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 Medical Services Overwhelmed by Influenza

Bute Hospital, Luton 1914 [Z1130/75/5/2]

Friday 8th November 1918: Luton has also been hit by the influenza epidemic, leaving local doctors utterly overwhelmed by the large number of cases. All those doctors who have not themselves been taken ill are working from early morning until late at night to cope with crowded surgeries and are able to do no more than issue medicine and general advice. The Luton Medical Officer, Dr. Cox is concerned that this epidemic seems more virulent than the previous one, with more complications brought about by the illness. This has led to an increase in the number of deaths from about twenty a week ago to a total of fifty, all of them adults. Although the effects appear to be less serious in children the schools have all been closed and are likely to remain so for the time being. Restrictions on churches and places of amusement have also been introduced in an attempt to reduce opportunities for infection. About 600 workers have been absent from George Kent’s and about 200 from the Diamond Works due to the illness, but it is hoped that the spread of the disease in industrial establishments has been halted and matters are improving. Dr, Cox has also expressed a belief that the epidemic has now reached its peak and that the number of new cases is falling.

Source: Luton News, Source: Luton News, 24th October and 7th November 1918

Father and Son Flu Deaths

New Road, Linslade c.1900 [Z1432/3/13/1/4]

Saturday 2nd November 1918: A Linslade father and son died from influenza within hours of each other on Friday. William Robinson, aged 42, was taken ill about three weeks ago, but returned to his work as a carter before he had fully recovered and suffered a relapse. Meanwhile his son, William Leslie Robinson, had also contracted the disease; he died just a few hours before his father. The family’s youngest child is also gravely ill, and his mother has had to take to her bed due to the stress of constant nursing. A fund to relieve the immediate needs of the family has been opened.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 5th November 1918

Influenza Causes Bedford Schools to Close

Ampthill Road School, Bedford 1922 [Z1306/9/2/14/1]

Tuesday 31st October 1918: The outbreak of influenza in Bedford has resulted in very poor attendance at local schools. By the middle of October as many as 50 percent of pupils at the Queen’s Park and Goldington Road schools were absent and all elementary schools in the town were closed. They subsequently reopened but the situation is now so bad that they are to close again from today and remain shut until November 11th. There is also considerable sickness among the teachers, with at least seventeen now absent. Some are reported to be very ill, and Mrs. Davis, a teacher at the Priory Schools, has died. The Borough Education Committee has also asked that all Sunday schools should be closed and that picture palaces should refuse admission to children under the age of fourteen while the epidemic continues. Picture palaces and theatres have also been put out of bounds for the troops. Dr. Willmer Phillips, the School Medical Officer recommends that people get plenty of fresh air and avoid going into stuffy places. Anyone feeling at all feverish and then chilly should go straight to bed. Due to the epidemic the out-patients department of the Bedford County Hospital has been closed until further notice.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 18th October and 1st November 1918

Injured Girl Awarded Compensation

Ward at Bute Hospital, Luton 1913 [Z1306/75/5/3]

Thursday 26th September 1918: A claim for compensation has been brought at the Luton County Court by Susan R. Webb of 116 Hartington Street, Bedford. Miss Webb was feeding an automatic machine at George Kent’s Biscot Road works in Luton on 6th July 1917 when her cap was caught by the cogs and her hair and head were drawn into the machine, causing a severe scalp injury. She was in the Bute Hospital for six weeks and part of the skin of her leg had to be grafted onto her head, which was left largely without skin. As a result she was a nervous wreck and currently practically incapable of doing any work.

The firm had paid Miss Webb twenty five shillings a week until 12th April, and the claim was for lost wages since that date. They had offered her light work at 33s 9d per week, with half the difference between that rate and the amount she had earned before the accident. Unfortunately the girl had to go into a room next to the one in which the accident took place, and her nerves were so badly effected that it was impossible for her to work there. She was offered work in the canteen, but that was over-run by large numbers of girls and Miss Webb did not take that position. She applied for non-factory work looking after a child, but the mother would not trust a women in her condition; she was also refused work at another factory. On the doctor’s advice she got work at a nursery as a fruit picker, but was never able to earn more than 8s 9d, and the work made her giddy. During her evidence Miss Webb several times burst into tears.

