Bedford Soldier Dies of Flu in France

Old Town Hall, St. Paul’s Square, Bedford 1904 [Z1306/10/58/6]

Thursday 12th December 1918: Mr. and Mrs. Walter Grant of Rose Mount, Clapham Road, Bedford, have received the sad news their son Charles Alfred Richard Grant has died in France of pneumonia brought on by influenza. He joined a Mechanical Transport Company of the Army Service Corps in 1915, served for three years without being wounded, and was expected home for Christmas. An old boy of Bedford Modern School, he was an expert swimmer and played regularly for the Bedford Rugby Football “A” team. After joining the Army he became honorary secretary of the Mechanical Transport Rugby Club and arranged a match against an Australian XV which raised a large sum for the Lewisham Red Cross Society. Before the war he worked for nine years as assistant auditor in the Finance Department of the Bedford Corporation. In a letter of sympathy the Town Clerk writes:

“By his death the Corporation have lost a good and faithful servant, and I a valued friend. His work at the Town Hall left nothing to be desired. His painstaking, careful, and accurate work stands recorded in the books of accounts at the Town Hall for many years, while his courtesy, strict attention to his work, and  his willingness to assist anyone who needed help or advice endeared him to all in the office. His example was always for good, and he maintained strictly the good reputation of the Town Hall staff. Such a man will be hard to replace indeed. He will always be remembered by the whole staff with affection and esteem.”

A memorial service will be held for him at Holy Trinity Church this afternoon.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 13th December 1918

News of More Casualties

Beaudesert Boys’ Council School 1913 [Z50/72/21]

Thursday 28th November 1918: Tragically the end of the War has not meant the end of bad news for the families of soldiers. News of two men killed in the very last days of the fighting has now reached Leighton Buzzard, along with confirmation of the death of a third, and a report that a fourth man has died from the effects of influenza. Private Leslie Johnson, the nephew of Mr. Thomas Munday of Bridge Street, was killed on November 4th. He had worked in the Income Tax Office, London, but took up farming owing to ill health and for a short time was employed in the local area. He joined up at the age of just 17. His brother, Charles Rowland Johnson, the son-in-law of Mr. Henry Chapman Furlong, was killed in October 1917.[1]

Private Tom Hyde of the Middlesex Regiment was killed in action on 7th November, just four days before the signing of the Armistice. The chaplain of his battalion has written to his wife telling her that her husband was killed instantaneously by a shell and suffered no pain. Private Hyde was the son of Mr. and Mrs William Hyde of East Street, where his wife and child now live at number 28. Before joining up he worked for Mr. W. G. Willis, builder. A year ago he was wounded in the knee, and as the joint remained stiff he was sent to Ireland on garrison duty. During the last “push” he was again sent out to France. He was 27 years of age, and a member of the Leighton Buzzard Excelsior Band.

Private R. Miles of the 8th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, formerly a Trooper in the 17th Lancers and the Bedfordshire Yeomanry, the son of Richard and Annie Miles - now of Leighton Buzzard but previously of Wicken in Northamptonshire - had been reported wounded and missing. He has now been officially reported killed. His elder brother was seriously wounded on the Somme.[2]

Sapper Samuel Walter Stevens of 12, Plantation Road, was serving with the Royal Engineers when he was admitted to a casualty clearing station in France on 8th November. He died on the 13th from pneumonia following influenza. Sapper Stevens was an old boy of Beaudesert School and worked for Messrs. Adams and Whiting as a bricklayer before joining the Army in 1915. After nine months’ service in France he was operated on for appendicitis; he returned to France after recovering from the surgery. He was 28 years old and leaves a wife and young daughter.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 26th November 1918

[1] Charles Rowland Johnson of the 1st Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment died on 17th October 1917, aged 32. His wife, Jessie Frances Johnson, was living at 14 High Street, Leighton Buzzard. His brother is listed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as Martin Leslie Johnson, aged 19. In 1911 Charles Rowland Johnson was living at 18 Bridge Street, Leighton Buzzard, with his uncle Thomas Henry Munday and working for him as a jeweller’s assistant.

