Dunstable Man Killed in German Prison Camp

High Street North, Dunstable c.1910 [Z1306/36/8/8]

Sunday 22nd December 1918: A fellow prisoner reports that Private James Baxter, the husband of a Dunstable woman, was murdered at the end of September by a guard at the German prison camp where he was held at Freiburg. Private F. Bungay of the North Staffordshire Regiment reports that “While we were working the guard yelled out to Baxter, who, having a slight cold, did not hear at once, but he afterwards started to run, and being weak from want of food, stumbled at the bank. The guard then went forward and beat him with the butt of his rifle, and then shot him through the back, the bullet reaching his heart. It was awful to see a chum murdered in cold blood like that.”

Private Bungay hid behind some bushes and saw the guard leave to give the alarm and fetch the doctor. While the guard was gone he took out Baxter’s pocket book to get his address; he found a photo of Baxter with a child but had to put it back again. The affair was hushed up and guard claimed he killed Baxter in self-defence, but Bungay insists this was a lie as Baxter had his back to the guard. Private James Stewart, who has just returned to his home in Perth, says that when he arrived at Freiburg soon after the matter was being widely talked about at the camp; a number of prisoners told him that Baxter had been set upon by the guards after being accused of picking and eating blackberries he was gathering for the Germans to make tea from. Pioneer Baxter served his apprenticeship as a lithographer in Dundee, but joined up at Bedford in August 1917. He leaves a widow, the daughter of Mr. J. H. Proverbs of High Street North, Dunstable, and a young son.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 24th December 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

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

Fare Dodging by Munitions Workers

Dunstable Town Railway Station, c.1928 [Z1306/36/14/2]

Wednesday 8th May 1918: Three young women have been fined for fare dodging on the London and North-Western Railway. Linslade Police Court heard that on 27th February Elizabeth Maud Vincent, of 52 Wing Road, Linslade, and Daisy Sutton of 10, Summer Street, Leighton Buzzard arrived at Leighton Buzzard Station from Dunstable. When asked for their tickets as they were leaving the station both young women said they had lost them. They claimed to have walked from Chaul End, where they work in a munitions factory, to Dunstable, and to have booked their tickets there. When inquiries showed this was not true, Vincent admitted she had used her brother’s weekly ticket while he was on night work, and had not paid the fare either way. Sutton said she went to Chaul End with her sister Mabel; when she returned  she had borrowed her sister’s weekly ticket and had also not paid the fare. Daisy Sutton and Elizabeth Vincent were fined £1 5s.6d. and £1.15s.6d. respectively for travelling without tickets, and Mabel Sutton was fined £1.0s.6d for transferring her weekly ticket to her sister. Vincent told the court “I know this sort of thing is being done by other girls”.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 14th May 1918

A Missing Soldier and a Returned Prisoner-of-War

King George Hospital c.1915-18 [Wikimedia, from Wellcome Images under CreativeCommons Attribution 4.0 International license]

Thursday 25th April 1918: There is much sympathy for Mrs. W.A. Smith of 91 Church Street, Luton, who is undergoing a double ordeal of grief and anxiety. Her husband, Private W. A. Smith, has been serving with a machine gun corps in France and was last heard from on March 18th. Private Smith’s father, who lived at 47 Vandyke Road, Leighton Buzzard was then dangerously ill, and the police wired to Private Smith to try to get him leave. However he had still not arrived by April 12th, when his father died, and just a few hours later news arrived that Private Smith was wounded and missing. Nothing further has been heard, and Mrs. Smith would be grateful for any further information. Her husband has been serving in the army for two years.

Much better news has been received in Dunstable, where friends of Private  L. H. Durrington of Messrs Durrington and Sons, High Street North. Private Durrington, who was serving in the Royal Fusiliers, has been a prisoner of war in Germany for five months. It was known from letters and cards received that he had been wounded in the leg but there was nothing to suggest he was likely to be released. Last week the news arrived that he had been repatriated and was in King George’s Hospital, London.