In evidence for the company, Dr. Lloyd of Luton said he had found no organic disease and was of the opinion that the girl unintentionally exaggerated her feelings. He agreed that excessive noise would increase her nervousness, but suggested she would get used to it in time, and argued that even though she said she had been unable to do it work on the land would be the best thing for her. The Judge was not impressed by this witness. In his judgement he agreed with another doctor that the girl was not capable of doing any substantial work, and awarded her £1 3s 5d a week compensation with costs. However, the case made him regret there was no way to compel such unfortunate persons to do work which would prevent them brooding over their misfortune.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 27th September 1918

Overcrowding at Leagrave

Leagrave High Street,1914 [Z1306/75/12/3]

Monday 18th March 1918: At today’s meeting of the Luton Rural District Council the Medical Officer reported that during the past month there had been 13 deaths and 17 births in the district. There had been three cases of diphtheria at Kensworth and one case of enteric fever at Limbury. The measles epidemic in Limbury and Caddington was subsiding, but tuberculosis was still increasing, with two more cases. The increase in the number of workers in the Luton area combined with inadequate housing accommodation has led to serious overcrowding and it was feared that the current situation was likely to increase disease; one medical man suggested that half the girl workers would be “crocks” by the time the war ends.

The District Surveyor reported on a case of overcrowding at Leagrave, where three men, nine, women and two children were living in a house with only three bedrooms and a boxroom, which had previously housed a family of four. Nearly all were employed in local works, with some working at night and sleeping in the daytime, allowing double occupation of their beds. After some hesitation due to the lack of alternative accommodation it was eventually decided that the Council would serve a notice on the landlord to end the overcrowding.

Source: Luton News, 21st March 1918

Blood Donation by Bedford Soldier

Carluke War Memorial (© Kevin Rae, Wikimedia)

Friday 23rd November 1917: In a heroic act of self-sacrifice a soldier from Bedford has allowed a large quantity of his blood to be transferred to a dying soldier in France. Sapper H. E. Greenaway of the Royal Engineers, the son of Mr. E. Greenaway, a dairyman of Iddesleigh Road, was a member of the Salvation Army Band at Bedford before the war. He joined the Royal Engineers Signal Service on 30th September 1914 and has been in France since September 1915, attached to a number of different companies. He was wounded in July this year. While in hospital at Rouen a volunteer was needed to give a blood transfusion to Gunner Andrew Selkirk of the Royal Field Artillery, who had been wounded at about the same time. Sapper Greenaway came forward and a large amount of his blood was taken. Sadly, the transfusion was not able to save the life of Gunner Selkirk, from Carluke in Scotland. He had been brought into the hospital with an extremely severe wound to his back and left leg from a shell explosion, which was followed by blood poisoning. The soldier’s widow said in an interview that she did not know how to thank Greenaway for the sacrifice he made to try to save her husband, “a noble act” which showed the quality of many of the men fighting for their country.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 23rd November 1918

Luton Soldier Dies After Medical Board Passes Him Fit

Soldiers at Bunyan Canteen, Bedford, 1914-18 [Z1306/12/11/5]

Monday 26th February 1917: The funeral took place today of 22 year old Private Ernest Wright, of Buxton Road, Luton. Private Wright had presented himself for medical examination at Luton under the Derby Scheme and was rejected due to years of asthma having affected his heart. In September last year he was again examined, this time at Bedford, and to the surprise of his family and friends he was catalogued B1, fit for garrison duty abroad. At that time he was employed on very light work by Mr Cox, a hat manufacturer. He appealed to the Local Tribunal on the grounds of domestic hardship and physical disability; at this time he had been in bed for three weeks with bronchial asthma, but a doctor’s medical certificate was ignored his claim was dismissed. He joined the canteen department in October, hoping to avoid strenuous work, and was sent to France where his main duties were washing up and attending fires. He frequently wrote letters home telling how ill he felt.