[2] Apparently Reginald Miles of the 8th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, whose death on 15th October 1917 is recorded on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Luton Soldier Killed While Waiting for Leave

 A float by the Davis Gas Stove Co. Ltd., Diamond Foundry, taking part in the Luton Peace Day parade on 19th July 1919 [Z1306/75/19/19]

Tuesday 5th November 1918: The parents of Sapper William H. Trotter have received the following letter informing them that their son had been killed as he waited for a medical pass before coming home on leave: 

“He was granted leave on October 7th, and proceeded to the medical station to pass the doctor and while waiting there he was killed outright by a shell. He was buried the same day where he fell, near Passchendaele. I can assure you that the loss of your son is greatly felt by the whole of my company … A cross will be erected over his grave by his comrades.”[1]

Sapper Trotter was educated at Surrey Street School in Luton and was employed at the Diamond Foundry before the War. He was a member of the Mount Tabor Primitive Methodist Church, won prizes for cross country running and was a member of the St. John Ambulance Society. He volunteered to serve with the East Anglian Royal Engineers in April 1915 and went out to France in autumn 1917.

Source: Luton News, 7th November 1918

[1] It would appear that Sapper Trotter’s body was subsequently moved as he is now buried in the Tyne Cot Cemetery at West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

Landlord Ordered to Repair Cottage

Stanbridge Village c.1909 [Z1306/108/4]

Saturday 19th October 1918: A soldier’s wife is refusing to pay rent for the cottage in which she is living in Stanbridge until repairs are carried out. The cottage is one of a row belonging to Mr. George Olney, and its poor condition had already been brought to the Council’s attention two years ago. There are large holes in the bedroom floor, and she is concerned that her children could fall into them. The matter was again reported to the Council, whose Surveyor declared that action should be taken to ensure that the woman and her children could live in reasonable comfort. The landlord has been given two weeks to make repairs. If this is not done, the District surveyor will carry out the work and recover the cost from him

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer 22nd October 1918

Last Messages from Dying Soldiers

Corporal William Hart

Friday 11th October 1918: News of her husband’s death came as a great shock to Mrs. Elizabeth Hart of Caddington. Her husband, Corporal William Hart of Caddington, was badly wounded in the left arm on Sunday 22nd September. His arm was amputated to the elbow, but he was able to write a message to his wife with his right: “My love to all; keep smiling”. However, he succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital at Rouen on 1st October. A former stoker at the Luton Gas Works, Corporal Hart had joined the Army in October 1914. He was invalided home and spent a year in a London hospital. He had only been back in France for eleven weeks when he received the fatal wound.

Twenty one year old Private Bernard Bone of New Town Street, Luton, has also died of wounds. Before the war he worked for Messrs. Kent and was a member of the Territorials. He served with the East Anglian Royal Engineers until a recent transfer to the Cheshire Regiment. He had been wounded three times and had suffered from trench fever. The chaplain of the Canadian Casualty Clearing Station where he died wrote to his mother: “He was struck by a shell from the enemy causing bad fractures of both legs, and his hands and face were slightly wounded. The fearful shock to his whole nervous system was an alarming factor. He was quite cheerful at first. Everything that the best surgeons and nurses could do was done for your dear boy … When I asked him what message I should send to you he simply said, ‘Give her my love and tell her that I did my duty for God and country, and if God sees fit to take me I am not afraid of death.’ … He saved others; himself he could not save.”

Source: Luton News, 17th October 1918

Leighton Buzzard Casualties

North Street, Leighton Buzzard c.1911 [Z1306/72/12/6]

Sunday 6th October: The tide of the war appears to have turned in favour of the Allies and there is real hope that victory is in sight; however, the toll of those killed and wounded continues to rise. Second Lieutenant Vivian Willis, of the Leighton Buzzard solicitors firm W. G. and V. V. Willis, has been wounded while serving with the Tank Corps. He had a lucky escape when a piece of shell flattened a whistle and a watch in his breast pocket and passed down his side, wounding him in both arms and the right thigh, side and hand. He is in hospital at Epsom and is expected to make a complete recovery.

