Diary: Deserted to the enemy?

 

Stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: September 23rd, 1916.

At the meeting of the Luton Board of Guardians on Monday application was made for relief for the wife of a soldier. She sent documentary evidence that he allowance had been stopped and the reason given was that her husband had "deserted to the enemy".

One member said that he was really ashamed that such a man should belong to the place and hoped he would get what he deserved from the enemy. The Clerk, however, stated that the man did not belong to the place where his wife resided.

Of the prisoner in question we have made certain inquiries, said the Telegraph. Without committing ourselves on the matter, we learn that he has been several times in hospital, has been gassed twice and wounded twice. Under the circumstances it would be well to refrain from uncharitable reflections. To "desert to the enemy" is of course contrary to all British instincts.

  • It transpires that there were no fewer than three fires in Luton in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The greatest, of course, was that at the Davis Gas Stove Company works. The others were at a house in Lansdowne Road and at the Skefko works. It appears that at 3.30 am at the Skefko works a motor was discovered to be on fire. Mr Evans, a member of the Luton Fire Brigade and who was in charge of the Skefko brigade, was on the works and he, with help, quickly extinguished the fire by disconnecting the wires (one of which had fused) and by using sand.

  • Leaving a wife and young child, Sgt Joseph Plater has met his death in battle. He was killed on September 3rd while bravely leading his men against the enemy trenches. Sgt Plater was in the Bedfordshire Regiment, and the widow lives at 73 Dudley Street, Luton.

  • The Mayor and Mayoress of Luton, Alderman John and Mrs Kate Staddon, have been the recipients of many congratulations on the more welcome news that instead of being 'missing' their eldest son, Lieut John Wilfrid Staddon, is among the wounded, and they are much relieved to learn that he is going on well and will soon be in England again.

  • About 8 o'clock yesterday morning while shunting operations were proceeding on the Great Northern line near Pondwicks Path, a waggon by some means fouled the points and, proceeding at a fair pace, crashed through the gates leading to the Corporation yard and Electricity Works. As it happened about breakfast time when many workmen use the path, it was lucky that no personal injury resulted.

  • A travelling showman was fined 40 shillings at Luton Petty Sessions this morning for ill-treating a lioness at Round Green Fair on September 11th. He admitted the prosecution brought by the R.S.P.C.A.

  • The driver of a cab owned by George Powdrill Ltd used words "enough to shock even a soldier" when a sergeant at Biscot Camp was removing his unattended cab that was inside the camp at 10.15 pm on September 16th, contrary to regulations. Harry Flitton, of Brunswick Street, was said to be the worse for drink and refused to give his name or to say whom he was waiting for. He was fined 30 shillings with a warning about the use of foul language and cautioned not to drive inside the camp in future.

  • A statement of affairs for wound-up printers Camerons (Luton) Ltd, showed liabilities of £1,052 1s 2d and assets of £4.

  • The Royal Ancient Order of Buffaloes, allowed to remain dormant in Luton for some years, was revived their lodge at an enthusiastic meeting last night at the Wheelwrights' Arms, Guildford Street.

  • On Thursday a youth named Herbert Stoughton, of Someries, and employed by Mr Holdstock, of Chiltern Hall Farm, was in charge of a horse which was startled by shunting operations at Chiltern Green Station. He was trapped between the horse and a shaft which held another horse. He was taken by railway ambulance to the Bute Hospital severely shaken and bruised.

  • Driver D. Day, "an old Luton lad" serving with the East Anglian Royal Engineers in Egypt, appealed to readers to forward a football for himself and his comrades, nearly all Luton lads. He wrote: "The weather here is getting cooler in the evenings. What time we do get to spare hangs heavily on our hands and, as we have very few amusements out here, we long for the old game very much."

  • To mark his jubilee year with the Luton and District Temperance Federation and Band of Hope, businessman and photographer Mr Thomas G. Hobbs, the incoming President, provided a sit-down tea in the Wellington Street Baptist Hall ahead of the Federation's annual meeting. At the meeting, Mr Walker (in the chair) said there was much yet to be done by the Temperance movement in Luton. During the past year he had noticed more drunken people and they had to strive to close the district of a terrible curse. It was hoped that through the Central Liquor Control Board Luton and district could come within a restricted area.

  • Luton Town FC secured their first London Combination home win of the season against visiting Crystal Palace. The wizardry of outside-left Tempest produced the only goal of the first half when he centred for Butcher to score. Butcher provided the cross for Dyke to make the score 2-0. A disallowed Tempest penalty shot that had rebounded off the goalkeeper, followed by a penalty for Palace made it 2-1, before a Butcher mis-kick found the net to make the final score 3-1 to Luton.