Last Thursday week Private Wright wrote that he had been vaccinated, and had been so ill he had been sent to hospital as he “could not keep up any longer. I have got it stiff this time, but hope to be out at duty shortly.”  On the following Saturday morning his mother received a hospital card informing her that her son had been admitted to hospital at Bury St Edmunds. On the Monday she received a letter from the nurses telling her he was rather ill and that she could visit him. That evening a house surgeon at the hospital telephoned saying it was clear her son had been a lifelong sufferer and that “it was a downright shame that he had ever been passed for service. He will be in this institution for some time, and then get immediate discharge from the Army.”  He felt that there was no immediate danger and that Private Wright was improving, but he suffered a relapse and died at eleven o’clock the same night.

The loss of her son is the third tragedy to afflict Mrs Wright within the space of two years, following the deaths of both her husband and her eldest daughter. She also has a 31 year old daughter who has been a helpless invalid since infancy. She has expressed the hope that the Tribunal will do their best to protect other sons from blunders by military medical men. A number of recent cases have been reported in which it is clear that some scandalous decisions have been made by Medical Boards, although it is believed that Bedford has seen improvements.

Source: Luton News, 1st March 1917

Private Arthur Bozier of Luton

Thursday 17th August 1916: Private Arthur Bozier of 59 May Street, Luton, has had “a rather rough time of it” since joining the army. He was severely wounded by shrapnel in the left foot at the Battle of Loos, and spent many months in Reading and Wokingham hospitals. He has now been left with partial paralysis caused by trench foot and is now on light duty at Bedford. He has six young children and a sick wife, who is being treated in a sanatorium at Chesterfield[1]. Before he enlisted he was employed by Mr. Martin, bleacher and dyer, as a gardener.

Source: Luton News, 17th August 1916

---

[1] His wife Lucy evidently recovered, as they went on to have a further four children between 1917 and 1923. His daughter Irene, born in 1917, was given the unusual middle name “Verdun”.

Luton Tribunal Complains About Medical Examinations

Thursday 31st August 1916: The Luton Tribunal hearing appeals against military service has expressed its dissatisfaction with the way in which men are being medically examined at Bedford. The Town Clerk had written expressing concern that two unfit men had been passed for military service and had received a most unsatisfactory reply. A number of other cases had also been noticed, including one man who was not capable even of ordinary volunteering, and another passed fit who was on the verge of consumption. The Mayor remarked that the medical authorities would face serious trouble later if they passed men suffering from consumption. It also seemed that heart disease was not considered sufficient to keep men out of the Army. The Luton Tribunal was not prepared to send men into the Army when it knew they were not getting the examination required by law. A letter has been sent to the War Office and a reply is awaited.

Source: Luton News, 31st August 1916

Soldier Dies of Diphtheria

Eversholt Church c.1910 [Z1130/44/4]

Friday 23rd June 1916: With so many soldiers paying the ultimate price at the Front it is easy to forget that this is not the only danger they face. Infectious diseases can also take their toll, particularly with men living in the close conditions of an army camp. The suddenness of such deaths can be particularly cruel. Edward Oakley of Eversholt was home from Ampthill training camp earlier in the week and was not feeling well, but it came as a great shock when he died yesterday from diphtheria. His funeral is to be held on Tuesday and will be attended with full military honours. A keen local cricketer, Mr Oakley will be sadly missed by his former team mates. He leaves a widow and two small daughters. [1]

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 30th June 1916

---

[1] Ironically a second man named Edward Oakley also from Eversholt died just over a week later on July 1st, killed in action in France with the 7th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. 

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

Toddington Mother Accused of Starving Baby

High Street, Toddington c. 1900 [Z1300/126/47b]

Friday 12th May 1916:  Adelaide Sutton, aged 32, of Toddington, has been sent for trial at the Bedford Assizes on a charge of unlawfully killing her three month old son Frank on 28th April.

Emma Bennett, a widow, told the preliminary hearing that her late husband was Mrs. Sutton’s brother. She had visited Mrs. Suttton on 11th January and found her in an upstairs room standing with the baby in her arms. Neither the mother nor the child had been attended to and Mrs. Sutton had asked Mrs. Bennett to perform “a certain duty” but she refused, saying it need a doctor or nurse. She had previously noticed her sister-in-law’s condition and had asked if she expected to have another child. She replied that she did. Mrs. Bennett had said “But it won’t be your husband’s child, will it?”  Mrs Sutton had replied, “No, it won’t be Bill’s, for he has been away about 14 months”.  Mrs Sutton had six other children aged between 14 and 3.