Leading Seaman Frederick Brazier of 3 Friday Street was badly burned in the face, arms and body while serving on a naval ship three weeks ago. He is in hospital at Deal and although the burns are healing it has now been discovered that he has a broken left arm. He has served fifteen years in the Navy and was home on leave from the Mediterranean just a few weeks ago. His wife visited him in hospital and found him cheerful. The son of another resident of Friday Street, Private Harold Butcher of the Suffolk Regiment, is convalescing from the effects of gas. He served for six months in France before being sent to Palestine two years ago, and had only returned to the Western Front within the last three months.

The families of two soldiers now known to have been killed in action have undergone very different experiences, with one enduring a long wait and the other a sudden loss. Private Joseph George Jordan, the husband of Mrs Daisy Jordan of Ivy Cottage, Vandyke Road has been missing for virtually a year. She has finally been notified by the War Office that he is believed to have been killed on or soon after 9th October last year.[1] Mr. and Mrs. George Day of 27 Hockliffe Road have heard that their nineteen year old son, Trooper Cyril George Day, was killed on 5th September, only three weeks after arriving in France.

Sadly enemy action is not the only cause of death for soldiers serving in France. Private Alfred Joseph Dudley, whose parents live in North Street, joined the Army two years ago, and as his fitness only fell into the Class B1 category he was placed in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Service with the Field Ambulance appears to have been too much for his constitution, which was never strong, and he has died of dysentery. He leaves a widow and a three year old daughter.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 8th October 1918

[1] The Commonwealth War Graves Record for Private Jordan gives his date of death as 9th October 1917. He is commemorated at the Tyne Cot Memorial, indicating that his body was never found.

Medal Presentation Ceremony Held in Bedford

Entrance to Russell Park, Bedford c.1905 [Z1130/9/9/31]

Thursday 3rd October 1918: This morning a medal presentation ceremony has taken place in Russell Park, Bedford. A large number of troops marched through the town shortly before 11 o’clock, headed by two bands of the Royal Engineers. The medals were presented by the General Officer Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Command, Lieutenant-General Sir C. L. Woollcombe. The General was slightly late arriving as his car broke down between Bedford and Luton. The Mayor and Mayoress of Bedford and their daughters were also present.

The medals awarded included two  Distinguished  Conduct Medals. One was awarded to Corporal H. L. Bavington of the Hertfordshire Regiment but presented to his mother, as her son had since died of his wounds. The citation read: “For conspicuous gallantry in action. He led a bombing party with great gallantry, and rendered valuable assistance in the consolidation of the position. He has at all times set a splendid example.” The second was presented to Sapper W. J. M. Baldy of the Royal Engineers “for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He kept up communication all day while under fire from several directions, and in spite of casualties among the signallers. He did consistent good work during a long period.”

Other medals awarded at the ceremony included the Belgian Croix de Guerre to Sapper J. McKeown of the Biggleswade Depot; and the Military Medal and Bar to Sappers J. Layton, A. Lough and A. H. Cornwall. Twenty one men received the Military Medal and one the Good Conduct Medal. One of the recipients was Sergeant George Gazeley of Westoning,  one of the “Old Contemptibles” who first joined the Bedfordshire Regiment in 1904 and served in India. As a reservist he was called up at the beginning of the war, and by October 1915 had already been wounded three times. He is now permanently disabled after being badly hit in the leg last year. Two other Bedfordshire Regiment men, Sergeant Bertie Pettingell of Hitchin and Private George Henry Musgove of Kempston have also been serving since October 1914; Sergeant Pettingell enlisted when he was only 17 years old.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 4th October 1918

Absentee Found at Dunstable

Former administration block, Horton Hospital, Epsom [Wikipedia]

Tuesday 3rd September 1918: Mrs Rosetta Balchin, of Great Northern Road, Dunstable, has appeared at Dunstable Police Court charged with unlawfully concealing Private Mansell, an absentee from the Military Hospital Asylum at Epsom, who had previously been billeted with her. Police Sergeant Palmer said that he and Police Constable Paxton went to the house at 11 p.m. on August 6th and said they believed there was an absentee there. She admitted there was, and he found Mansell on a bed made up on the floor in one of the back rooms, in uniform. She admitted she had tried to keep his presence quiet.

