Digest of stories from The Luton News: Thursday, June 28th, 1917.

A verdict of accidental death was returned by a jury at Luton Court House on Tuesday on Councillor Albert Arthur Oakley, a former Mayor of Luton, whose home was at Hillcroft, High Town Road, Luton, was thrown from his trap when his pony stumbled and fell in Ash Road, Luton, the previous Thursday. He suffered injuries to the head and face, and died in the Bute Hospital on Sunday morning.

His son, Pte Albert Oakley, who gave evidence of identification, said he saw his father on the June 20th, the day before his accident and he was then in his usual health. He next saw him in hospital and was present when his father died on Sunday morning at 5.30. His father had often driven the pony, a fast trotter but very quiet, and never had an accident with it previously.

Dr J. W. Bone, who attended Councillor Oakley at the hospital, said his patient was sleepy but conscious and became rather irritable when Dr Bone wanted to examine him. There was some grazing to Councillor Oakley's scalp, particularly on the left side at the top of the head, with a considerable swelling of the left eye due to the diffusion of blood pushing up into the orbit. There was also a bruise on the left thigh and a smaller bruise below the left knee. The pulse and breathing were normal on admission.

Dr Bone said the cause of death was coma following injury to the brain. There was no visible fracture of the skull but there was probably linear fracture. There was also probably laceration and haemorrhage of the brain.

Shopkeeper George Munns, of 54 Ash Road, saw the accident outside his shop. He ran and found Councillor Oakley unconscious and bleeding from the nose. He called Dr O'Meara, who ordered removal to hospital.

He said the pony came along the road at a nice pace but stumbled - he couldn't understand why. The road had a slight decline and the pony did not shy at anything.

Deputy Coroner Mr G. J. M. Whyley said there was only one verdict the jury could arrive at - that the deceased died from injuries caused by being thrown out of the trap.

Crowds lined High Town Road to the Primitive Methodist Church, where the funeral service was held. Representatives of many sections of town life then followed the cortege along Midland Road, Mill Street, New Bedford Road, Manchester Street, Wellington Street and Stuart Street for the burial in the General Cemetery, Rothesay Road. The Union Jack flew at half mast on the Town Hall and shops and houses along the route had closed shutters and drawn blinds.

• A vigorous denunciation of infant vaccination was the salient featured of Mondays' meeting of the Luton Board of Guardians. It arose out of the necessity of appointing a vaccination officer for the East Ward, and Councillor W. J. Primett gave vent to his strong opinions on the subject. After clerk Mr William Austin pointed out that wars were usually followed by disease and there might be an outbreak of smallpox in Luton, Mr Primett said he challenged that and did not want to see the Guardians pay through the nose for doctor's visits at 4s 6d a time. Councillor Impey proposed that the question of the appointment of a vaccination officer should be referred to the Finance Committee.

• An enthusiastic body of workmen of the Luton building trade gathered at the Corn Exchange on Saturday evening at a meeting organised by the Luton and District Building Trades Committee to discuss the concessions recently made to the men by Luton employers. Mr Gibson, an organiser of the Workers' Union, said he hoped the concessions would be a stepping-stone to something better. The next thing they would want was shorter working hours so that they could have leisure time to develop their finer qualities. He emphasised the importance of the right to strike and must guard against compulsory arbitration, as had been enforced in the engineering trade.

• It was just 30 years ago since two smart boys went to Mr J. W. Garrard, the prominent George Street hat manufacturer, and asked for a job. Those boys are today invaluable partners in the firm of J. W. Garrard & Co, and last Saturday was the 30th anniversary of their association with the firm. Mr F. J. Andrews and Mr Oswald Hunt became junior partners 20 years ago - and Mr Garrard had never regretted it.

• It is a long time since there was a boxing exhibition in Luton, and there never had been one more attractive to the fraternity that that organised by the 6th Reserve Brigade, R.F.A., at the Town football ground on Saturday evening. For four hours the squared circle was occupied and some excellent contests were witnessed. The effort was on behalf of local charities and originated in the officers' mess at Biscot. Apart from the competitions, attractive items were the exhibitions by Staff-Sgt Jimmy Wilde, flyweight champion of the world, and Sgt Johnnie Basham, welterweight champion of Great Britain.