Source: Luton News, 18th and 25th April 1918

Munitions Girls Receive Bravery Awards

Miss Lily Smith of Bedford

Saturday 8th September 1917: Two Bedfordshire girls working in munitions factories have been awarded the Medal of the Order of the British Empire for devotion to duty. The Medal is given for services of special merit rendered to the Empire by both men and women in civilian war service.

Miss Lily Smith of 35 All Hallows Lane, Bedford worked at a powder factory in Bedfordshire before responding to an invitation for volunteers to work in a filling factory near London. After working there for about a fortnight a bomb exploded, fracturing her left hand so severely that it had to be amputated. Showing the utmost bravery, she insisted on walking part of the way to the hospital. When she recovered she returned to duty, saying that all must do their bit to enable our brave troops to win the war. Her courage so impressed her colleagues and managers at the factory that they presented her with a gold wrist watch. She was also given a gold pin on which a piece of the bomb extracted from her hand had been mounted.

Miss Violet Golding of 11 Cross Street, Dunstable, lost a finger and thumb through an accident while making detonators on 27th June 1916. At the time of the accident she was just sixteen years old. She returned to work after treatment at the Bute Hospital in Luton. Both girls will receive their medals at Buckingham Palace

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 31st August 1917 and 7th September 1917

How to Cook Potatoes

Potato queue at Kingsbury Farm, Church Street, Dunstable in April 1917 [Z50/36/142]

Monday 19th February 1917: Poor crops in many parts of the country have led to a serious shortage of potatoes. The Board of Agriculture has asked consumers to economise in their use, both by eating less and by considering their cooking methods. Much of a potato is made up of water, leaving only about one-quarter which is of direct value as food; the most valuable part being the part next to the skin. The most common method of cooking potatoes is to peel them, then put them into cold water and boil them. This wasteful approach can lead to the loss of as much as one-fifth of the whole tuber, with the peelings containing a larger percentage of nutritious solids than the rest of the potato. Boiling then dissolves out soluble ingredients and breaks down the surface into the water, which is thrown away. Experiments have shown that around 15.8% of the protein, 18.8% of the minerals, and about 3% of the carbohydrates are lost in cooking a potato this way. If they are plunged into boiling water immediately after paring on 8.2% of protein, 18% of minerals, and a small amount of starch is lost. When potatoes are boiled in their jackets only 1% of protein, just over 3% of minerals, and almost no starch is lost.

To reduce this waste people are advised to either boil or steam potatoes in their jackets, after making a cut in each end to allow the escape of steam. When baking potatoes they should be pricked or cut and then baked slowly. If potatoes must be peeled, then they should be steamed or cooked in the smallest possible amount of boiling water, which should then be reused in soups. Adding salt will also help to reduce the loss of nutrients. An alternative is to pare the potatoes as thinly as possible, then slice them for use in vegetable or meat pies. Potatoes may also be replaced by turnips and swedes, which should be sliced and steamed rather than boiled.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 20th February 1917

Train Timetables

Leighton Buzzard Railway Station c.1910 [Z50/72/174]

Saturday 4th November 1916: The Deputy Mayor of Dunstable has written to the Urban Councils of Leighton Buzzard and Linslade asking them to join him in persuading the North Western and Great Northern Railway Companies to provide a better train service for munitions girls. Many travel from Leighton Buzzard to work at the munition factory at Chaul End, but face a difficult morning journey home after working a night shift. They arrive at Dunstable from Chaul End at 7.30, but have to wait until 8.50 for a train to take them on to Leighton. If the Great Northern Company could provide an earlier train, they would reach Dunstable in time to catch the 7.05 from Leighton Buzzard. It has also been suggested that the North Western Railway Company could help soldiers from Dunstable and Luton who are at Halton Camp by holding back the 12.25 to Luton at Leighton Buzzard for a few minutes. Men on weekend leave reach Leighton at 12.33, just in time to see the 12.25 leaving the station. Instead of getting home in time for dinner, they then have to wait for the 1.55 train, followed by another hour’s wait at Dunstable before finally arriving at Luton at about 4 o’clock. For the sake of five minutes, the men lose a whole afternoon of their short leave.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 7th November 1916