Police Constable Paxton said that about the end of February Mansell had been billeted at his house, and had asked if he could stay at his old billet. P.C. Paxton would not agree, but Mansell had stayed with Mrs Balchin one weekend in six. At the end of April she said Mansell had been to her house and gone again. She was worried about him because he was “very peculiar in his mind”, and promised to let the police know if he returned. One morning she brought them a letter which she said Mansell had sent from Windsor Hospital. She said she was surprised when Mansell came to her house and had no idea he was an absentee. She was very busy at the time as she had friends at her house, and had no intention of doing wrong. Mrs Balchin’s husband, a soldier, read a letter his wife had sent him, in which she said that she heard groaning at about 11.30pm, went out and found Mansell, who was ill. The case was dismissed, and Mrs Balchin was warned to be more careful.

Source: Luton News, 5th September 1918

Bedford Soldier Gassed

Signaller Sydney S. Darrington

Thursday 29th August 1918: Signaller Sydney S. Darrington, the elder son of Mr and Mrs J. W. Darrington of The Cedars, St. John’s Street, Bedford has died in France. Signaller Darrington was an old boy of Bedford Modern School, well known for his sporting activities; he was a member of the Bedford Swimming Club, the Hockey Club, and the Argyll Football Club. After leaving school he joined the staff of Messrs. Dudeney and Johnstone where he worked for ten years. Just before the war his father retired from The Café in St. John’s Street, and the business was taken over by Sydney and his brother Percy. Both joined the Army: Sydney was attached to the Kite Balloon Section of the Royal Flying Corps, and Percy joined the Howitzer Brigade. Before going to France in January 1916 Sydney married his wife Alice, and they have a 20 month old daughter. When he returned to France from leave last August he was transferred to the Sherwood Forresters. Despite spending many months in the trenches, Sydney had not been wounded until Saturday 17th August, when he was badly gassed. His wife received a telegram telling her that he was in hospital and advising her to travel to France. She and her mother-in-law left Bedford on the Monday morning, but when they arrived in London they received the news that Signaller Darrington had died.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 23rd August 1918

Tenancy Dispute over Cottage for Wounded Soldier

Woburn Road, Heath and Reach, 1906 [Z1306/57/5]

Monday 26th August 1918: Mr. John Loke, of Heath Road, has applied for possession of a cottage at Heath which is currently occupied by Thomas Thompson. Mr. Loke wanted the cottage for Joseph Hack, a discharged soldier who had worked for him for ten years before he was mobilised with the Territorials in August 1914. Hack had been badly wounded at Gallipoli, losing a foot, part of his right hand, and part of his jaw and ear. He had been discharged, and was now again working for Mr. Loke. This was the second application for possession made in respect of this tenancy. The first had failed when it was found that Mr. Loke’s agent had received rent from Thomas Thompson after expiry of the notice to quit. A second notice to quit had been served, and again an attempt had been made to get Mr. Loke to accept the rent, which was in arrears. Two rent books was produced as evidence: one by the defending solicitor showing that it was a Saturday tenancy; the second by the prosecuting solicitor for a Monday tenancy, as stated in the application. The Bench examined both books, concluding that it was indeed a Saturday tenancy and the application was therefore invalid.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 27th August 1918

A Twin Problem

Bedford Board of Guardians 1907 [Z160/933]

Friday 9th August 1918: At yesterday’s meeting of the Bedford Board of Guardians an impasse was reached over the case of twin babies who are currently inmates in the Workhouse. The twins were born to the wife of a soldier who had recently returned from France, but were not his children. He said that his wife had been assaulted, but no proceedings were taken against the man. She had been receiving the Army allowance for the babies, but the husband had agreed to repay this to the Guardians of the Poor. He appeared before the Board and stated that he would not have the children in his home as they were not his; if he had them there could be no happiness in the home. He was informed that it did not matter whose children they were, as the mother’s husband he would be responsible for them and the babies would be handed over to him during the next week. The man insisted he would not take them.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 9th August 1918

Soldier Fails to Provide for his Wife

Former Court House, Wing Road, Linslade (2008)

