With so many troops stationed in the Luton area, it was inevitable there would be some problems involving drink. And letters began appearing in the Press complaining about behaviour and urging a need for restrictions on licensed premises.
Some modification were made in the hours that Territorials could use licensed premises as early as August 1914 under the Defence of the Realm Act. But resolutions were received by the magistrates, urging that all licensed houses in Luton should be closed at an earlier hour. The licensing justices did not see their way to recommend any such drastic steps, but a meeting was arranged with representatives of the brewers and licence holders. A recommendation was received from the military authorities, and the outcome was a unanimous decision that while the hours of opening and closing should not be altered in so far as the general public were concerned, Territorials should not be served before noon or after 9 pm.
This cannot be said to hurt the Territorials very greatly, said the Luton News of August 27th, 1914, for in the morning they are much too busy to have any time to spend in public houses, while in the evening they are supposed to be in their billets before 10 pm. The beneficial effects of putting the licensed establishments out of bounds after 9 o'clock will be to reduce the temptation to the men to stay out after hours.
In the September 24th edition of The Luton News, a public notice was printed, issued under The Intoxicating Liquor (Temporary Restriction) Act 1914, giving notice that Luton's Licensing Justices had made an order directing that on and from September 28th, 1914, and until further notice, pubs and clubs in the town should be closed between 9 o'clock in the evening and 8 o'clock the following morning.
Within days the restrictions had been "considerably modified", however, following considerable dissatisfaction within the licensing trade. The Luton News understood that following a meeting with magistrates on September 30th the sale of intoxicants would be allowed until 9.30 pm and that morning opening hours should be as previously, namely as early as 6 am if licensees so chose. Pubs and clubs would be able to remain open outside those hours provided they did not sell intoxicants then. The Licensed Victuallers Association was still pressing for a 10 pm closing time.
Subsequently, Mr W. H. Haden, writing to The Luton News on October 13th, 1914, from the Union Chapel, Luton, described three successive nights when he had seen "drunken Territorials reeling and brawling about the street". Such a sight was extremely painful, he wrote, and those involved did harm to the whole Division and were discredited as men and soldiers. The community had a right to ask them to show more courage when faced with the temptation of drink. He advocated more recreation and refreshment rooms in Luton, and a further restriction on opening hours at licensed premises.
Inevitably the Temperance Movement was enjoying something of a resurgence. The annual meeting of the Luton and District Temperance Federation and Band of Hope Union held at the Church Street Primitive Methodist Church was told that membership had risen to 3,839 and two new societies had been affiliated (Dunstable Road Wesleyan and Dunstable Road Primitive). Successful meetings had been held in villages near Luton and the great effort of the year had been a temperance demonstration at Wardown. There was disappointment that the Sunday Closing Bill did not go through the House of Commons, but the Union took credit for restricting the hours that pubs were open to serve Territorials.
And a meeting in Luton on October 22nd, 1914, found that a "great opportunity for temperance work had been provided by the establishment of military centres all over the country". The autumnal meeting of the Bedfordshire United Temperance Council in the Church Street schoolroom was presided over by Mr T. G. Hobbs. The Rev E. B. Mahon, of King Street Congregational Church, said there had been a fine set of men billeted in Luton and the number of them causing trouble was remarkably few. He commended a plan to have an hour for soldiers only after the Sunday evening service, and providing coffee and smokes and letting them pick their own hymns. He also suggested that they might form some sort of sisterhood for the wives of soldiers, and on the question of pub closing times he did not think 9.30 pm was early enough.
The Rev G. Roberts (Park Street), who had recently come from Portsmouth, said the difficulty of the women when their husbands were away for a long time had always been a problem in naval and garrison towns. He would like to see the sale of intoxicating drinks to women prohibited.
It was decided to urge friends to make the most of Temperance Sunday (November 8th).
Coffee suppers were among the alternatives to alcohol that were being provided. The Temperance Federation and the British Temperance Association teamed up to provide a series of such suppers, one being held on a Friday, October 23rd, 1914, in Park Street Baptist Schools. More than 100 soldiers attended and enjoyed and took part in musical entertainment too. The following evening a coffee supper was held in the Day Schools at Stopsley.
Photo from BLARS. Reference:- The Dog about 1905 [Z1130-75]