Diary: Artist recruits with his caravan

 

Stories from The Luton News: Thursday, August 5th, 1915.

McDonald recruiting caravan

Mr Alan McDonald, known as the Chelsea Artist, is resting his motor caravan for a few days in Park Square, Luton, on recruiting services.

It is a great change for Mr McDonald, a former chairman of the Caravan Club, to leave the leafy lanes where, near his caravan, he painted pictures. But he has the nomadic instinct of many of his countrymen, and so he is already at home in his new life and, besides, the patriotism of the thing captured his imagination from the outset of war.

His caravan, which is steam driven, is worth £1,000 and is appointed on the lines of a modern dwelling. It has an open fire grate, a writing desk, a bookcase, a china cupboard and some other facilities indispensable to an artistic man. It was designed and built entirely by Mr McDonald in his garden at Chelsea, and he claims it is the cheapest driven motor caravan on the road, as he says that he has got the running expenses down to a fraction over 1½d a mile.

Mr McDonald is pictured above with Sgt Varley and Pte Howe, two Army recruiters who are accompanying him for a week or so.

  • After waiting months in suspense for news of his son, Mr Linger, of 6 Lyndhurst Road, Luton, on Tuesday received the much-dreaded notification that Pte Percy Frank Linger was killed in action on May 26th in the gallant charge of the 24th Londons. He was 21 years of age and formerly worked for Mr Tearle, of Williamson Street. He had previously been reported wounded and missing.

  • Mrs Connolly, of 7 Holly Walk, Luton, has received a letter informing her that her only son, Gunner Daniel Connolly, aged 19, had been wounded in the back of the head by a rifle bullet while on duty in the trenches, and had been sent to the Field Hospital. He had enlisted in the North Midland Division in August and was attached to the 2nd Battalion as a gunner since March. Before the war he worked in the clothing department at Messrs Mares' Dunstable Road branch.

  • L-Cpl E. Lawrence, of the 1st Bedfords, a local man who was a member of the Middlesex Police Force before the war, wrote from France about his narrow escapes. "I have been very fortunate up to now, as I have been through every engagement, and so far there is only one hit to the Huns, across my eye, although I have had many a near shave. My cap was knocked off by a bullet at Mons, and whilst we were in a trench a shell came over and killed one man."

  • Owing to the heavy rains of Tuesday the majority of the soldiers under canvas at Stockwood Park were forced to take refuge in their old billets. During the afternoon many of them dug trenches round their tents to drain the water off, but as the rain showed no signs of cessation they were ordered to their former billets for the night.

  • The Bank Holiday weekend turn-out of members of the Luton Volunteer Corps produced harsh words from the Commandant. He said it was very discouraging that of 300 men in uniform only a third of that number were on parade.

  • This morning Driver Frederick Taylor, whose home is in Hitchin Road, was sentenced by Lieut-Col Carruthers and Mr A. B. Attwood to a fortnight's hard labour for being drunk and disorderly in Hitchin Road, and to another fortnight's hard labour for assaulting PC Skelton. He pleaded guilty to both charges.

  • The following recruits have enlisted in various branches of Kitchener's Army at the Corn Exchange during the past week: S. Hughman (Luton), E. Farmer (Luton), F. Groves (Leighton Buzzard), H. Manning (Luton), G. Golby (Luton), W. H. Young (Dunstable), T. Newton (Luton) and J. F. Gilder (Luton).

  • At Christ Church, Luton, yesterday, Pte Robert Frederick Brian, orderly to Lieut Webb, of the 1/2nd North Midland Division RFA, was married to Miss Nellie Emily King, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs H. King, of 'Mayhew,' Beech Hill. The bridegroom came from his home at Birmingham to Luton for training with his regiment last January, and it was here that he met his bride, who is the daughter of a local hat manufacturer. He is the first man of the division to wed a local lady.

  • The local arrangements for national registration are approaching completion, and it is satisfactory to know that the people of Luton and district have again risen to the occasion. The call for volunteers to undertake the duties of enumeration has received an excellent response.

  • The absence of excursion fares does not seem to have materially affected the holiday exodus from Luton. From both stations, and also from other stations in the neighbourhood, the traffic on Saturday and Monday was exceptionally heavy, and the effect of the war was apparently only to be found in the demand for full fares and in the absence of the splendidly organised Temperance Excursions, which have been such a feature in past years. Fears of Zeppelin raids or of the German fleet did not keep people from going to the East and South-East Coasts, and an enormous number came to Luton from the North Midlands area, especially Leicester.

  • Yesterday afternoon, as the result of a collision between tramcar No. 8 and a coal trolley, Fredrick Field, of 22 Reginald Street, was thrown to the ground and injured. He was given first aid and taken home afterwards.

  • Mr Walter O'Sullivan, who has managed the Grand Theatre, Luton, for Mr E. Graham-Falcon since Easter of last year, is to have his first benefit on Wednesday next. His popularity as resident manager, coupled with the monster programme which is being prepared, ought to result in the house being full to overflowing on that night.

  • Exports of straw hats in June were 36,966 dozen compared with 58,2090 dozen in June of last year. The value of the exports dropped from £418,472 to £292,640.

  • Two of 18 duck eggs sent from Leagrave to Dr and Mrs J. W. Kelly in Louisberg, Kansas, hatched out. The ducklings were reported to be in excellent condition.