Diary: First reference to The Yellow Devils

 

Stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: September 18th, 1915.

The first reference in Luton newspapers to the "Yellow Devils" came in a letter published in the Saturday Telegraph from Sapper Allan Parrott, 2/1st Field Company, Royal Engineers.

Writing on August 24th, he said: "As I was coming down last night I saw some of the Bedfords. They have seen hard fighting and have been nicknamed the 'Yellow Devils'. One staff officer was heard to declare: 'With two battalions of the Yellow Devils I'd wipe the Turks up in a week'."

A similar letter referring to the 'Yellow Devils' was carried in the following Thursday's Luton News from Pte G. Marlow, 4426, of the 1/5th Bedfords machine gun section, writing to his sister at 86 Reginald Street, Luton. And an article with unnamed letter writers was included in The Luton Reporter.

  • Pte Cyril Olney, who was wounded at Gallipoli on August 15th, wrote to his mother from hospital: "Talk about danger! The enemy were on the top of the hill and they pelted bullets at us. and shelled us galore. I got in amongst the enemy once and had to run for my life ot I should have been captured. It was then I got shot. I was shot in the right side, the bullet went through to the bone in side my leg and stopped there. I'm glad it isn't worse."

  • Another soldier with a story to tell of a narrow escape was Pte H. Arnold, 5048, B Company, 1/5th Bedford. Writing to his mother at 73 Saxon Road, Luton, he said: "A shell burst about two feet away from me. I heard it coming, but never had time to get into the trench, so I laid down by the side of a chap's pack, and that was cut all to pieces.I am all right and well at the time of writing."

  • Dysentry was becoming another hazard for the Gallipoli troops to face. One of the early sufferers was Pte G. Munn, 4248, A Company, 1/5th Bedfords. He wrote to his parents at 1 Richmond Hill, Luton, to inform them he was in hospital in Alexandria.

  • The Mayoress of Luton, Mrs W. J. Primett, with the assistance of Mrs Francis Crawley, has undertaken to provide 1,000 hospital bags for the safeguarding of wounded soldier' personal effects. There had been many complaints that men who were unfortunate enough to get wounded lost all their things on being taken to hospital, as no provision was made for taking care of their property. The material to make the bags has already been ordered, and the Luton Working Party has already promises to do 400. Offers of help from other working parties had also been received.

  • Acting on the advice of the military authorities, Leagrave Parish Council have decided to do without street lighting. Lieut Hime, the officer in charge of the guard in the district, said this would guard the [Hewlett & Blondeau] aeroplane and other works and Leagrave itself from Zeppelin attack. The lamp-lighter had been given provisional instructions.

  • At Luton Parish Church last Saturday, L-Cpl Fred Goode, of the Royal Sussex Regiment, was married by special licence to Miss Dallas Yorke Sandle Jump, of St Albans. The bridegroom's parents lived at 140 North Street, Luton.

  • An inquest jury returned an open verdict of "found drowned" on former Luton Electricity Station worker George 'Tubby' Burton, whose body was found in an ornamental lake at Southampton. He suffered a head injury at work that resulted in him being admitted to the Three Counties Asylum for seven weeks. Returning home to 1 New Street, Luton, he then disappeared and his family then learned he had enlisted at the age of 52. Pte Frederick Bennett said that the night before his death the deceased looked as if he had some trouble on his mind.

  • Munition workers living in Dunstable but working in Luton appealed to Dunstable Town Council to get the first train from Dunstable to Luton to run 10 minutes earlier than the existing 6.03 workman's service. One worker, Mr E. H. More, complained that it was practically impossible for a man to run to get to such firms as Kent's, Commercial Cars, Vauxhall, Diamond Foundry and Skefko before 6.30, after which time they found the factory doors shut until 8.30 or 9 o'clock. As munitions were urgently needed, a train should run to suit the workers.

  • Luton Town FC played host to a Tottenham Hotspur A team on burning hot Saturday afternoon. The Spurs side arrived late and the match kicked off at 4 o'clock, Luton taking the lead through Johnson after seven minutes with Butcher scoring a second three minutes from half-time. Roe put Luton three up in the second half before Satterthwaites replied two minutes before the finish. The crowd of 1,200 included a good number of soldiers, but, said the Telegraph, if the directors are to carry out their intentions they will need better support than this.