Last Moments of a Zeppelin

Monday 2nd October 1916: Ten airships crossed the East Coast of England last night; two of them on a mission to attack London. One was driven off but the second was brought down near to Potters Bar, close enough for residents in the south of Bedfordshire to witness the event. Those standing on the Midland footbridge at Luton Railway Station had a particularly good view as the Zeppelin fell from the sky in flames, and the whole town was illuminated by the blaze. In Dunstable many people had just missed seeing the airship shot down at Cuffley last month, and when they heard the Zeppelin alarm they made their way to positions likely to offer a good vantage point. For a short time Dunstable was flooded by a light which was remarkably bright, considering the distance of the town from the place where the menace of the air was shot down. At Silsoe a dull red light suddenly appeared in the sky around midnight, followed by flames which shot up to a good height. The Zeppelin gradually fell and the light diminished, disappearing completely after three minutes.

Source: Luton News, 5th October 1916

Four Brave Brothers

Frederick Walter and Percy Holliman

Thursday 24th August 1916: The four eldest sons of Mr and Mrs Ernest Holliman of 300 High Street North, Dunstable all joined the army to fight for their country, and two have paid the ultimate price. The family lived at Houghton Regis for twenty years before moving to Dunstable, and the father is well-known as a platelayer on the London and North-Western Railway. The youngest of the brothers, Private Percy Holliman, was only 17 years old when his unit was mobilised in August 1914. He was among those sent to the Dardanelles last summer with the 5th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment and died on the 26th September from the effects of wounds received at Suvla Bay. Before the war he worked for a coal merchant at Dunstable. The next brother, 20 year old Private Frederick Walter Holliman, died on August 3rd of wounds received fighting with the Bedfordshire Regiment in France, where he had served for a year and ten months. He was previously employed at Chantry Farm, Houghton Regis. The two older brothers are Driver Jack Holliman, aged 23, who has been in France since 1914 with the Royal Field Artillery, and Private Joseph E. Holliman, aged 24, a regular soldier who completed his term of service last February and re-enlisted. He was invalided home from France last year following an attack of enteric fever, and has since been based at Landguard Camp.

Source: Luton News, 24th August 1916

Sports Day at Dunstable

Saturday 17th June 1916: The Dunstable Signal Depot of the Royal Engineers enjoyed splendid summer weather for today’s sports day. The sports were held at Messrs. Waterlow’s athletic ground, at the entrance to the chalk cutting, an excellent venue for such an event. The organisation was very thorough and things went “swimmingly from beginning to end” to the enjoyment of the large crowd of visitors who included the Mayor and Mayoress of Dunstable. To add variety to the sports comic entertainment was included. A very overgrown boy and girl, made up “in the most ludicrous manner” featured in the children’s races, and “Charlie Chaplin” made an appearance. The highlights were a comic policeman riding a bicycle and a “one man power” motor car which was accompanied by a few “apre sparks” in the form of big cannon fireworks.

There were a large number of athletic events, including competitions for the children of the soldiers and of Waterlow’s employees. The depot band also enlivened proceedings with a musical programme; the programme also included a race of an “original” kind for bandsmen only. Sergeant Wells, the brother of a well known boxing champion won the hundred yards flat race, the one mile flat race, and several other events. Much amusement was provided by tilting the bucket, a boot race, an inter-company football match in sacks, a pillow fight on a greasy pole, a bun and treacle race, and an obstacle race. Prizes were presented by Lady Every, the wife of Captain Sir E. O. Every of the Norfolk Yeomanry, and the sports were followed by dancing on the green.

