Digest of stories from The Luton News: Thursday, November 16th, 1916.

An inquest was held at the Luton Police Station on Tuesday afternoon into the sad circumstances surrounding the death of a workman on the Luton Hoo Estate who succumbed on Saturday to blood poisoning following the entry of a splinter at the tip of the left thumb while at work.

Coroner Mr G. J. M. Whyley remarked that the circumstances were very simple. The deceased, David Warner, aged 63 years last month, had been employed for some years at Luton Hoo as a painter, glazier and paper-hanger. He resided at the London Road lodge.

It would appear that on November 7th he was mixing some paints when he got a splinter in his left thumb. He remained at home two days, and on Friday was advised by Mr George Herring (a clerk in the steward's office) to contact a doctor, and if necessary go to the Bute Hospital.

The man went to the Medical Institute and was seen by a doctor, who sent him on to the hospital and there he was seen by Dr Bone, but blood poisoning had set in so severely that amputation was not deemed advisable, and he died on Saturday afternoon.

The jury returned a verdict of "death from blood poisoning following upon an accidental cause".

• The fund we are running for supplying the time-honoured plum pudding on Christmas Day to soldiers on active service continues to make splendid progress. Already 3,500 shillings has been raised towards the 5,000 shillings target. Mr Jackson, the manager of the Gordon Street Electric Theatre, has kindly offered to hold collections during the next three evenings at showings of the official war film, The Battle of the Somme.
• A prompt call to the Fire Station probably prevented a serious fire at Messrs Brown and Thomas' hardware store in Bute Street last evening. A fire in the basement ran up a matchboard partition and had reached the centre of the shop, but the hose-men got quickly to work and within 45 minutes were back at headquarters. A pony had to be removed to a place of safety.
• Rifleman F. Clarke, aged 27, of 181 High Town Road, is now convalescent in a Red Cross hospital at Belper, near Derby, after being wounded in the neighbourhood of the Somme. Rifleman Clarke, of the King's Royal Rifles, sustained severe head injuries when his dug-out was blown up. He had been at the Front 15 months.
• Pte Edward G. Anderson (pictured right), aged 20, of the Bed Regiment, lies in Lincoln Hospital with a serious wound in his right shoulder sustained on October 31st. Mrs Anderson, of 111a North Street, has been told he is now very comfortable and looking forward to coming home for Christmas.
• Official information that her son, Pte C. P. Hawkes, of the Bedfordshire Regiment, has been dangerously wounded has been received by Mrs Hawkes, of 123 Oak Road. He is now in the No. 7 Casualty Clearing Station with head and chest wounds and awaiting to be sent back to England following an operation. Pte Hawkes was hit over the eye while trying to capture a German on October 31st. He is 22 years old and an old boy of Dunstable Road School.
• An ejectment order was made at the Borough Court against a Round Green mother of 12 children. The owner of her home, who said he wanted it to live in himself, said the mother had had the opportunity to get other houses but did not want to go "down the town". She was given three weeks toleave.
• Master H. Mortimer, of the Red Cross Band, won the medal for the best cornet in the slow melody contest and the medal for best boy soloist in a contest at Leyton, Essex, on Saturday.
• Rifleman Harry Foster, of the London Regiment, husband of Mrs Foster of 12 Cromwell Road, Luton, is reported to have been missing since July 1st, 1916. No fewer than 152 of his colleagues in the regiment figured in the casualty list that day, including one who has since been found to be a prisoner of war in Germany. An appeal by Mrs Foster for news of her husband has failed to provide further information.
• A 12-year-old boy from Norman Road was sent to a reformatory until 19 years of age for stealing a bicycle left for three minutes in the Crown and Anchor yard. The boy, who had stolen bicycles on several previous occasions, had pleaded guilty at Luton Borough Court yesterday.
• Among local men reported to have given their lives on the battlefield were Pte Percival Frank Buckingham (Beds Regiment), Pte John Feetham (Royal West Kent Regiment) and Sgt William Ginger (Bed Regiment).
• A War Hospital Supply Depot (below) has been organised at St Albans and is being run entirely by ladies under the auspices of the Red Cross. About 200 ladies have associated themselves with the depot and they work in relays from 10 am to 1 o'clock and from 2.30 to 6 o'clock every day except Saturdays and Monday mornings. Up to the present they have sent from the depot some 3,000 swabs of various patterns, 550 bandages and 8,000 dressings of every conceivable pattern.