. Austin, daughter of Mr and Mrs William Austin, of Rye Hill, Luton, and Major A. Gordon Rainsford Hannay, D.S.O., R.E., son of Col R. W. R. Hannay, of Kirkdale, Creetown, Kirkcudbright.

  • On Tuesday morning at Christ Church, a pretty wedding was solemnised by special licence between Miss M. E. Griffiths and Gunner L. A. Maynard (Machine Gun Corps), both of Luton. After the wedding the happy couple left for Grantham, where the honeymoon will be spent. Miss Griffiths has been a teacher at Christ Church Girls' School for the last three years.

  • At Old Bedford Road Boys' School on Tuesday a pleasing little ceremony was witnessed when Headmaster Mr G. Wistow Walker, on behalf of the staff, presented Mr Horace A. Edwards, assistant master, with a handsome silver cake stand as a marriage gift. His wedding to Miss Ida Burdon, who recently resigned from St Matthew's Girls School staff, takes place tomorrow.

  • Patrons of the Luton Town Football Club will remember Sapper H. Clarke, who used to be such a well known figure on the football field, will be sorry to hear that he has had an accident to his knee in France which was serious enough to necessitate his return to England. He enlisted in the 1/2nd Field Company, East Anglian Royal Engineers, on September 9th, 1914, and was in front line trenches near Monchy when his accident occurred, but he was lucky enough to escape a wound. He is now in hospital at Camberwell.

  • A sight not often witnessed in Luton attracted a large number of townspeople on Sunday morning on the Moor Recreation ground, when the Commandant, Col A. Alexander, in the presence of Mrs Alexander, several officers and all the Biscot School, presented Regimental Sgt-Major William J. Price with a Distinguished Conduct Medal. The deed which gained him the coveted honour took place in fighting near Festubert when laying wire across open ground in support of an infantry attack. Before the war he was a schoolmaster with London County Council.

  • The visit of Bronco Bill's Wild West Show to Luton was appreciated by large crowds on Monday. The spacious marquee in the field close to the Dunstable Road tram terminus was well filled in the afternoon and packed in the evening. It was a good old-fashioned show, but in addition to the well-known tricks of horsemanship there were new features and some original turns in the shape of Japanese equilibrists and exhibitions of lariat throwing, stock-whip displays and wonderful shooting feats.

  • Perhaps the best ventriloquial sketches ever given at Biscot were those by Mr James Goddard, of Leicester, on Tuesday evening at the Y.M.C.A. Hut. His "Sonny from the Trenches" caused roars of laughter, possessing the powers of smoking, crying and singing, in addition to talking. On Monday evening he had given a similar performance at the Plait Hall Y.M.C.A. as part of his tour of the South Midland district.

  • A wide circle of friends will deplore the passing of Gunner George Hill, formerly licensee of the Britannia Inn, Burr Street, and husband of Mrs Hill, of 17 King's Road, Luton. He was aged 33 and leaves one little daughter to comfort his widow.

  • A sad blow has been sustained by Mr and Mrs W. U. Tearle, of 12 Cardiff Road, Luton, who have received news of the death in France of their only son, Ronald Tearle. Mr Tearle is a well-known Luton businessman with premises at 6a Barber's Lane.

  • We regret to learn of the death in hospital of Pte Stanley Impey, of the Leicester Regiment, from the effects of gas poisoning. Pte Impey was the son of one our employees, Mr George Impey, and Mrs Impey, of 43 Bailey Street, Luton.

  • The splendid gallantry and devotion to duty shown by Pte Wilfred Kibble, A.S.C.(M.T.), attached R.A.M.C., is shown in a communication received from Major-General Shute, Commanding a Division of the B.E.F. Pte Kibble, who was for seven years in the service of Lady Wernher as a footman, died from the effects of wounds received on duty. After being badly hit about the head he continued to drive his ambulance to the Advanced Dressing Station, where on arrival he collapsed and death followed.

  • During his third day in the trenches, Pte Percy Roe, who had been married only three months, was killed on September 24th. Only 21, he lived before May of this year at 27 Cambridge Street, Luton, and worked for Messrs E. W. Hudson & Co, engineers, of Langley Street. On June 30th he came home to wed Miss M. Bunker, of Flitwick.

  • News has just been received by Mrs Kirby, of 9 Old Bedford Road, Luton, of the death of her son, Rifleman J. Walter Kirby, 23 years old. He enlisted in the East Anglian Royal Engineers at the outbreak of war and was finally serving with the London Regiment.

  • Another loss of the musical circles of the town following the death of Gunner Edwin Jeffs, is that of Pte Archibald William Clarke, son of Mrs W. Clarke, of 47 Lyndhurst Road, Luton. Enlisting in March 1916 in the Middlesex Regiment, he was later transferred to the East Surrey Regiment. Mr Reginald Clarke, a well-known violinist, naturally feels his pianist brother's death keenly, as together they were seen on concert platforms on many occasions.

  • Pte Albert George Weston, of the Norfolk Regiment and husband of Mrs Weston, 100 Clarendon Road, Luton, lies in the 4th London General Hospital suffering from severe shrapnel wounds down the right side. They were sustained on September 22nd as to went to the attack. He formerly worked for Messrs Woolley, Sanders & Co, Bute Street.

  • News has been received by Mr and Mrs W. R. Pyne, of 89 Beech Road, Luton, that their son, Pte G.Pyne, of the Dorset Regiment, has been wounded in the recent fighting on October 1st in Mesopotamia, and is lying in hospital at Baghdad. He had previously spent considerable time in a Manchester hospital with wounds and enteric fever.

  • Millicent Young, wife of Sgt W.R. Young now serving in Mesopotamia and daughter of Mrs Elson, of 4 Westbourne Road, Luton, was, we believe, the first girl to join the W.A.A.C from Luton. She has written home of her experiences to date.