Elsie Maud Holmes, the District Nurse had attended Mrs. Sutton on January 11th and found that the baby was well nourished and of average size. She visited for ten days and the child thrived. On April 21st she was asked to visit by Dr. Walsh and see that the child was being fed. She saw the mother feed it with a mixture of milk and water. Dr. J. Waugh of Toddington had helped Dr. Walsh to make a post-mortem examination on April 29th. The baby’s body was emaciated, there was a complete absence of fat all over the body, and the stomach was empty. Otherwise the baby appeared perfectly healthy. He considered the cause was more likely to be lack of food rather than inability to assimiliate it. At its death the baby weighed only 5lb 12oz, about half the expected weight. Dr. Walsh had also visited on January 11th and found that the child had been born but neither mother nor child had received any attention. The child was quite healthy. When he called on April 19th the baby was smaller than when it was born, and told the mother it was dying from lack of food. He asked the District Nurse to see that it was fed according to his instructions, but on 28th April the child had died.

Mrs. Sutton said that she had asked the doctor what she should give the baby, and told him she had been giving it the breast, sop and milk. He had said the sop was not the proper food to feed it on and she had then given it milk and water as he instructed. The doctor said that by that time the baby was too far gone. A neighbour told how she had looked after Mrs. Sutton’s children while she was in Luton, and that the baby had taken milk that the mother had provided. Mrs. Sutton had sent a telegram to say she could not get back that night so she had kept the baby overnight. It slept well and was very good. She had noticed more recently that the baby seemed to be wasting away. A former inspector for the NSPCC described how the family had been practically destitute when Mr. Sutton joined the Army in September 1914, and had received help from various societies. He had on occasions had to warn her about leaving the children, and had received a complaint in February. He had visited and child was thriving, as it was when he saw it again on March 7th. On April 19th the child seemed to be ill, and the mother thought it had a bad cold. He agreed and suggested she call a doctor. He had seen the mother feeding the child.

Following an inquest held on May 1st a warrant was issued for Mrs. Sutton’s arrest. She pleaded not guilty and said “I fed baby up to the day the doctor came; I fed him on sop and milk and also the breast. I gave him every attention I possibly could, as I did my other children. I brought the other six up on sop. This baby seemed very hungry. It did not matter what I gave him, he was no more satisfied at the end of the feed than he was when he started. I had kept a fire all night on purpose to prepare food for him. As to warmth, that seemed no comfort to him whatever. I gave the baby as much at one feed as would satisfy a child nine or twelve months old. There was no rest with him night or day. His crying night and day was wearing me out”.[1]

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 16th May 1916

[1] The case was dismissed at the Bedford Assizes in June.

Bedford Soldier Killed by a Train

Bedford County Hospital 1910 [Z1130/10/36/2]

Thursday 6th April 1916: An inquest has been held at the Bedford County Hospital into the death of Trooper Percy James Griffiths of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry, a married man aged 21. Major Pares told the inquest that Trooper Griffiths had joined the Yeomanry last September but only a few days later was kicked by a horse and was reported sick. From then onwards he never actually came on duty, and was sick more or less until he was discharged from hospital on 29th March. The effects of the injury had only lasted a short time, but he suffered from other health problems. On March 29 he appeared all right and looked fairly well. He was reported fit for duty but did not come on duty the next morning as he ought to have done. The Major did not think Trooper Griffiths cared for military work, and he suffered from hysteria.

On the morning of Friday 31st March Corporal A. F. Carnell was sent to find Trooper Griffiths and found him in bed at his home at 42 Greenhill Street. Griffiths said he was too ill to attend and asked for a doctor to be sent. He was told he was reported fit for duty and advised to get up. The Sergeant Major had asked Griffiths why he did not attend at the miniature range the day before as instructed; he claimed that he had been and found no one there, but this was contradicted by the Sergeant Major. On the Friday Griffiths again failed to turn up for parade and Corporal Carnell was sent to fetch him. He saw the man’s mother-in-law, who said Griffiths had told her he had to report himself to the doctor. He had appeared quite rational.