Source: Luton News, 22nd June 1916

Dunstable Man Passed From Pillar to Post

High Street South, Dunstable 1915 [Z1130/36/116]

Sunday 11th June 1916: Due to a strange chain of events a young man from High Street South, Dunstable, has been charged at Luton with being an absentee from the Royal Highlanders. Russell Bliss had joined the Royal Highlanders in May and was sent to Perth. After being at Perth for three days he was transferred to the Royal Navy and sent to Portsmouth. When he arrived there he was kept in barracks for three days, without being sworn in or given a uniform. Fed up with this treatment he broke out of barracks. He was arrested by the naval police, but when they discovered he had not been sworn in he was discharged and given a railway pass to Bedford.

Bliss then went home to Dunstable, only to find that his calling-up notice had arrived requiring him to report himself, which he did on Thursday morning. He was sent again to Bedford; the authorities there sent him back to the recruiting office at Luton, from where he was handed over to the police. He was then remanded until yesterday, when the Chief Constable told the magistrates that he had received the following telegram from the Commanding Officer at Perth: “Bliss was accepted by the naval recruiter, and therefore, I have nothing to do with him”. The Magistrate’s Clerk pointed out that he should not be treated as a deserter, as “he has evidently been bandied about from pillar to post. Apparently he is anxious to do something for his country, and no one seems to have helped him”. It was agreed that he should go back to the recruiting office and report himself, and that would be an end to the matter.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 13th June 1916

Dunstable Organist Loses Appeal

Priory Church, Dunstable 1906 [Z1130/36/41]

Wednesday 7th June 1916: The organist of a Dunstable Church has had his appeal against the Dunstable Tribunal’s rejection of his application for exemption from military service dismissed. He has been passed fit for the Army but only for sedentary work, a class in which it is considered unlikely that he will actually be called upon to serve. The Appeal Tribunal considered that as the gentleman had been examined twice, with the conclusion that he could serve even though only in a sedentary capacity, the issue came down to whether or not his work as an organist could be considered to be of nation importance. The Tribunal decided that it could not.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 13th June 1916

Dunstable Tribunal

Belladonna (or deadly nightshade) [Wikimedia]

Wednesday 31st May 1916: Tribunals continue to sit around the county to decide on applications for exemption from military service. At Dunstable today the father of a married chemist appeared to support his son’s claim for exemption. The applicant collects and prepares medicinal herbs, of which he has expert knowledge. Many of these have become very scarce since supplies from Germany were cut off with the outbreak of the war and he has spent much time searching for these with great success. Several of the drugs are almost impossible to obtain in the market, and he has been able to supply large quantities to the War Office. Last year the father and son had been able to supply two tons of belladonna root, which had increased tenfold in value since 1914 due to its scarcity and medicinal value. The applicant had four brothers serving and had himself only been passed for home service, due to having had malaria while living abroad. The Tribunal granted him conditional exemption.

A number of other men who had been passed fit only for home service were also given conditional exemption. These included a rural postman who cycles 28 miles a day and has an invalid wife and no relatives; a 40 year old ploughman and horsekeeper; and a journeyman baker in delicate health who was said to be indispensable to his father.  Another young baker was less fortunate and was refused, despite being the only support of his widowed mother; the Chairman of the Tribunal agreed it seemed hard that he must go and was given permission to appeal. The case of two men employed at the whiting works was adjourned as it appeared they were only there thanks to a blunder. Applications had been sent to the Munitions Office for badges for four employees, but a mistake had been made and the wrong names submitted; two men who were over age had received exemption certificates, and the two applicants had not.

