Stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: March 11th, 1916.

With the recognition of Volunteer Training Corps by the War Office, the Luton Corps will very shortly become an integral part of the scheme of national defence.

The chief reasons for the formation of the Volunteer Training Corps was to enable men to fit themselves to be of service in the event of a raid, and whilst some corps have had the opportunity of doing guard duties in various parts of the country, others have up to the present had nothing of the kind to do.

It was with a view to discussing the situation that a well attended meeting was held at the Volunteer Club, Park Street, Luton, on Wednesday evening. At the outset it was explained by Luton Corps Commandant Mr H. Cumberland Brown that the action of the authorities was giving them military status under the old Volunteer Act of 1863, but full details covering present conditions had still to be worked out. Two battalions might be formed in Bedfordshire, one covering South Bedfordshire, including Luton, Dunstable and Leagrave.

He hinted that the Luton Corps would be called upon to to furnish guards for the different works in and around the town. That would not need the same men continuously day after day or night after night because they had sufficient numbers to arrange it in rota.

• An appellant described as "the first honest man we have had" before the tribunal was granted conditional exemption from military service on his 69-year-old employer's claim that, with no sons or daughters of his own at home, he was responsible for the work that came into a straw hat factory and those employed there were dependent on him for their living. Although he appealed on conscientious grounds, the man, who was manager and confidential clerk at the factory, said he would not however object to non-combatant service or service of a national character.

• Lieut Leonard Butcher, who received his commission some months ago to the Bedfordshire Regiment, had just been gazetted to the Royal Bucks Hussars. Although brought up in Luton, the only son of late plait merchant Mr Ernest Butcher, of Bute Street, his birthplace was in Buckinghamshire.

• Cinemas were now regarded as a national necessity, giving cheap and healthy amusement to the community. But the claim made at the Luton Tribunal this afternoon did not carry any weight with the panel, who refused an appeal by a cinematography company in support of the manager/operator at a Luton cinema they owned. The company had claimed that it work for a young man and it was essential for the safety of the public that a competent person should be in charge. But a Tribunal member said: "It comes to this - are we to get the men and close these places, or lose the war and keep the cinemas open?"

• In a written answer in the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Harold Tennant (Under-Secretary for War) said: "The question of single men of military age who have entered munitions factories not with the primary object of assisting the supply of munitions to the Army, but rather with the object of escaping military service, is receiving the careful attention of the Government as a whole and of the Ministry of Munitions in particular. It would be impossible to give an undertaking that every single man in a munitions factory will be taken for military service before any married men are taken, but the Government is fully alive to the importance of the subject." Questions had already been raised in Luton about he number of single men seeking munitions jobs.

• Two more lighting cases came before magistrates this morning. A man from Frederic Street was fined 15s, and a woman from Dumfries Street was fined 10s, despite her husband having been threatening towards a police officer who called at the house.

• In an accident at the Chaul End munition works on Friday morning, Frederick Bates, of 148 Dallow Road, received injuries to his hands and forehead and had a lucky escape. Although working alone, he managed to walk to the works hospital, from where he was taken to the Bute Hospital and is progressing satisfactorily.

• Yesterday a billposter named Albert Rowe, of New Town Street, was in a cart on the roadside when he had a nasty accident. He stood up in the cart by a hoarding to hold a poster and the horse moved off. He was thrown out of the cart and fell on his left arm and face. His elbow was dislocated and he had a cut of the forehead and a badly bruised eye. He was taken to the Bute Hospital and is now an in-patient.

• Newcomer Poltock equalised for Luton Town after 20 minutes in their London Combination match away to Chelsea and the sides were still level at 1-1 after 33 minutes. But with a weakened forward line, it was all downhill for Luton from there on, as they conceded a further three goals in the last 12 minutes of the first half. Chelsea piled on the agony in the second half, adding seven more goals to make the final score 11-1. The result left Luton bottom but one in the 14-team league, with bottom team Reading their next opponents at Luton.