Saturday 6th July 1918: A former soldier has been charged at Linslade with abandoning his wife and three children, leaving them to be provided for by the Leighton Buzzard Poor Law Union. Reginald Arthur Noke, now of Birmingham but formerly of Wing, pleaded not guilty. The court was told that Noke had met with his wife at Northampton on 29th April and had given her £13 out of a cheque for £16 which had come for him from America; with this money she had paid off her debts. The Chaplain of Northampton Gaol had arranged for Noke to start work in the town, but he did not do so. As his wife heard nothing more from him she had to seek relief from the Poor Law Guardians, who had paid her four guineas. In the meantime Noke’s war pension had been reviewed, and he was now entitled to a balance of £40.

Noke said he had now got a job as a driver on the Birmingham Tramways at 25 shillings per week. He expected to pass out on Sunday as a qualified driver and would then earn £3 a week. If his wife would come to Birmingham he would provide for her there; if not, then he would pay her an allowance. He had written to the War Office and made over his pension to his children, and he was also willing to hand over the £40 due to him. The magistrates granted him bail while enquiries were made about the outstanding pension.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 9th July 1918

Linslade Neighbours are Prisoners of War

Group of Bedfordshire prisoners of war, 1919 [Z1306/16/36/16]

Saturday 29th June 1918: Rifleman Arthur William Sayell of the Rifle Brigade, who is now a prisoner of war in Germany after being captured at St. Quentin on 21st March, has written to his parents at Springfield Road, Linslade. After being taken prisoner he was marched for some distance and then put on a train for Giessen, where he was kept for three weeks. He has now been moved to Limburg Camp. Rifleman Joe Woods, of Fern View, Springfield Road had been with Rifleman Sayell since they joined the army. They were captured together, but were parted after they reached Giessen.

Rifleman Sayell says that so far he has been treated decently and is getting enough food. He has received food parcels from the Prisoners of War Help Committee and the Red Cross, including biscuits, cocoa, condensed milk, roast mutton, beef and dripping. He complains that time passes very slowly, although they expect soon to be given some work. In the same barracks he has met Horace Rollings of George Street, Leighton Buzzard, who had only just returned from leave when he was captured.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 2nd July 1918

Assault at Tilsworth

Tilsworth, 1905 [Z1306/124/6]

Saturday 22nd June 1918: Bertie Royal Gutteridge, a 17 year old labourer from Dunstable, was charged at Woburn Police Court yesterday with maliciously wounding Private Arthur James Sanford at Tilsworth on 8th June. Private Sanford had been lent by the Army Service Corps to a Dunstable contractor, Mr. J. W. Ridgway of Skimpot, to drive a steam cultivator. Gutteridge had been hired to steer the cultivator, but on 6th June while working at Billington he refused to do any more work. On Saturday they moved on to Tilsworth and Gutteridge came and asked for his money. Mr. Ridgeway refused to pay him without compensation for the time the engines had been idle through his neglect. Gutteridge then threatened to bash Mr. Ridgway’s brains out and struck him with a shovel. Mr. Ridgway took an iron pin to defend himself  and went to Hockliffe for the police. Private Sanford was bending down washing himself in a bucket of water when Gutteridge came up behind him and hit him on the back of the head with the shovel, saying he would murder him. He was hit a second time while lying on the ground; Gutteridge then ran away.

When Gutteridge was arrested at Dunstable he told the police constable “I did it to get a bit of my own back”. Police Inspector Vincent said that when he was brought to Woburn Police Station Gutteridge said  “He did me one and I meant doing him one; I meant having my own back on him”. Dr. H. Stones Walsh of Toddington told the court that Sanford had a severe lacerated wound on the back of his head two inches long, which exposed the bone, and a bruise on his left shoulder blade. It should heal quickly, but the injury could have been serious. Gutteridge said that the reason he had refused to work was that the piece of ground they were ploughing was rough, and the drivers were pulling too fast and likely to break his arms on the cultivator. He had warned them on the Wednesday but they did not take any notice, so on Thursday morning he jumped off the cultivator and left it in the field. The magistrates decided to reduce the charge to causing bodily harm and committed Gutteridge to trial at the Quarter Sessions.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 25th June 1918

