Digest of stories from The Luton News: Thursday, February 14th, 1918.

The feeding of under-fed children at Luton schools and the evil of children standing in food queues were two of the chief subjects of discussion at the meeting of the Luton Education Committee on Tuesday evening.

The School Health Committee had considered the following resolution sent by the local Food Vigilance Committee: "That owing to the inequality of the distribution of food commodities, the Food Vigilance Committee demand of the Education Authority the putting into operation the power granted the, by Act of Parliament of feeding school children."

The Education Committee, having on several occasions given consideration to the matter and from information at their disposal, saw no reason for adopting the Education (Provision of Meals) Act, as the few necessitous cases existing from time to time were provided for out of funds obtained from private sources. If any further effort in the direction of feeding was necessary, the committee suggested that the Local Food Committee be requested to consider the advisability of establishing communal kitchens.

Councillor Primett said they had appealed to headmasters and mistresses for the number of children considered under-fed. Out of 9,000 children, the most that could be found under-fed were from 80 to 100, and the committee had fed these since January 8th. Free breakfasts had been given, either of porridge and syrup or soup and bread. The report was adopted.

It was reported that that school attendance had been affected by the absence of children for the purpose of waiting in queues to obtain food. Reports from the schools showed that this evil was growing, and many of the children, after waiting in a queue during the morning, were totally unfit for school work in the afternoon. It was recommended that the Board of Education be notified and requested to urge upon the Ministry of Food the necessity for putting a national system of rationing into force without delay.

• After a month without news, a letter delivered on February 12th, 1918, informed Mrs Katherine Shaw, of 79 Wimbourne Road, Luton, that her son, Pte Horace George Shaw, 73589, 15th Battalion Notts and Derby Regiment, had been captured by the Germans. The former Davis Gas Stove Co employee was aged only 19 when taken as a prisoner of war near Ypres on January 24th, 1918. [He was held in the Dulmen, Limburg and Munster Camps in Germany, but happily survived the war. Born on August 29th, 1898, to Harry and Katherine Louisa Shaw, he was repatriated and in 1923 married Lucy Amelia Ambridge in Luton. He was still living at 79 Wimbourne Road at the time of his death on August 4th, 1963.]

• The death has been notified by the War Office of Signaller Cyril Osborne Smith, aged 21, son of Mr Frederick W. Smith, of 3 Salisbury Road, Luton. He was killed on January 15th by a shell while in action with the Beds Yeomanry in France. Major A. C. S. Benning wrote to Mr Smith that his son was buried the following day in a grave carefully marked with a wooden cross.

• The funeral took place on Friday, with military honours, of the late Pte Albert Marsh, of 30 St Anne's Road, Luton, who died in hospital at Brighton on February 1st. The Vicar of Luton (the Rev A. E. Chapman) officiated.

• Official intimation has been received that Cpl George Negus (Beds Regiment), whose wife and family live at Mill Cottages, Offley, has died in hospital in France from wounds received in action last November. He had been wounded five times and spent more than a year in total as a result in various hospitals. He was formerly cowman for Mr Cook, Hoo Farm, Offley.

• Two Lutonians have been awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre. Lieut Sidney Charles Squires (Royal Warwickshire Regiment), third son of Emily and Harry,a director of hat manufacturers Welch & Sons Ltd, of Crafront, Farley Hill, Luton, gained his award on January 6th. News of the award to dispatch rider Pte Frank Robert Child (M2/201966, Royal Garrison Artillery), younger son of Mr and Mrs Arthur Child, of Braemar, Downs Road, Luton, was received on Saturday. Before the war Frank was a successful competitor in local motor cycling competitions. (Sidney is pictured above, left, and Frank right.

• Pte G. Claridge (Machine Gun Corps), from Mangrove, wrote to his sister at Round Green to tell her of his awful ordeal of spending hours in the water waiting to be picked up after HMT Aragon was torpedoed and sunk off Alexandria, Egypt. "I never thought I would ever be saved. I cannot tell you how many were drowned, but I know there must have been a good number. I was taken to hospital, where I am still."

• Wood Street, Luton, women Mrs Alice Day and Mrs Edith Sarah Henman pleaded guilty in court at Luton today to concealing Walter Robinson, a deserter from the Beds Regiment, on February 9th. After Mrs Day said Robinson had told her he was home on furlough for ten days, the case was dismissed for lack of evidence of attempted concealment.

• At the Ampthill Petty Sessions on Thursday, Mrs Alice Rose Summerfield, of Flitton, pleaded not guilty to a charge under the Wheat, Rye and Rice (Restriction) Order 1917 to wasting about half a bushel of bread. A policeman who had found the bread in her house in a dirty and mildewy condition called attention to the amount of bread she was wasting. She was fined £1 or 15 days imprisonment.

• The marriage was celebrated on Saturday at Christ Church between Gunner W. D. Johnson (Machine Gun Corps), youngest son of Mr N. Johnson, of Kingsley, Havelock Road, who has been serving 12 months in France, and Miss Beatrice Wright, second daughter of Mr John Wright, of 26 Beech Road.

• It was stated in our columns some time ago that the well-known jockey over the flat and hurdles, A. Clinton, who is a driver in the Royal Field Artillery, stationed at Biscot, had applied for a licence to the National Hunt authorities to ride this winter for the Leader stables at Newmarket. Driver Clinton had since had to go into hospital at Cambridge, where he has undergone two operations, but he has recovered and now awaits the verdict of a medical board. Owing to this misfortune, he had to relinquish the idea of riding in England this season.

• Another link in the chain of local history has gone by the death of Mr Alfred Blundell, who died on Tuesday morning at the advanced age of 82 years at Limbury Manor. The funeral will take place at the Luton General Cemetery tomorrow (Friday). He was the fifth son of the late Joseph King Blundell, who was pastor of Park Street Baptist Church for some years. He was born in Church Street shortly after the pond in Park Street was filled in, spent 12 of his younger years residing in Queensland, Australia, before returning to live at Limbury Manor Farm, owned by his sister Mrs James Waller, in September 1875. Much of the land he cultivated is now covered with villas and other houses. Mr Blundell showed an active interest in Limbury Baptist Church, and last Easter generously paid off the debt on the building. His brother, the late Henry Blundell, was an ex-Mayor of Luton.