Stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph, February 20th, 1915.

This morning nearly all the men in the employ of Commercial Cars Ltd, Luton, threw down their tools and came out of strike. The dispute is over the interpretation of an agreement for an advance in wages. The advance was to take place as from February 10th and last night was the first night on which it would have been payable.

The men contend that the advance was to be payable on each man's wage, while the firm have interpreted it as as an advance on the district rate. By this interpretation, men who have been getting more than the district rate are benefiting only in part or not at all by the advance.

A mass meeting was held on the Moor this morning, and it was reported that there were no prospects of a settlement. The men were very keen and unanimously confirmed the determination to continue the strike.

Shortly before noon they assembled in New Bedford Road and proceeded in formal procession to the works of Messrs Hayward Tyler and Co, Crawley Green Road, with a view to enlisting the co-operation of the employees of that firm.

• Borough Magistrates adjourned the case of a Red Cross ambulance car driver from Luton who admitted driving a vehicle without an identification mark in Upper George Street. Lieut Colonel Peake of the North Midland Division said the ambulance car was one of those used to take sick soldiers to hospital from their billets but, like others, its registration plates were with the railway, and the military had not been able to get hold of them so far. As a result of the case other drivers had refused to go out and he had no transport for the sick in Luton. The magistrates said they would adjourn the case until Wednesday to give the military authorities time to put their house in order with regard to identification plates and would then consider the case before them leniently.

• Luton, in common with the rest of the country, had seen a reduction in crime during 1914. Chief Constable Teale, in his annual report, said that while the number of indictable offences such as housebreaking, indecent assault and robbery with violence was down six to 160, non-indictable offences such as common assault were down 108 to 308 (261 males and 47 females). The number of cases of drunkenness was the lowest for 10 years at 70 (55 males and 15 females). There were 52 police officers.

• Praise for the Territorials from Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force. Field Marshall Sir John French, in a despatch dated February 2nd, 1915, said: "I and the principal commanders serving under me consider that the Territorial Force has far more than justified the most sanguine hopes that any of us ventured to entertain of their value and use in the field. Army Corps Command are loud in their praise of the Territorial Battalions which form part of nearly all the brigades at the front in the first line, and more than one of them have told me that these battalions are fast approaching, if they have not already reached, the standard of efficiency of regular infantry."

• Pte J. Baker, 7723, 1st Battalion, Beds Regt, was among British prisoners exchanged for German prisoners on the grounds of unfitness for further service.

• The casualty list published on Thursday recorded that Pte Edward John Windsor, 10072, had been killed in action. Aged 20, he was killed on December 20th, 1914, near Wulvergem, and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres. Sgt F. Baker, 9026, was reported wounded.

• Commencing on Monday next, very important alterations and reductions are to be made in the Midland Railway service to and from Luton, as well as over the system generally. Six services in either direction between St Pancras and Bedford were to be cancelled daily, except on Saturdays. With a number of expresses also cancelled across the country, passengers were advised to make inquiries at the station before making long journeys.

• A prelude to the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign was reported in the Saturday Telegraph with an announcement by the Secretary of the Admiralty that at 8 am yesterday (Friday) morning a British fleet of battleships aided by a strong French squadron began a long-range attack on the forts at the entrance to the Dardanelles. Forts on the European side were apparently silenced but one fort on the Asiatic side was still firing when operations were suspended due to failing light. The action was resumed this (Saturday) morning with the assistance of aerial reconnaissance. HM Aeroplaneship Ark Royal was in attendance with a number of seaplanes and aeroplanes of the Naval Wing.

• Luton Town footballers, with several changes to their line-up, met stiff opposition at Exeter and lost 1-0 in their Southern League match, for which they travelled down on Saturday morning and only completed the long journey shortly before kick-off.

• A convincing 6-1 win for Luton Town over Coventry City in the Southern Charity Cup the previous Thursday, despite trailing to a first minute goal by the home side. Hugh Roberts played at outside right for Town, his brother at right back for Coventry.