Four Luton Brothers Meet in France

First World War novelty postcard [Z1306/75/16/41]

Monday 17th June 1918: Bert Groom of Luton has written to his father at 52, Lea Road, describing how he met his three brothers in France, where they are all on active service: 

“Just these few lines to let you know I am quite all right … I found John again, and took him to see Albert, and Albert took us to see Stan, who is only about ten minutes’ walk away from himself, and all the four of us were together for the first time for so long. And I think we were very lucky, for the very next day we had to shift, so now me and John are over fifty miles away from Albert and Stan.”

The brothers’ father, Mr. Arthur Groom, is himself an old soldier; he served in India, and retired from the Army last year.

Source: Luton News, 20th June 1918

Magazines Wanted for Soldiers

Cover of Sketch magazine, 12 May 1915 [Wikimedia]

Thursday 30th May 1918: The Superintendent of the Church Army soldiers’ hut in Dunstable Road, Luton, has written to the Luton News as follows:

“Sir, Will you very kindly allow me a short space in your paper to appeal on behalf of the Church Army soldier’s hut in Dunstable Road, Luton? We are in great need of illustrated weeklies, such as “Sketch”, “Tatler”, “Sphere” etc., and magazines of all kinds. Perhaps some of your readers will pass theirs on as soon as they have finished with them. A regular weekly supply would be greatly appreciated by the soldiers. A chest of drawer is also urgently required for the use of the Hut. I shall be very pleased and thankful to hear if somebody can spare or sacrifice one.”

Source: Luton News, 30th May 1918

Death of Private John Quick

Saturday 25th May 1918: The mother of Private Francis John Quick of the Middlesex Regiment, who died of wounds earlier this week, has received the following letter of sympathy from the Captain of his Company:

“I had known Private Quick for a very long time, and always considered him, both as a soldier and a sportsman, one of the best men I ever had in the company. He was wounded whilst on a bicycle carrying an important message, and it will possibly be some slight consolation to you to know that the whole thing occurred just outside one of our officers’ messes, where he received immediate attention and was in hospital within 20 minutes. I visited him in hospital about 10 minutes later and stayed with him until the doctor was ready to dress his wounds properly. Your son was quite conscious and able to speak to me and did not seem to be suffering greatly. His last words to me were “cheerio!” and I promised to visit him again next day, which I did, but unfortunately he had passed away a few hours earlier. All who came in contact with your son after he was wounded are high in their praise as to his conduct throughout. Within the last hour I have been over to visit his grave. It is all very peaceful, many miles from the line. He lies amongst many of his late comrades, and the cross next to his bears the name of a Captain in a very famous division. It is a beautifully kept ground and you may feel quite sure in your mind that your son’s grave will receive every necessary attention.”

Mrs. Quick lives at 92, Bassett Road, Leighton Buzzard. Her son was twenty years old and serving with the 11th Entrenching Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 28th May 1918

[1] Private Quick is buried at the Duisans British Cemetery at Etrun, near Calais.

Elstow Tractor Discovered in Palestine

Bedfordshire Regiment men with Saunderson tractor

Monday 20th May 1918: A group of Bedfordshire Regiment soldiers serving in Palestine found a surprising link with home in a village recently captured from the Turks. Corporals Fred Kendall of Wilstead and R. E. Shadrake of Bedford, Private Edward Doughty and some other Bedford boys, found a Model V Saunderson tractor on a farm in the village. Corporal Shadrake wrote to Mr. Saunderson and enclosed a photograph of the machine:

“A few weeks ago we took a village from the Turks, which was found to be a German Colony, called Wilhelma. One of the first things we saw was a ‘Saunderson’ Tractor made at Elstow Works. I thought it would interest you to know that a few Bedford boys have had memories of her native place brought before them by the sight of this tractor so many miles from home.”

