Pte George Hutchings, 4229, 1/5th Beds Regt, was killed in action on August 16th, 1915, aged 20, The son of William and Sarah Hutchings, of Canning Street, Bedford, he had come to the Luton area to be engaged on harvesting work at Eaton Green in 1914.

He enlisted in the Bedfords in Luton and struck up a close friendship with Pte Herbert Stanley Toyer, of 22 Duke Street, Luton. During the three months or so of drilling at Luton under Major (then Capt) Lathom, Pte Hutchings made his home with Pte Toyer's parents at 7 Burr Street.

Pte Ernest White, 20201, 23rd Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps, was killed in action in France on September 26th, 1915. He was aged 28 and lived at 109 Highbury Road, Luton.

He was in the RAMC when war broke out and was mobilised with his unit. He came home for the last time in September 1914 and went out to France the following month.

He left a wife, Mary, and three young children. Before the war he worked as a painter for Mr Jennings. He was well known among local footballers, being a member of the Silver Star FC.

Pte Robert Watson, 9652, King's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, died on October 12th, 1915, from wounds sustained in action in France on September 29th. A piece of shrapnel had hit him in the back.

Born in Luton on February 19th, 1881, he was the son of Edmund (died 1889) and Tamar Watson (nee Humphrey).

Pte John Cox, 1059, Army Service Corps, died in hospital in Egypt from dysentery on October 8th, 1915, while attached to the 49th Division serving at Gallipoli.

Born at Watbridge, East Hyde, in early 1880 and a popular former footballer, he had worked for straw hat manufacturer Harry Briars at 75 May Street, Luton, prior to enlisting with the Army Service Corps at Woolwich in August 1914. He went to the Dardanelles in March 1915.

Pte George Cox, 1428, 1/4th Battalion London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), was killed in action in Flanders on April 27th, 1915. He was aged 27.

Born at Watbridge, East Hyde, he had worked on the Luton Hoo Estate for seven years until going to London to work for about three years. He joined the Territorials prior to the war, and on the outbreak of hostilities he was mobilised as a member of the 4th City of London Royal Fusiliers.

He was reported wounded and missing on April 27 during a bayonet charge. Six months later his family were still awaiting further news.

Cpl George Brown, 9592, 2nd Bedfords, was killed in action in Flanders on October 7th, 1915. He was the 26-year-old son of George and Elizabeth Brown, of 65 Albert Road, Luton.

Born in Offley in 1889, he had worked for hat manufacturer Frank Harden in Bute Street, but became a soldier over five years before his death and went to South Africa with the 2nd Bedfords. He remained there for four years and returned to England on the outbreak of war. He was drafted abroad almost immediately.

Arthur was the son of Walter & Mary Jane of 36 Bailey Street, Luton.

He served in the Bedfordshire Regiment at Depot.

He survived the war but died on 25th February 1917.

He is buried in the cemetery on Crawley Green Road.

A Smith served in the Queens (Royal West Surrey) Regiment & Labour Corps.

He died on 19th November 1917 & is buried in the cemetery on Crawley Green Road.

Ernest Wright was born in Luton in October 1894.

In 1911 he was 16 years old & working as a straw hat finisher. He was living with his family at 98 Midland Road. His father Sidney 59 is an employer in the straw hat manufacturing trade working from home with some members of the family. Ernest's mother Jane 52, sister Ethel 21 & boarder Agnes Waller 24 are machinists. Twin brother Walter is a general engineer, whilst Beatrice 14 is assisting at home with their invalid sister 28 year old Edith Emma.

Pte George Jenkins, 18252, 2nd Battalion Beds Regt, died on September 30th, 1915, from wounds sustained two days earlier in the Battle of Loos. Some military records suggest he resided in Stopsley, but Press reports at the time described him as from Hockliffe.

Born in Newbury, Berks, on November 5th, 1893, Pte Jenkins married Florence Rose Bleaney, the daughter of Walter and Annie Bleaney, from High Street, Upper Houghton Regis [now High Street North, Dunstable], in early 1914. Their daughter, Florence May, was born in July of that year.

Joseph Walter Wheeler was born in Harefield, Middlesex in 1896.

He was 1 of 5 children born to Herbert & Louisa.

His father was a carter for an asbestos works & died in July 1904 in Harefield, Middlesex, leaving a young family.

In 1911 widowed Louisa 40, a domestic servant, was living with her children at 94 Langley Road, Luton.  Joseph is 15 years old & working as a draper, 19 year old Herbert is an ironmonger & Rose 17, is a general servant for a coal merchant. Violet 12 & 9 year old Cissey are at school.

Pte Herbert Victor Smith, 17938, D Company, 2nd Battalion Beds Regt, was killed in action in the Battle of Loos on September 25th, 1915.

Born in Luton on June 6th, 1898, he spent most of his life in Flitwick, living with his family in Church End as a three-year-old at the time of the 1901 Census. The family later lived in Chapel Road.

He was the son of straw hat goods factory manager/manufacturer Arthur Smith and the late Mrs Rebecca Swales Smith.

Pte Albert Newbury, 18360, 2nd Battalion Bed Regt, was killed in action at the Battle of Loos in Flanders on August 25th, 1915. He had been reported missing and it was not until August 1916 that official notification of his death was received. He was aged 24.

A native of Luton, he lived at 35 Burr Street, Luton, and had married Mary Kirkwood (nee Penman) on July 26th, 1913, and the couple had one child, Alexander, born 1914. Pte Newbury was employed as an iron founder working on gas stoves pipes at the Diamond Foundry before he joined the Bedfords at the outbreak of war.

Pte Albert Hawkes, 13777, 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, died as a result of wounds received in action on his 30th birthday - September 29th, 1915.

He was the husband of Louisa Elizabeth Hawkes, then living at 8 Tavistock Street, Luton, with two young children - Lily aged four and two-year-old Albert.

Official notification of Pte Hawkes' death arrived in October 1915, saying he had died from gunshot wounds to the abdomen. He had enlisted on September 5th, 1914, and had been in the firing line for six months.

Rifleman Peter Murdoch, 2634, D Company, 17th Battalion London Regiment, died on September 27th, 1915, from wounds sustained in action in Flanders.

He was a member of a Scottish family that had come to Luton from Falkirk around 1906-7, and was the first member of his platoon to be killed. He was aged 20.