The six men whose portraits we reproduce here are associated with one of the most remarkable records of patriotic service that have been chronicled to the credit of any family in Luton - or indeed anywhere.

This sequence of pictures and the words introduced a stirring, if already tragic story of the sons of Robert and Mary Ward, of 3 East Avenue, Park Street, Luton, and their cousin James. It was published in The Luton Reporter newspaper on September 27, 1915.

Less than two years later it was a particularly harrowing story for one surviving son, John (known as Jack and pictured second from the right, above), when he was taken to court for being an absentee . He had just 4d from his mother to his name and was not even given a meal when he had reported for duty, as instructed, at Thetford by an Army that nevertheless didn't seem to want to accept him and owed him months of back pay.

"Scars and scandal" said the headline about his case in The Luton News on July 5th, 1917, which described the forgotten hero's "amazing story of military mismanagement".

Jack's misfortune had begun at Gallipoli, where the palm of his left hand was blown out by an explosive bullet. His fingers were left hanging on little pieces of skin and it was said a good-sized egg could be put through his wound without it touching the sides. At hospital in Malta the hole in his hand was filled up by the insertion of a lump of goat's flesh, but it was unlikely he would be able to used the hand again.

Fast forward to Monday, July 2nd, 1917, and a sitting of the Luton Borough Police Court, where Jack Ward appeared before magistrate Mr A. B. Attwood as an absentee from a Labour Battalion at Thetford, Norfolk.

The Luton Reporter newspaper (July 9th, 1917) said Mr Attwood undoubtedly reflected the sympathies of the general public in declining to order a remand for the twice-wounded soldier - and even gave him half-a-crown.

As a result of private inquiries, the court heard, Sgt Clarke, of Luton Borough Police, called at Ward's house at 3 East Avenue, soon after 9 o'clock on the morning of the case. He found Jack Ward lying on the couch in the front room in civilian clothes. When asked for a pass, Ward at once said he did not possess one, and admitted having been absent since June 25th.

Jack Ward, who was wearing two gold wounded badges, told Mr Attwood that he had done his share for the country, having been out twice and lost the use of his left hand. The return he got for this was that he had not had any pay for 26 weeks.

Once before he came home and reported himself to the Chief Constable, who said he would see what he could do for him, and as the result of that he went to the Labour Battalion at Thetford, but that Battalion had nothing to do with him. When he found he could not get any food or money he came home again.

It transpire that Jack Ward served in Gallipoli with the 5th Bedfords, and was afterwards drafted to Salonica, where he got his second wound - a bullet through the chest.

Asked if he had got his Army papers, he told the court he possessed nothing, as they kept transferring him from one regiment to another.

The Chief Constable said it was quite true that Ward had been to see him on a previous occasion and he then took the matter up and wrote to the Commanding Officer at Thetford. The officer replied asking him to send Ward on to Thetford, and stating that the question of his pay would be inquired into and adjusted as soon as possible. That was on May 22nd, and this was the first he had heard of the matter since. It certainly seemed a hard case, said the Chief Constable.

"There's all of us in the Army," Jack Ward told the magistrate. "There's father and seven brothers besides me, and all have been wounded. Two have been killed, one is a prisoner, and the rest wounded. I have been in the Army seven years myself, and I don't think they can arrest you as a deserter if you haven't had any pay."

The Chief Constable did not accept a statement made by Ward that he was not wanted at Thetford as quite correct, because only the previous day a request was received from Thetford for inquiries to be made concerning Ward.

Ward's reply was that when h went to Thetford before, he was asked what he wanted there, and when he told them they had sent for him from Luton they said they did not know anything about him and could not do anything as he had no papers.

He asked if he could not have some 'grub' as he had been travelling all day and was told, "You can't have anything here. You don't belong to us. You'll have to wait until your papers come along. You'll have to stop here and we will write to the War Office about you."

He asked: "What about my pay?" and the answer was, "We can't give you anything; you are not on our strength."

Jack Ward said he would willingly go back without an escort as he had a railway warrant, but what he wanted to know was how he was going on about pay. He had got nothing except fourpence his mother gave him, and he would get no pay at Thetford. He would willingly go to France or anywhere, but he would not stop at Thetford.

The Magistrates' Clerk, Mr William Austin, remarked that it seemed that he had been very hardly treated, but the Army was a very big number and some of these cases, he was afraid, could hardly be avoided.

Ward said he was the only one of the family now in this country, and Mr Attwood said he was very sorry to see him in this position. It did not seem as if he was of much use to a Labour Battalion. "That's why they won't keep me," said the soldier. "They say, 'You're no good to us, you're a cripple'."

Eventually Mr Attwood told him he would let him go on his promise to return without an escort, and handed him half-a-crown with this advice, "If you don't get anything down there and find yourself in difficulties again you had better write to the Chief Constable, and I'll see if I can help you in any way."

The soldier was very profuse with his thanks, but he was much concerned about some assistance for his mother, as he said he had been to the Territorial Association and the Town Hall, and they said they could not do anything. Mr Attwood said he would see that someone attended to that - he would get Mrs Attwood to call and see the mother.

Ward also asked if he could have some official paper to take back with him, as he felt certain if he could get back to his old regiment he would get all his old pay. He was on Gallipoli for 15 months and in hospital for nine months, and he had not had a halfpenny for all that time.

The Magistrates' Clerk acceded to his request and supplied him with a copy of the official documents which have to be prepared for the military in such cases.

In compiling this Mr Austin asked whether a police reward was claimed under the circumstances, and Sgt Clarke said he should not think of asking for it. He would rather give the man 5s than take 5s from him.