Luton's People 1914-1918
This page contains a list of soldiers/civilians from Luton and surroundings 1914-1918, and the ancestors of people who live in Luton today. It has been compiled from the 1918 Luton Absent Voters List, Rolls of Honour; and information researched and uploaded by project volunteers and members of the public.
If you find your ancestor here, and there is only basic information available, then feel free to use the comment box to add further information you may already know. The WWI Project Team, can then add this further information to the basic data we already hold.
The sources of this information can be found via the links below. Please feel free to download and use this information, but please please search for and upload your ancestor to the site if/when you find them:-
Absent Voters List
Luton Roll of honour
Before adding anybody to the site, it is always advisable to search for your ancestor first.
Charles Samuel Irons was born in January 1898 in Luton, the only child of Samuel & Beatrice.
Pte Arthur Catlin, 46908, 660th Agricultural Company, Labour Corps (ex-Suffolk Regiment), died suddenly at Lakenham Hospital, Norwich, on February 14th, 1918, after contracting a serious illness. He was buried at Luton General Cemetery on February 19th, 1918, aged 36.
Ted Parker, the youngest son of Frank and Sarah Parker, a bootmaker and his wife from Luton who lived at 5 Tavistock. Brother to Frank and older brother to Emily.
He lived with his wife Lillian (nee Wagstaff), and died on home service in 1918. He is buried in Rothesay Road Cemetery.
Dunstable born Ralph was the youngest son of Francis George Mantz (sign writer) and Emily Mantz; older brother to James Mantz.
Whilst employed as a house painter, he joined the forces in 1914 at Liverpool aged 21. He survied through the war years, dying on home service in April 1919.
Walter enlisted into the 5th Bedfordshire Regiment in 1914, aged 32, at the outbreak of war. He died February 1917, and is buried in Rothesay Road Cemetery, Luton.
Son of John and Emily Smith of Luton, he was married to Nellie Smith, and was father to Arthur and Winnie Smith.
Jesse Mead enlisted in Luton, and died on August 31st, 1916, whilst on home service, and based at the Royal Engineers Signal Depot at Fenny Stratford.
Harold Ernest Shepherd was a Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery, and was part of the teaching staff at Biscot Camp. He died in Dover Military Hospital of influenza (pneumonia) on December 30th, 1918, a week after he had been admitted. His wife had travelled from Luton to be with him.
Company Quartermaster Sergeant William John Rogers, 29424, 166th Protection Company, Royal Defence Corps, died suddenly from pneumonia while doing duty at a prisoner of war camp at Brocton in Staffordshire, on February 25th, 1919.
Arthur Walter Aylott, formerly a private in the Bedfordshire Regiment (22450) and later the Machine Gun Corps (5200), died at 67 Dumfries Street, Luton, on February 17, 1919, at the age of 21.
William was born in Shillington in 1879.
William married Sarah Deveraux in 1899 in Ampthill.
Nelson Charles Edward Galton was born in January 1892 in Holloway, London. He was baptised on 22nd May 1892 at St Matthews Church, Oakley Square in St Pancras. He was the eldest child of Charles Nelson & Emily Elizabeth, living at 45 Finchley Road, Camberwell.
Enlisted 9th September 1914
Married May Goodge in summer of 1902.
Died of sceptic ulceration of the mouth, nephritis (kidney disease) and toxoemia in December 1919 at Bute Hospital Luton.
Cyril George served aboard HMS President, an honoarary title awarded to training ships serving with the London Reserve Division.
Thomas Charles Stokes, a corporation labourer , was married to Martha Stokes, and father to Robert. They lived in Windsor Street Luton.
Charles was born in 1893 in Ampthill, and was to be found living with his grandparents on High Street Silsoe, at the time of the 1901 and 1911 Census.
Died along with his brother on the same day during the ill-fated Gallipoli Campaign.
Died along with his brother on the same day during the ill-fated Gallipoli Campaign.
