Questionable medical examinations at Bedford with the passing of medical "rejects" as fit for military service persuaded the Luton Tribunal to take the matter further. Three specific cases were to be referred to Col Henderson, the Commanding Officer of the local recruiting area, and the issue generally was to be taken up with the War Office.

The three cases to be cited were of a former tramway man who walked with a pronounced limp, had had two operations for hernias, and who suffered from varicose veins in the legs and muscular rheumatism,and two cases of heart problems, including one who suffered so badly that while in the Volunteers his sergeant had had to let him stand down while drilling.

It was considered the three cases were sufficient for present purposes, and in a letter it was proposed to send to Col Henderson an early reply to the complaints was being asked for "as the question of the passing of men whose health is far from sound is giving rise to grave concern".

The Mayor, Alderman John Staddon [picture by Frederick Thurston], who was presiding at the Tribunal on August 23rd, 1916, said he had had a case brought to him that morning of a man passed for general service although he had a certificate signed by two doctors stating that he was suffering from heart disease. This man had been under a doctor seven months, and the two doctors who gave the certificate suggested that, if the Tribunal were not satisfied with their certificate, the man should go to a hospital for diseases of the heart in London so that his condition could be tested.

This particular man went before only one doctor at Bedford, and the examination lasted only about one minute. To say such a thing was not happening was not true

He also had it as fact from a man who had to go before the Medical Board at Biscot that there were 70 men from that company waiting to see the medical man at Biscot Camp. Therefore the statement made by Mr Lloyd George (in the House of Commons while then Secretary of State for War) that there were not these "crocks" in the Army was not true.

The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Walter Primett) said he also formed a very unfavourable opinion of the men referred to by the Mayor when he was up at the Biscot Camp a fortnight or so earlier with the Medical Officer. But against this it was was stated by Major Orlebar at Halton Camp the previous week that the last 100 recruits were the best he had had in every way since he had had the command of the unit. Still he agreed that the matter wanted taking up in earnest.

The Mayor said his view was that the men who were going up for medical examination during this next month should wait until they got satisfactory assurance from the Colonel that the Medical Board were going to do their duty as requested. They, as a Tribunal, were there to look after the interests of the men as well as the military, and while they realised that men were still wanted to enter the Army they wanted to know that the men were going in under proper conditions, and they should have some satisfaction that Col Henderson was going to see that there was a Medical Board constituted of more than one doctor to examine the men.

The Deputy Mayor said he was not prepared in future to sit there and vote for sending men into the Army with disease, because he felt very strongly that they were sending them to their death. He had made up his mind not to support that course in any such case.

"Neither shall I," said the Mayor. "My contention is that we should insist that there is a properly constituted Medical Board before the men go down to Bedford."

The Town Clerk [Mr William Smith] remarked that in that case they should write to the War Office, and not Col Henderson only, and the Deputy Mayor thought they ought not to wait any longer but go straight to the War Office as well as communicating with Col Henderson because they had all the medical rejects being called up, and the way some were being passed was not fair either to the men or to the Army.

Mr H. Gardner, the Military Representative, pointed out that there was another side to the question, and mentioned instances of two well-known townsmen who went to Bedford the week before last and saw a lot of the examinations, adding that one of them said he could not possibly have had a better examination. He was sounded thoroughly and asked questions, and he was not known to the medical officers any more than anybody else.

One or two members queried this, and the Mayor told Mr Gardner he had brought two very weak cases, but Mr Gardner said the gentlemen he referred to said they saw the whole process and did not think there was any just grounds for all the complaints. The cases the Tribunal got were exceptional cases and not the general rule. "Well, there's to be no exceptions," said the Mayor.

The Deputy Mayor said he knew a man who had been to a specialist and had been told by doctors in Luton that if he went into the Army he would be in his grave in a month, and yet he was put down for garrison duty or labour duties abroad, and from what he knew of the man he should take the evidence of the doctors in Luton before what he was told at Bedford.

The way he was treated was scandalous. And that was not the only case he had heard of. Another one who had fainting fit and could not do anything because his heart was so bad was passed for general service.

The Mayor said he was surprised Mr Gardner had mentioned the two cases he had done because it was clear from them that there was differentiation. Mr Gardner did not think so, and , amid laughter, Mr Edwin Oakley suggested it was one of those exceptions that proved the rule.

What the Deputy Mayor complained of was that no notice was taken of any certificates presented - not even from experts - and the Mayor said Luton was crowded with these cases. "I saw the examination during the rush at Luton," added Mr Primett, "and from what I hear the examinations were far better than they get down at Bedford."

Mr Gardner said that did not coincide with his information. The Mayor described his information as biased, but this Mr Gardner did not accept.

Mr Harry Arnold thought they had a good case, and there was reason why the matter should be brought before the War Office. They had had a statement from the Secretary for War in which the thing was practically pooh-poohed, and he thought the evidence they had might be referred to in expressing the feeling of the Tribunal that they were very uneasy at the way in which men who from personal knowledge and certificates were unfit for being dealt with.

Mr Gardner desired to make it quite clear that he was raising no opposition to the course proposed to be taken. He thought it was only right the Tribunal should report these cases because he felt sure when the report came it would give them satisfaction and strengthen his hands.

The Tribunal accordingly decided to approach the War Office on the question in addition to communicating with Col Henderson.

[The Luton Reporter: Monday, August 28th, 1916]

It is pretty clear that the Luton Tribunal and the Mayor, who presided over it, are by no means satisfied with the way rejected men are medically examined at Bedford.

At the close of last night's sitting [August 23rd, 1916] the Mayor (Alderman J. H. Staddon) remarked that representations on the subject had been made to the Recruiting Officer, Col Henderson, who had asked for further particulars of the three instances cited where absolutely unfit men had been passed for military service.

A detailed reply had been prepared, including the case of the man who suffered from heart trouble and who the Volunteer sergeant had declared he had frequently had occasion to order to "stand down" as being unable even to perform Volunteer marches. Three cases had been given and he considered they should be sufficient for present purposes.

The reply states that they would be glad to have Col Henderson's views on this subject of men being passed for general service whose physical condition rendered them wholly unsuited for it. He knew of one case of a man so passed where the certificates of two local doctors stating that he was suffering from heart disease had been sent and, although that man had been under the care of a doctor seven months, no notice had been paid to the medical certificates.

These doctors had expressed the hope that if the Tribunal were not satisfied the man should be sent to the hospital which specifically dealt with heart disease cases so that their certificates could be substantiated. This particular man was examined by one doctor at Bedford and passed as fit for general service and the examination, the man stated, lasted only about a minute.

[The Luton News: Thursday, August 24th, 1916]