• At a large and enthusiastic meeting of the Luton and District Branch of the National Federation of Women Teachers, held at the Franklin Hotel on Wednesday, the following resolution was carried: "That this meeting protests against the differentiation between the minimum salaries of men and women teachers, as proposed by the President of the Board of Education, and in view of their equal professional training and duties calls upon the Government to establish the same rate for both men and women teachers."

• ROLL OF HONOUR: Three Luton soldiers were reported to be missing - later confirmed killed - on the battlefield. They were Pte Harry Edgar Silsbyy (Northants Regiment), of 94 Spencer Road; L-Cpl Sidney Thomas Andrews (Leicestershire Regiment), 93 Butlin Road; and Pte Arthur Carter (York & Lancaster Regiment), 37 Tavistock Street. Those known to have given their lives were: Pte William Francis Daniel Everett (Beds Regiment), of 28 Ashton Street, Luton, died of wounds on June 14th; Gunner Herbert Butterfield (Royal Garrison Artillery), of 109 Cowper Street, Luton, killed in action on June 5th; and Pte Reuben Joseph Wilmot (Border Regiment), of 90 Langley Road [now Latimer Road] died while a prisoner of war of the Germans on March 17th.

• The two sons of Mrs Puddephatt, of 30 Court Road, Luton, are in hospital as the result of wounds. Pte Percy Puddephatt, aged 21, of the Royal Fusiliers, is in a Manchester hospital with severe gunshot wounds in the left leg sustained as he went over the top in the Messines engagement. Pte Harvey Puddephatt, of the Bedfords, was in the trenches not far from his brother on June 7th when he received a gunshot wound in the left hand. He is now in hospital in France.

• Pte Cyril Askew is now in a convalescent hospital at Burnley recovering from a bullet wound in the right thigh while in action in France on June 1st. His mother lives with his sister at 207 Hitchin Road, Luton.

• Rifleman Arthur Kindred (Beds Regiment), of 109 Russell Street, Luton, was in hospital in France after being wounded in both legs on June 7th. He had been transferred to the Royal Irish Rifles.

• News had just been received that Second Lieut Leslie Hart, son of Mr and Mrs G. L. Hart, of The Hawthorns, New Bedford Road, has been accidentally wounded in the head while in France on June 16th.

• Pte John Blackburn (Beds Regiment), of 80 Albert Road, Luton, who before call-up assisted his father on his linoleum stall at Luton market, was admitted first to a Field Ambulance Station, later to the 7th Canadian Hospital, Etaples, and finally to Lord Kitchener's Hospital, Brighton, after being struck in the left thigh by shrapnel at Messines on June 9th.

• Sgt W. Sutton, who enlisted in the Bedfordshire Regiment in 1916 as an old soldier who had previously served seven years in India, was in hospital after being wounded in the head by shrapnel on June 18th . He had been transferred to the Royal Fusiliers and his home was at 80 Russell Street, Luton.

• Sgt Sam Baxter (Beds Regiment), the eldest son of Mr and Mrs Baxter, of 80 Wenlock Street, Luton, has again been wounded. Having been wounded on the Somme in September last year, he was since wounded in the stomach on April 23rd during an attack on the Hindenburg Line. He is now in hospital at Hitchin and been informed he has won the Military Medal. He is too modest to divulge the deed which gained him the honour.

• Pte H. E. Simpkins, of Mangrove, who was wounded in the left arm in the Arras battle, has just come home on leave after being in Tooting Hospital for nearly two months. And Sapper E. Simpkins, E.A.R.E., is in hospital at Alexandria suffering with tonsillitis.

• A most enjoyable outing was experienced on Saturday by the employees of the Skefko Ball Bearing Co Ltd, who journied by brakes to Woburn Sands. They left the works soon after 1 o'clock and travelled through Toddington. Tea was served at the Fir Tree Hotel, and the party left Woburn Sands at 7pm, to enable arrival in Dunstable in good time for supper at the Rifleman.