Son of George and Ann Carter, brother to Harry, Ann, Matilda, Timothy, Frank, Walter and Thomas Carter.
Percy James Pinnock, was one of the first Luton-born casualties of the war to be reported missing in the pages of the Luton News. He was serving on HMS Amphion, the first Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the conflict.
Doctor Lloyd was the Commandant and Medical Superintendent of the Wardown Voluntary Aid Detachment (Red Cross) Hospital in Wardown Park, Luton and the Medical Officer to Lady Wernher's Hospital at Luton Hoo, which received wounded officers from Sister A
Edward was born 18th November 1883, at St Albans in Hertfordshire. Although his father had previously been married to Ann Lowe, it appears that Edward was the only son of Mark and Charlotte Warner.
Frank Young was born on the 2nd October 1895, at Cherat in the North West Province, India. As his father, also called Frank Young, was a regular soldier, it is likely he was serving in the 1st Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment who were stationed there at the time.
Christopher Augustus Cox was born Christmas Day 1889 in Kings Langley. In 1912 he married Maud Swan with whom he eventually had eight children.
Tom Edwin Adlam was born at Waterloo Gardens in Salisbury, on the 21st October 1893, the son of John and Evangeline Adlam.
Samuel Needham was born in Great Limber, Lincolnshire on the 16th August 1885, to Septimus and Mary Needham. His father was one of Lord Yarborough's grooms and Sam was to follow in his fathers footsteps.
Frederick William Hedges was born on the 6th June 1896 at Umballa in India. His father was Henry George Hedges who was 'born at Sea, Bengal Bay' around 1857 and his mother was Mrs Harriet Eliza (nee Loader) Hedges, born in India around 1865.
Second Lieutenant Collings-Wells was commissioned into the Bedfordshire Regiment on 14th March 1904 having previously served with the Hertfordshire Militia. He became a Lieutenant in September 1904 and Captain in January 1907.
Charles was born 8th March 1885 in Kobe, Japan, the eldest son of the Right Reverend Hugh James Foss, Bishop of Osaka.
Hugh Roberts was a professional footballer at Luton Town FC when he enlisted in the Footballers Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment at a public meeting at Fulham Town Hall on 15th December 1914.
Bob Coleman, sone of Thomas and Mary Coleman, (Brickmaker and Bonnet sewer respectively) returned to Caddington after the war, broken by shell shock.
Bob would frequently be in fits of temper, and anger, and was often to be heard swearing and raging in Caddington.
Thomas was the son of Clara and Thomas Worker of Barton who had two sons killed and one severely wounded. Thomas was killed in action on April 23rd 1917. His brother Charles lost a leg on 21st March 1918 and their brother Sidney was killed the following day.
Charles Henry Alexander, was an Officer in the Royal Artillery, and Commanding Officer of Number 6 Reserve Training Brigade (Royal Field Artillery), at Biscot Camp, Luton; between 1915 and 1917.
In 1917 he was posted to the be the CO of the Royal Field Artillery site at Abbey Wood.
Stuart John Webb was a son of George Webb, a dentist of Westbourne Road, Luton, and his wife Elizabeth.
George (jnr) Henry Webb was the son of George Webb, a dentist of Westbourne Road, Luton, and his wife Elizabeth.
Ernest W.T. Groom was a member of the 2nd Battallion The Bedfordshire Regiment, and was killed on the 11th July 1916 during the attack on Trones Wood.
Joseph served with the South Staffordshire Regiment when he was killed in March 1918
His entry in the 1911 Census shows he was a father with young children, and lived in Pondwicks Street (now part of Power Court) Luton.
Ernest Arthur Cadwell was born in Luton in October 1868, the son of Mary Ann & Thomas, a blacksmith from Ireland.
Frederick returned briefly to Caddington on demobilisation after the war, then moved to London where he married.
He had one son who was bought up by his father's sister Ada...Ada was married to Cecil Higgs.