Writing from Durban on September 6th, Pte George Field, of the Royal Engineer and son of a Luton manufacturer, gives some interesting particulars of the place at which he was then staying, en route to another part of the world. He wrote:

"Durban received us (as it did some thousands of others who arrived earlier in the same week) with open arms, and we were bombarded with cigarettes etc on our way up to the camp.

"The town is at our disposal. Trams, concerts and several feeding places are free, and theatres, picture palaces and other amusements are half price, whilst there are several other leading places where only nominal prices are charged.

"The people are just as kind and will do anything for an English Tommy, and their chief pride is that they are English and that their town is the most English one in South Africa. I wish we had arrived a day or two earlier as they had an election on and I should have liked to see the lines they work on.

"The town is most progressive. It would do some of the economy and efficiency duds on our public bodies good to see this place. Trams, water, gas, sewage, telephones, markets, slaughter-houses, zoo and goodness knows what else besides, all municipal, and every one an efficient service and planned with an eye to future developments.

"The municipal debt per head of population is the second highest in South Africa, but they have just decided to borrow another £250,000 for works of public improvement. Although the harbour is at present the best in South Africa, a scheme is in preparation for enlarging and improving it which will run into millions. Can't you fancy the look of terror on the faces of some of our Town Councillors if it was proposed to borrow £250,000 for public improvements in Luton? They would drop dead, and yet Durban has a population no larger than Luton's.

"Well, we may be here only for a few days, or it may be a week or two, but personally I should be content to stop for the whole of the time I have to serve in the Army."

[No further personal details were given for George, but records suggest he was the son of George and Elizabeth Field, of 265 Dunstable Road, Luton. George Field Snr had a hat business in Guildford Street.]

[The Luton News: Thursday, October 18th, 1917]