Pte Walter George Catlin, 76700, 104th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps, died of wounds in action on April 28th, 1917, during the Battle of Arras. He was a stretcher-bearer aged 19.

A Forces Chaplain wrote to bereaved parents Walter Henry and Maria Catlin, of 65 Clarendon Road, Luton, to tell them that their son was stretcher-bearing when a shell struck in the early morning, killing Walter and wounding four comrades. His body was taken to Haute-Avesnes and buried the same evening during a service attended by his commanding officer and other officers and men.

Pte Harold Alfred Lake, 31484, 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action during the Battle of Arras on or soon after April 23rd, 1917. He was aged 27 and had been married a little over a year.

Lieut G. C. Sharpe, of Pte Lake's company, wrote to Mrs Lake at 100 Ash Road, Luton, to inform her that her husband had gone missing in action on April 23rd but could gather no further information. It was possible he had been taken as a prisoner of war.

Second Cpl Eli Thomas Wilson, 522361, 486th Field Company Royal Engineers, was killed in action in Egypt on April 21st, 1917. He was aged 33 and had been in Egypt for nearly two years.

A letter to his widow, Rose Gertrude Wilson, at 14 Maple Road, Luton, said her husband was at work with a small party when a shell dropped among them, killing Cpl Wilson instantly. He was buried by the Brigade Chaplain, the Rev C. F. Johnson, in the evening.

Pte Albert Harris, 13240, 6th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action in the Battle of Arras on April 25th, 1917. He was aged 32.

The news was broken to his twice-married mother Esther Rolt at her home in Summer Street, Slip End by Second Lieut G. Peel, of the Beds Regiment. Albert joined the Bedfords at the outbreak of war and had one period of home leave after spending about a year in the trenches.

Sgt Albert Edwin Scrivener, 4/7319, 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action near Arras in France on or soon after April 23rd, 1917. He was aged 35.

No report of his death seems to have appeared in the local Press around the time, although he is commemorated on the Luton Roll of Honour where his address is given as 7 Surrey Street.

Pte Frederick Harold Wightman MM, 14761, 6th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action near Arras in France on April 23rd, 1917. He was aged 22.

No report of his death appears to have been published in local newspapers around that time, although he is commemorated on the Luton Roll of Honour as a recipient of the Military Medal. However, a report in the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph (February 1st, 1919)said Pte Wightman had been awarded the Military Medal for gallantry during the Battle of Arras.

Pte Alfred George Titmuss, 32174, 6th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was presumed killed in action during the second Battle of Arras in France on April 23rd, 1917. He was aged 21.

A letter from Lieut Dudley to parents George and Sarah Kate Titmuss, of 40 Milton Road, Luton, said their son was reported as missing and he was afraid he must now be either dead or a prisoner of war. Many inquiries had been made, but none of his comrades could say what happened to him.

Pte Albert Jesse William Day, 32114, 6th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action on or soon after April 23rd, 1917, at the Battle of Arras. Two months later his widowed mother Emily at 25 Brache Street, Luton, was still awaiting definite news of the fate of her son, who had been reported missing since April 23rd.

Pte George Alfred Folks, 32117, 6th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action in the Battle of Arras on April 23rd, 1917. He was aged 22.

A letter to parents George Edward Oliver Folks and Josephine Folks, of 20 Salisbury Road, Luton, from Sgt S. C. Lawrence, George's platoon sergeant, said their only son had been killed in action on April 23rd and he was sorry to lose such a good soldier.

Pte Folks had joined the Bedfordshire Regiment in November 1915 and went to France a year later.

Pte Leonard Anderson, 33586, 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action in the Battle of Arras in France on April 23rd, 1917. He was aged 28.

He was the eldest son of Frederick and Annie Anderson, of Ferndale, 57 Russell Rise, Luton. Lieut T. H. Warren, of a Canadian Infantry Battalion, wrote to Mrs Anderson to say the body of her son was buried reverently on the field of battle by a party from his battalion.

Pte Henry Steer, 31483, 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action in France on April 23rd, 1917. He left a widow, Clara May, and two children, Henry William and Marjorie Louise, living at 144 Baker Street, Luton.

Although no official news had initially been received, one of his officers wrote to Clara to say her husband had been killed in action on April 23rd. He did not suffer any pain as his death was instantaneous.

Acting Cpl David Dilley, 33620, 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action in France on April 23rd, 1917. He had celebrated his 23rd birthday just four days previously.

A pal wounded by the same shell that killed David wrote to parents William and Mary Ann Dilley at 8 Milton Road, Luton: "Your son was killed in the same shell hole I was in. I was wounded and managed to crawl from the hole. He did not suffer at all, but died quickly." The letter was written from a base hospital.

Cpl Ralph Marshall, 31508, 6th Brigade Machine Gun Corps, died in the 16th General Hospital in France on April 22nd, 1917, from wounds received in action two weeks earlier. He was aged 22.

His fiancee, Lily Wildman, had been granted a permit to travel from Luton to France to be with him in his final hours. The couple had planned to marry when Ralph was next on leave, but that never happened. Lily was living with Ralph's parents, John and Elizabeth, at 44 Cambridge Street, Luton.

Rifleman Horace Edward Bates, 392299, 1/9th Battalion London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles), died of wounds in the 2nd Stationary Hospital, Abbeville, France, on April 22nd, 1917. He was aged 24.

Parents Edward and Elizabeth Bates, of 57 Buxton Road, Luton, were informed by the hospital matron that their son had been admitted on April 19th with severe wounds to the chest and damaged lungs. He grew gradually worse, passing peacefully away on April 22nd. He was to be buried in a local cemetery, in a section reserved for British soldiers.

L-Cpl Harry Snoxell, 200561, 1/5th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action in the Second Battle of Gaza, Egypt, on April 19th, 1917. He was aged about 27.

The Luton section of the National Roll of the Great War reveals that Harry volunteered for service in September 1914, and in the following July, after training at Bury St Edmunds, St Albans, Norwich and Bedford, he proceeded overseas. He took part in various operations in Gallipoli, from the landing at Suvla Bay up to the evacuation of the peninsula, from where he was sent to Egypt.