Stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph, June 26th, 1915.

In view of what is being done at Woolwich, where City men are working on Saturdays and Sundays in the production of ammunition, steps have been taken to ascertain whether such labour could be usefully employed in Luton munitions factories.

The matter was first raised at the meeting of the South Beds Recruiting Committee last week, when it was suggested that there were many men who would be glad to help in this way in the evenings, on Saturday afternoons, and on Sundays, and it was felt that if such labout could be beneficially employed it might enable men who are present working very long hours to have an occasional evening or Sunday off.

On the suggestion of the committee, the Secretary of Luton Chamber of Commerce, Mr Thomas Keens, sent a letter to firms known to be engaged on Government work. From the replies received it appeared that at present there was not much scope for voluntary labour, as there was plenty of ordinary unskilled labour available.

Vauxhall Motors replied that on general grounds the company did not look with sympathy on the utilisation of voluntary labour as it would be difficult to place them under the same discipline as the original labour.

Commercial Cars said its work could be done only by skilled labour; George Kent Ltd did not think the company could profitably make use of the very patriotic offers and the need was for skilled labour; Diamond Foundry replied in similar vein; Thermo Electric Ore Reduction Company could not accommodate voluntary labour; and Balmforth & Co said that, while it was engaged on Admiralty and War Office work, it was not at present making munitions of war.

• Official notice has been received by Mr and Mrs George Hyde, of 93 High Town Road, Luton, that their son, Pte Charles Hyde, 24th Londons, was killed in action on May 28th. Unofficial news to this effect had been received in letters from other Lutonians in the 24th.

• The death from wounds is officially announced of Pte Bert Euinton, 24th London Regiment (Queen's). Aged 23 and the son of Mr and Mrs Euinton, of 48 Park Road West, Luton, he was wounded on May 26th and died three days later. There had been some doubt about his death for he had a cousin [Pte Hedley Euinton] in the same regiment who had also been killed. A third cousin, Pte Arthur Euinton, London Rifle Brigade, had also been killed in action.

• Cpl Cyril Hyder, of the 15th (Civil Service) Battalion London Regiment, is reported to be recovering slowly from a serious shrapnel wound to the head. The son of Mr and Mrs William Hyder, of 8 Cardiff Grove, Luton, he is now in the King George V Hospital, Waterloo Road, London, having undergone a trepanning operation.

• Pte Will Ellingham, 12th Northumberland Fusiliers, a recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, wrote to his parents at 8 Jubilee Street, Luton, that there were very few left who went out with the regiment - "only one signaller besides myself, and about 20 in the companies".

• We regret to hear from Mrs Dumpleton, 27 Waldeck Road, Luton, that Driver Percy Dumpleton, 2nd Battery Lincoln RFA, 1st North Midland Brigade, is again in hospital somewhere in Belgium, suffering from rheumatism.

• Heavy casualties were reported in yesterday's list of killed and wounded in the 21st Battalion London Regiment (1st Surrey Rifles). The battalion had been billeted in Luton and Harpenden prior to their departure for France.

• Appealing to all young men to answer the nation's call, Pte Herbert Huckle, 2nd Beds Regiment, wrote from the Front: "What we require most at present is men, and more men. The war is no more over than it was last August. We must be prepared for a long war, and we must be prepared to sacrifice everything to bring it to a victorious end."

• Late last night Pte Harry Johnson, of the 2nd Derby RFA, was found lying on the pavement in Cardiff Road in great pain. He was attended by Dr Worthington, on whose instructions he was taken to the Military Hospital at Wardown.

• Sec-Lieut Brighten, of the 1/5th Bedfordshire Regiment and brother of Office Commanding, Lieut-Col Edgar Brighten, was involved in an accident with a motor lorry on Tuesday while travelling on a motorcycle and sidecar between St Albans and Boxmoor. The machine was considerably damaged and the occupants thrown out, but Sec-Lieut Brighten was able to proceed to London two or three hours later.

• Yesterday morning, Mayor of Luton Councillor Walter Primett received a letter from Lord Kitchener at the War Office to thank himself and others in Luton for the energy they had displayed in the matter of recruiting. He hoped they would continue to urge all able-bodied men in their neighbourhood to come forward and enlist.

• Luton Town Clerk Mr William Smith has sustained a bereavement by the sudden death of his father, who was about 69 years of age. Mr Smith Snr had a seizure on Tuesday while at his office in Liverpool. The Town Clerk was at present in Liverpool for the funeral.

• A collision between one of Messrs J. W. Green's two-horsed lorries and a Luton tramcar occurred at Dunstable Road, Beech Hill, on Thursday morning. One horse was injured when its head went through a window of the tram, and both vehicles were slightly damaged.