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

News from Stanbridge

Stanbridge Church 1905 [Z1130/108/1]

Saturday 20th July 1918:  The wedding has taken place today in Stanbridge Church of Corporal Will Jones to Miss Violet Dockrill, the niece of Mr and Mrs John Dockrill of Stanbridge. Corporal Jones is home on leave recovering after being wounded for a second time in Italy. A number of other men from the villages of Stanbridge and Tilsworth are also recovering from recent wounds. Private Reginald Stairs is staying with his sister at Dunstable while on sick leave. He was badly hurt and lost a leg at the first battle of Gaza, where he was left on the battlefield with two dead men on top of him for some hours before being picked up by an ambulance. He had previously been wounded in Gallipoli. Private Philip Mead, who also recently had a leg amputated, underwent another operation last week and is making favourable progress. Just a few weeks after his father joined up, Private William Gurney has been badly wounded in the foot and is in now hospital at Bournemouth. Also recovering from wounds are Private Frank Price, son of James Price of Manor Farm, Tilsworth, and Corporal Charles Horn, who had returned to the fray after suffering wounds at Vimy Ridge last year.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 23rd July 1918

Stanbridge Baker Prosecuted for Selling Underweight Loaves

Corn Exchange, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard c.1900 [Z1306/72/9/2]

Thursday 12th April 1917: Baker Leonard Charles Jones of Stanbridge has pleaded guilty at the Luton Divisional Police Court to being in possession of an unjust scale at Totternhoe on 21st March and to offering for sale an underweight loaf on the same date. This was the first case brought under the new Bread Order of the Food Controller which provides that no loaf of bread should be offered for sale unless it weighs one pound or an even number of pounds. With the current high price of bread it is considered essential to ensure that the Bread Order is rigidly enforced.

Frederick George Hyde, an employee of Mr. Jones, was seen selling bread at Totternhoe from a cart, using a scale from which a bearing was missing at one end. If the bread was put on one end of the scale it would be two ounces against the customer, and if on the other it would be two ounces against the seller. When the loaves were checked the majority were found to be the proper weight of one or two pounds. However, one loaf was found to be one ounce six drams underweight. While this may appear a small amount it amounts to a fairly thick slice. If the baker had one hundred customers and supplied them with two loaves each, it would be the equivalent of filching from them sixty loaves in a week.

The Inspector of Weights and Measures for the county produced the offending scale, which was clearly in an unsatisfactory condition with the leverage affected by the missing bearing. Mr. Jones said the Inspector had used and inspected the scales many times before and they must have been correct. He knew nothing about the little piece broken off the end, and could not explain it unless it was a result of the continual jarring of the cart on the rough, country roads. The Inspector stated that Mr. Jones had occasionally submitted the scales for checking at the Corn Exchange in Leighton Buzzard, but the last time he had tested them was at least six months earlier. The Chairman of the Bench imposed a fine of 40 shillings for the faulty scales and 20 shillings for the underweight loaf, making it clear that when people were struggling with the high price of food such matters would be taken very seriously indeed. The scales were to be confiscated.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 17th April 1917

Troops at Leighton Buzzard

Hockliffe Street Wesleyan Church, Leighton Buzzard [Z1306/72]

Tuesday 12th January 1915: A batch of new recruits for the 63rd Brigade have arrived at Leighton Buzzard from Lincoln.[1] To free up billets in the town for the new arrivals 362 men who are already well advanced in their training have been moved out to the villages of Stanbridge, Tilsworth and Eggington.

The Wesleyan Schoolroom in Hockliffe Street is being used by the troops for various purposes. On Sunday evenings a regular social hour is held there which is attended by a large number of soldiers. The bandsmen of the West Yorkshire Regiment practise in the Schoolroom and since last Friday it has also become the paymaster’s office. Thanks to a spell of wet weather it is even being used by the Somerset Regiment for drilling and signalling. On Sunday the services at the Wesleyan Church were conducted by the Wesleyan Chaplain to the 21st Division, Rev. G. H. Crossland, who is stationed at Aylesbury.

Across the road in the Hockliffe Street Baptist School Hall concerts were given for the soldiers on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Wednesday’s entertainment had a popular theme while Thursday’s concert by the Church choir was more classical. The highlights were a solo with instrumental effects titled “The Bassoon” performed by Mr H. O. Kitchener, and renditions of “Your King and Country want you”, “You are my baby” and “On the Mississipi” by Miss Dulcie Griffin.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette, 12th January 1915

---

[1] The 63rd Brigade was part of the 21st Division and was made up of the following battalions:
8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment
8th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry
12th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment
4th Battalion Middlesex Regiment
10th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment.
The Brigade arrived in France in September and first saw action at the Battle of Loos at the end of that month.