Allotments to help food supply

 

Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: February 10th, 1917.

German submarines were posing an increasing threat to Britain's food supplies as World War One progressed. In an article headlined "Home weapons - spade, fork and hoe to counter submarines" the Saturday Telegraph said it would not be inappropriate if the men of Luton retained their present enthusiasm for husbandry to produce home-grown food.

At the Town Council meeting on Tuesday night it was stated that some 235 applications had been made, or shortly would be, in respect to allotments. And at Franklin's Restaurant, George Street, some 80 further allotments, varying in size from 20 poles to one acre, were apportioned.

Councillor Henry Impey, Chairman of the Parks Committee and the Allotments Sub-Committee, said Messrs W. Butcher and H. Sell had produced an allotment scheme for the cultivation of a recently acquired site in New Bedford Road. And 35 acres of land on the Crawley estate have been mapped out.

Councillor Impey said the allotments would be of a permanent nature, and he understood that tenants would not be disturbed for probably 20 years. There would be a meeting next Thursday for the purpose of receiving rents and, when the weather permitted, work on the allotments could be commenced at once.

Afterwards, the chairman, Mr Butcher and Mr Sell conducted a ballot for the allocation of plots.

  • A dental surgeon's assistant who had inspected the teeth of 1,500 Luton children was granted temporary exemption from military service until June 1st, at the 94th sitting of the Luton Borough Tribunal on Wednesday evening. The Acting Medical Officer of Health wrote emphasising the importance of the work, but Mr Gardner, the Military Representative, maintained that the man did not come under regulations justifying exemption.

  • A movement has begun in Hertfordshire with the object of the alteration of the name of the Bedfordshire Regiment to the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. In the early part of the war notice of motion was put on the agenda of the Hertfordshire County Council in favour of seeking the War Office to make the change, but it was withdrawn. The chief arguments for the change in name are the fact that the Regiment is recruited from the two counties. [The name change eventually came about in 1919].

  • "We are met to celebrate a victory," was the description of Mr Charles Duncan MP, General Secretary of the Workers Union, at Luton Town Hall on Wednesday night. He was addressing a meeting of trades unionists, and he made a spirited speech on trade union principles and the important part of trades unionism in the national life and the international struggle. There was, however, not a very large audience.

  • Excellent work has been done by a large number of Luton school teachers for the War Loan propaganda. About 60 head and assistant teachers from the elementary schools met at the Town Hall on Thursday evening and carried out the work of packing three enclosures into each of 14,000 envelopes for the house-to-house visitation of Luton in connection with war savings.

  • On Thursday evening at Christ Church Boys' School, an interesting ceremony took place when the roll of honour containing the names of all old boys of the school who are serving in the forces was unveiled in the presence of the boys of the school. The roll, containing 162 names, was unveiled by headmaster Mr Hyder.

  • The marriage of Captain and Adjutant Reginald Webb (Bedfordshire Regiment), son of Mr and Mrs Edwin Webb, of Rothesay Road, Luton, to Sheena, only daughter of Mr and Mrs J. J. McNaughton, of Bedford, took place quietly at St Martin's Church, Bedford on Thursday afternoon. Capt Webb was formerly an assistant in the Borough Surveyor's Department at Luton.

  • About 2 o'clock this morning Driver George Smith, aged 36, of the London R.F.A., was admitted to the Bute Hospital as an in-patient suffering from very severe injuries to the right side of the face. It appears that he was on stable picket duty at Biscot Camp when a horse kicked him.

  • It is gratifying to announce that Sgt-Major E. Canterbury, of 46 Naseby Road, Luton, has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the R.A.M.C. and been recommended for the Meritorious Service Medal. For six years he was sergeant-major of the Mounted Brigade, Field Ambulance (who drill hall is in Grove Road), and was called back to the regular service in November 1915, when he was made Company Sergeant-Major of a depot at Aldershot. Born in Worksop, Notts, he was a qualified dispenser of chemistry and is married with one child. He went right through the Boer War.

  • The deepest sympathy will be felt for Mr and Mrs Arthur Grace, of Bury Park Road, Luton in the loss of their only son, L-Cpl Eric Arthur Grace, of "The Queen's" London Regiment. A Sister at a Canadian casualty clearing station said L-Cpl Grace was admitted on the morning of January 30th suffering from acute bronchial pneumonia. He died the following day.

  • A sad blow has fallen upon Mr L. C. R. Thring, headmaster of Dunstable Grammar School, and Mrs Thring, by the death which occurred in hospital yesterday of their only son, Lieut Ashton Edward Thring, of the North Midland R.F.A. He had a severe attack of influenza whilst at Ripon [Yorks] and pneumonia supervened.

  • Owing to a breakdown on the railway just outside King's Cross, Clapton Orient did not arrive at Luton's ground for their London Combination match until 3.50 and the start was delayed until 4.10. The spectators on both sides of the ground meanwhile amused themselves with a snowball fight. The result was a 3-2 win for Clapton after Butcher and Leggatt scored Luton's goals in a first half that had ended 2-2.