Mrs J. W. Green, Commandant of the local aid detachment of the British Red Cross, has received the following letter from Col Astley Clarke, Assistant Director Medical Service, 2/1st North Midland Division:

"In the event of this Division being moved, and no other troops being introduced into Luton, the suggestion has been made that it would be well to maintain Wardown House as a V.A.D. Hospital, possibly for wounded from the Expeditionary Force. The usual pay is, as you know, 3 shillings per day per patient, and I wonder if you will be good enough to go into the matter with the County Director to see if a scheme of this sort is feasible. The main difficulty would appear to be the rent of the building, which I should imagine the town of Luton would be glad to place at the service of a V.A.D. without rent, as a portion of their subscription to the upkeep."

This letter was received prior to the moving of the Division, and was sent to the Town Council, at the meeting of which on Tuesday night the Parks Committee recommended that if Wardown House is not required as a hospital for troops stationed in Luton, the Council grant the local Voluntary Aid Detachment of the Red Cross Society the use of Wardown House as a hospital, rent free, they to pay for fuel and light, and the cost of emptying the dome wells.

The Town Clerk mentioned that at this meeting something came to light which he did not hear of before, and that was that when the hospital was full the cost of emptying the dome wells was £2 a week. They had been severely criticised very generally, and very largely underhand as well, because of the rent they charged for the use of Wardown House as a place for billeting soldiers and as a hospital, but when they considered what it cost for lighting and other things, together with £2 a week for emptying dome wells, they would see that the Corporation did not get much profit out of Wardown House (pictured above, c1913).

The Parks Committee's recommendation was accepted.

[The Luton News: Thursday, September 9th, 1915]