It appears that Corporal Kendall had helped to make the machine, and the mark of Private Doughty’s father was on the spokes of the wheel. Private Doughty writes that the tractor, which was sent out to Palestine eighteen months before the War, was in fairly good order except that the cylinders had been removed.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 24th May 1918

Luton Town Footballer Killed in Action

Arthur Wileman

Tuesday 14th May 1918: The news was received today by Mr. S Arnold of 44 Kenilworth Road that Luton Town footballer Arthur Wileman has been killed in action. Mr. Wileman’s wife had lived at that address for some time both before and after her marriage; she is now at her home in Somerset. No further details have yet been received.

Arthur Wileman came from a footballing family at Newhall, South Derbyshire. He began his career with Newhall Swifts, before he and his brother joined Burton United, where they gained reputations as dangerous forwards. From there they moved to Chelsea, but were not successful there and after two seasons they moved on. Arthur spent a season with Millwall before joining Luton Town in 1912. Although on the small side he was a strong player with great shooting power. In 1913-14 he scored 33 goals for the club, becoming their second highest scorer. He was one of eight men from Luton Town who joined the Footballers’ Battalion in December 1914. Due to an injury to his knee he was not sent to France until 1916, when he transferred to the Royal Sussex Regiment. In February last year the Club Secretary received a letter from him from the Front, where he was serving with another Luton player, Arthur Roe. He was promoted to acting sergeant major, and just before Christmas was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry. He turned down the offer of a commission, preferring to remain in the ranks.

Source: Luton News, 16th May 1918

A Tragic Boating Accident at Bedford

View from Bedford town bridge towards William H. Chetham, boatbuilders c.1925 [Z50/9/880]

Monday 6th May 1918: An inquest has been held at the Bedford Police Station into the tragic deaths of Cadet Malcolm Peter McLachlan of the Royal Engineers, and Winifred, the sixteen year old daughter of Mr. E. A. Gilbert of 7 Offa Road, Bedford. Thomas George Cox, waterman for Messrs Chetham, told the inquest that the young people had hired a three-seated canoe from him at 8.30pm on Saturday. Cadet McLachlan took the stern seat, the young lady the seat in front, and the front seat was empty. Both were paddling the canoe. The river was normal, perhaps a little faster than usual, but boats had been out all week. About twenty minutes later he heard that two people were in the water and took a boat out. He found the canoe had floated across to the opposite bank, the right way up but full of water. The paddles were floating some yards away, and the backboards and cushions had been picked up by a punt.

Mrs. Huckle of 10, Pilcroft Street stated that she was walking along the path through the Cattle Market when she saw the couple in a canoe. The lady leant forward as if reaching for something, the boat swayed and tipped over, and both occupants went into the water. The girl was not holding a paddle and the gentlemen was not paddling – they were just letting the canoe float. After the canoe capsized the young man first went for the canoe, but let go when he saw the girl go under. He brought the girl to the surface twice and tried to swim with her to the shore. She clung round his neck and they went down together. They surfaced one more time before disappearing. Four other boats were nearby. A sailor and two civilians in one laughed and passed on. Two soldiers in another boat could not swim, but tried to look for the couple. The other two boats rowed away.

Charles Hartwell, a waterman, saw the accident from the Cauldwell Road walk. As he entered the Bridge the young man was standing up in the canoe, which was going very slowly. and the young lady was sitting. He insisted that his recollection that the young man was standing was accurate, although it disagreed with the previous witness’s statement. He though the young man must have lost his balance, as he sat or slipped down on the side of the canoe, tipping it over. He said there were “ever so many” boats on the river at the time. The man made for the canoe, the canoe rolled over, and that was the last he saw of them. He shouted to some people in a boat to let him have it to go to the couple, but they moved off. He then sent a young man for the lifebuoy hanging near the bridge, but when he got to the spot with it the couple were gone. He believed if he had the use of a boat he could have saved them.

In his summing up the Coroner said it was clearly an accident. That anyone should be so callous as to be nearby and yet not try help was acutely painful; only Mr. Hartwell appeared to have made any effort. It was one of the most painful cases he had ever had to preside over. The Jury returned a verdict of “accidentally drowned”. The remains of Cadet McLachlan are to be taken home to Bootle in Lancashire by train, with full military honours. Miss Gilbert’s funeral is to be held at Bedford Cemetery on Thursday.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 10th May 1918