Source: Luton News, 1st June 1916

Blizzard Hits Bedfordshire

Bedford Embankment after the blizzard

Tuesday 28th March 1916: This afternoon Bedfordshire has been hit by the worst blizzard since the great snowstorms of 1881 and 1899. Train, telegraph, and telephone communications have been cut off, and substantial damage has been done by the gales which accompanied the blizzard. The snow began on Monday evening and continued overnight, but was slushy and was soon cleared by rain during Tuesday. The first indication that exceptional weather was on the way came when telegraph and telephone wires were down further north and southbound trains arrived several hours late – one train from Glasgow scheduled to arrive at Luton at 7 a.m. did not appear until 4 p.m.  According to the driver: “I have never seen a blizzard like it in thirty years’ experience. I took over the train at Trent, and from there to Bedford the blizzard was at its worst – a fierce, blinding blizzard; nothing could stand against it. Telegraph poles were blown down in all directions. At one place I counted thirteen poles down in succession. In some places even the strong double poles had collapsed. In other places the wires broke with the weight of snow. Once we had to stop to get the engine clear of fallen wire. At Wigston we had to wait five hours. Telegraph poles had fallen on a goods train and blocked the line. The snow was about two feet deep there. When the line was cleared we went on again, but with the wires down the train at times had to crawl and stop to find out from signalmen what trains were on the line."

The line from Northampton through Leighton Buzzard to Tring was also badly hit. A driver said “I went dead slow through all this mess, and it’s well I did so, for the frozen snow on the line was so hard that the engine bumped along just as though she might have been an old cart travelling along a badly cobbled road. From Northampton right as far as Tring we did the crawl act. Not a wire was standing. It was dangerous to look out, and me and my mate had to be pretty nippy when we did put our heads out in case the broken wires should tear our eyes out. We stopped at every signal box, and I got orders to carry on my train ‘on my own,’ to take no risks, and to feel my way every inch. With the wires down and a lot of the signal boxes out of gear it was a pretty anxious job, I can tell you. All along the home stretch platelayers were out working like slaves at clearing the line, and the last few hours of the journey seemed to me to be a ‘stop’ at every hundred yards or so.” The high wind caused drifting, and by 6.30pm the Luton-Dunstable-Leighton line was blocked, with a goods train and a passenger train both snowed in at Blow’s Downs; the passengers were obliged to walk the five miles back to Dunstable Church Street station through the snow.  

Sources: Luton News 30th March 1916

Zeppelin Squawkers

Entrance to Waterlow's Printing Works, Dunstable c.1920 [Z1306/36/6]

Tuesday 15th February 1916: Despite opposition from some of its members, the Watch Committee of Luton Town Council has recommended that the town should install electrical apparatus known as a “squawker” to warn of the approach of hostile aircraft, and the machine is already on order. Opponents of the “squawker” pointed out that the hooters had blown at Leighton Buzzard last week after a report was received that aircraft had been seen on the North-East Coast. The result was a great commotion with the hooters bringing everyone into the streets, despite the advice of the Home Office that people should stay indoors during a bombardment, this being far safer than being outside. Nevertheless, it was recognised that a number of large towns were finding these alarms effective, allowing them to extinguish lights before Zeppelins arrived overhead. The inhabitants of Luton would need to be educated to understand that if the “squawker” sounded they should stay indoors and put out the lights, and warnings given that the alarm would sound at fixed times to ensure people were familiar with it. It was agreed it would not be sounded if Zeppelins were actually overhead due to fears that the noise could precipitate an attack. The recommendation of the Watch Committed to install the “squawker” was accepted.

At Dunstable the Emergency Committee has made arrangements that when warning of the approach of hostile aircraft is received Messrs. Waterlows printing works will give three 30 second blasts on their hooter, to be repeated at minute intervals. Householders must they extinguish all lights visible from the outside. All windows, skylights, and fanlights much be obscured and any flashlights used must shine on the ground only. As in Luton, concerns were expressed that people would run outdoors instead of staying in comparative safety inside, but here, too, the Committee’s actions were approved. A suggestion that Messrs. Bagshawe's horn should also be sounded was welcomed by the Mayor.

