Luton Soldier’s Bravery at Dublin

South Staffordshire's Regimental Badge [Wikimedia]

Friday 2nd June 1916: Corporal Jeffrey, a Luton man serving with the 5th South Staffords, took part in the recent fighting in Dublin. Shortly after going into action the Sergeant of his Machine Gun Detachment was wounded. Corporal Jeffrey carried on, performing with great credit to both himself and his Battalion. Under fire from a number of snipers he rescued two wounded members of the 6th South Staffords, at great personal risk. After the action his detachment was personally thanked by General Maxwell, the Commanding Officer in Ireland.

Source: Luton News, 1st June 1916

News from Stevington

The old school, Stevington 2008 (© Bedfordshire Archives)

Tuesday 9th May 1916: Harry Read, the schoolmaster of Stevington, has written a circular letter to his former pupils with news of many of their former schoolmates. A number are now serving in Egypt, where Fred Dawson has managed a ride on a camel and Walter Cox is enjoying himself immensely, living in a very large house which has been taken over for the officers’ mess. Several of the men serving in France had been expected home on leave for some time, but none have arrived. Bert Seamarks has been “getting a good share of trench work”, and Ted Cox is “in the pink”, despite serving as a bomber in trenches only ten yards in places from the Germans. Hermon Hulett has been in trenches which had been taken from the French by the Germans: “they were in a terrible state – badly battered and full of mud and water in the bad weather”. Mr. Read also reports that, “The awful Irish Rebellion is at an end, I’m glad to say, and a number of the leaders shot. Several thousand prisoners have been brought to England. Germany is at the bottom of it, of course.”

Source: P71/28/21/11