Shops back earlier closing times

Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: October 5th, 1918.

Blundells store Peace Day 1919

  • Peace Day procession passing the Blundell's store at the corner of George Street and Cheapside. The store, which received a facelift two years later, backed earlier closing of shops in the winter of 1918.

There was a good attendance at a meeting of the Luton Tradesmen's Association, held at the offices in George Street on Tuesday. The question of hours of closing for the winter months was first dealt with, the Chairman (Mr Charles Mares) said they should approach it chiefly from the point of view of the need of economy in coal and fuel. They would find difficulty owing to the restrictions unless they took united action. He appealed on the grounds of patriotism also.

Mr Harman moved a resolution to the effect that they close at 6pm in the week, and at 8pm on Saturdays. He said that the Watford traders had decided to close similarly.

Mr P. Blundell seconded the resolution, and said it was now a misery to get about the town at nights. They were rationed on a reduced consumption, and were told they had to have absolutely dark windows. Large towns were taking the matter up, and it would be a pity if Luton did not fall into line with this common sense move.

He did not see many of the munition workers shopping at night. Late shopping was more of a habit than a necessity, and the public needed educating on the question. Of course there were special trades which had to be exempt. He suggested the holding of a public meeting in the Town Hall for all traders, with an explanation from the Fuel Overseer.

Mr Seamark hoped it would be a unanimous decision, and, whatever happened, his firm would close at 6pm for four months, and they already closed at 8pm on Saturdays. The resolution was put to the meeting and carried, the final decision to be taken at the town's meeting.

  • An alarming collision between two tram cars occurred about 8.20pm on Tuesday in Manchester Street, near the Luton News office. It appears that car No. 7, in the charge of William Bygrave, 79 Burr Street, was going in the direction of the Town Hall, and No. 3 was going in the opposite direction, being driven by Charles Simpkins, of Stopsley. The latter rang the bell for the other car to stop in the loop so that he could pass. Bygrave failed to see the other car in the darkness, owing to people walking in front of the light of car No. 3, and he went on. The cars collided, but only with a slight impact, as the speed was very slow. Nevertheless, the passengers were severely shaken, and a pane of glass of the destination board was smashed. Bert Odell, the conductor, sustained a nasty bruise on the forehead through being flung against the door of No. 7 car.

  • John Pedley, son of Mr J. Pedley, Stuart Street, had a fortunate escape while cycling from Cheapside into George Street on Monday. He was cycling past a tram car when a motor car came along and he was in a dangerous predicament, hedged between the two vehicles. He fell off and grazed his side, but had a lucky escape from going under the wheels of the vehicles. His cycle was damaged, but he was able to walk home.

  • Last night there was a large attendance at Christ Church Parish Hall, Inkerman Street, when the congregation bade Canon Morgan Smith farewell prior to his departure for his new living at Stevenage. About 430 subscribers presented him with a cheque for £105.

  • An interesting ceremony was held at Luton on Saturday evening, on the occasion of the retirement from the firm of Commercial Cars Ltd of their Director and Export Manager, Mr L. G. Jackel. The office and works staff gathered in the mess room in the firm's canteen premises and presented Mr Jackel with a handsome entree service.

  • The wedding took place at Christ Church, Luton, on Saturday, of Miss Ida Mabel Woodward, elder daughter of Mr Thomas Woodward, of 132 Dallow Road, and Sgt E. S. McGeorge, son of Mrs McGeorge, of 93 Russell Street. The bridegroom is in the Army Ordnance Corps, had been in France for two years, and was formerly a chorister at Christ Church.

  • Luton might easily have had the spectacle of its Town Hall blazing like a furnace this week. Owing to a defective grate, soot during the night set fire to the side wood of a mantelpiece in the Town Clerk's offices, and the board was nearly all burned away. The absence of draught prevented the fire from spreading, and it burnt itself out without doing further damage.

  • The current number of the Christ Church Magazine states that at a meeting of the congregation of All Saints on September 12th, a resolution was carried unanimously petitioning the Lord Bishop and the Vicar that the necessary steps be taken towards the formation of a separate district of All Saints, and pledged itself (1) to find £200 a year for the stipend of the curate in charge, (2) to accept responsibility for a proportional share of the parochial assessment, and (3) to do its utmost to build the permanent Church of All Saints. In response, the Bishop has sanctioned the formation of the Conventional District of All Saints, and proposed to some to Luton today to license the Rev William Morgan as the first curate in charge. The new district will comprise that part of Christ Church parish lying beyond the end of Bury Park Road and Beech Road, and bounded by the Midland and Great Northern Railways. It will comprise a population of about 6,000.

  • Luton Town had a 3-0 victory over visitors RAF (Henlow) on the Town ground this afternoon. The Town were still suffering from a shortage of forwards, but they faced a team playing together for the first time. Jones scored in each half for the Town and Fidler scored the other goal in the first half.