Source: Luton News, 17th and 24th February 1916

No Troops for Dunstable

Novelty Postcard 1914-1918 [Z1130/36/1]

Tuesday 1st February 1916: Dunstable appears to be no closer to the elusive goal of having more troops billeted in the town that it was over a year ago. At the January meeting of Dunstable Town Council the Mayor was asked “Do you know if there is any reason why troops are not billeted in Dunstable?” He replied that he had no idea as the military authorities always spoke to the police rather than to himself. Asked whether he could try to find out, the Mayor suggested it would be better to wait until the weather was better so that the camp would be available. At this time of year it could not be expected that the army would want to put men under canvas, and he did not imagine they would want to incur the expense of building huts. Mr. J.T. Dales pointed out that the public’s concern was with billeting. The Mayor thought public needed to be aware that the amount paid for billeting had reduced considerably since troops were last billeted in the town: in that case, said Mr. Dales “I imagine the diet will be considerably reduced as well”. The Mayor hoped they did not want to starve the soldiers!

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 1st February 1916

Nursery Rhymes for 1916 Children

Z1306/16/35/8

Sunday 30th January 1916:

By an anonymous contributor from Moreton House School, Dunstable.

I. 

Ride a cock horse

To Victoria Cross,

Be a brave soldier

Whatever it cost.

Gallant in khaki,

A gun in your fist,

You shall have honour,

As soon as you ‘list.

II. 

Tom, Tom, the Englishman,

Took a gun and away he ran,

The music rolled, the drums did beat,

As Tom went marching down the street.

III. 

Belgium the Buffet,

Sat on a tuffet,

Just in her usual way.

There came the great Kaiser,

Who sought to bestride her,

And drive little Belgium away.

Source: The Moretonia, December 1915 [Z930/1/2]

Boys Birched at Dunstable

Crowd in West Street, Dunstable, early 20th century [Z1306/36/12/2]

Wednesday 12th January 1916: Four boys have been birched by order the Dunstable Borough magistrates after being found guilty of theft. Frederick and Percy Herbert, aged 12 and 9, and John Alfred and Harold Beard, aged 12, 13 and 8, were charged with stealing four electric torches, two cases and two batteries from the cycle shop of Mr. S. Priest in West Street sometime between the 2nd and the 5th of January. When he missed the torches Mr. Priest told the police. The boys were spotted with torches by Police Sergeant Tingey who questioned them. The boys admitted the theft; one said that Fred Herbert had given him a penny to take into the shop so he could buy something if Mr. Priest or his wife came in. Alfred Beard was discharged and John Beard was excused a birching as he is in a weak state of health – as he was given a bad character his father was fined five shillings. The other three boys were sentenced to the birch along with another who had been convicted of stealing a bicycle.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer 18th January 1916

A War Alphabet

Kindergarten classroom at Moreton House School, Dunstable, c.1910 [Z1306/36/13/5]

Friday 31st December 1915:

A is for Armies whose brave deeds we sing,B stands for Belgium, we honour her King,
C for our Colonies, flocking to fight,
D for the Dardanelles. Did we do right?E is for England who’s “seeing it through,”F for fair France who is trusty and true;G is for Germans, whose cause is so rotten,
H stands for Honour, a word they’ve forgotten.
I stands for Italy, come to our aid,
J Jellico, who will see sea-debts paid.K for Lord Kitchener, on whom we rely,
L is for Loos, where the Germans did fly.
M is for Mons, where some thousands fell, N for our Navy- where? No one can tell.
O stands for Officers, brave men indeed;
P is for Privates who follow their lead.
Q stands for Quarrel, which we never sought,
R is for Russia, how bravely she’s fought!S is for Serbia, not lacking in bravery,
T for the Turks who’ll soon be in slavery.
U is for Unity, shown by Allies,
V is for Victory, surely their prize;
W for Winter, a dreadful time then,
X is for Xmas which brought “Peace to men.”Y is for Year, may the New Year bring peace,
Z is for Zeppelin, whose visits must cease.

(from a V and VI Form Competition, Moreton House School, Dunstable)

Source: The Moretonia, December 1915 [Z930/1/2