Another witness, Frank Gosling, told the inquest that he had been cycling from Wootton Pillinge to Bedford on Monday evening at about 9 p.m. As he passed under Cow Bridge he heard someone call for help from the railway bank. He got off his bicycle and called for some soldiers, who went to a nearby cottage to see if it had a telephone. Mr. Gosling found Trooper Griffiths at the bottom of the bank, with both his legs cut off by a train. The soldiers had managed to telephone the hospital, and he contacted both the signal box and the station master. Griffiths was taken to the hospital, where he died at about one o’clock the next morning.

Griffiths’ mother-in-law, Ellen Chambers of Biggleswade, said she was nursing Griffiths’ wife. She had last seen him on Friday morning; he had complained of his head and looked “wild in his eyes”. He had also complained about his head on Thursday night. He worried about his wife and children, but was a very steady man who never took too much drink. Griffiths’ mother said that she had three other sons in the Army who were all doing well. Percy was trying to do his bit, but could not manage it. When he was two years old he had a severe illness, and it was then considered that he had brain trouble. He worked as a warehouseman and his manager had told her that her son suffered from loss of memory.

The jury returned a verdict that Trooper Griffiths had committed suicide, but that there was insufficient evidence to show his state of mind at the time.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 7th April 1916

Ampthill Training Camp

Training camp at Ampthill Park [Z1306/1/34/3]

Tuesday 4th April 1916: There has been a case of measles at the Ampthill Training Camp, as a result of which passes for weekend leave were not given. On Thursday the soldiers at the camp enjoyed an excellent concert given by a party from Bedford. Performers included: Tom Swan, a clever comedian who was wounded in France; Signor Bellizzi, a veteran of 21 years in the British Navy and a talented singer; elocutionist Private Densley; and Mrs Hawkins Pearey as accompanist. There has been work as well as play, with the trainees taking part on several route marches, including one on Saturday through the villages of Maulden, Flitton and Flitwick. On the same day the draft ready for the Front was inspected by the Duke of Bedford in his role as Colonel.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 4th April 1916

Bute Hospital Annual Report

Architectural drawing of Bute Hospital frontage, c.1902 [Z1306/75/5/1]

Monday 6th March 1916: Since the war began the number of doctors in Luton has fallen from twenty four to twelve, with the military authorities are still trying to recruit more medical men. The remaining doctors in the town are not only having to cope with their own vastly increased workload, but are also making time to carry out more work at the Bute Hospital. The annual report presented to the Hospital Governors last night shows the following figures for 1915:

• Total number of patients – 573
• Children under 13 – 194
• Military cases – 101
• Cases the result of accidents – 112
• Serious operations performed – 283
• Patients treated wholly without payment (others were partially excused) – 69

The number of patients treated fell from 760 in 1914 due to a reduction in military cases from 256 in that year to 101. These were all serious cases of illness or injury which could not be treated at the V.A.D. Hospital. The soldiers currently in the hospital included one with a fractured spine, one with a broken leg, one with a serious spinal disease, and one with very serious heart disease.

During 1915 the average cost per week per bed increased by 1s 9d to 20s 5d, and would have been higher without the help of Pound Day, the Ladies’ Work Guild and presents of game from Lady Wernher. Last year £300 had been ear-marked for purchasing X-ray apparatus, but this had not been possible due to the demand by military hospitals.

The remaining doctors were aware that their lack of numbers meant they were not doing the work of the hospital as well as they would like, but they were doing their best under difficult circumstances. Their difficulties had been increased by the death of the hospital’s consultant surgeon, Mr Stanley Boyd. He had come to the hospital frequently and at all hours, often arriving by the midnight train to perform an urgent operation before returning to London in the early morning. He was one of the greatest surgeons in London and it did not seem possible that the hospital would be able to replace him with another of similar standing.

Source: Luton News, 9th March 1916

Advice to the Medically Rejected

Thursday 2nd March 1916: Now that conscription is being introduced the War Office has found it necessary to clarify the situation in respect of those men who have volunteered for military service but have been rejected on medical grounds. The following announcement, which is to be displayed on posters across the country, has been issued:

“Where a man considers he is exempt from military service on the ground that he has offered himself for enlistment and has been medically rejected for military service since 14th August 1915, he must produce a rejection certificate duly completed and signed, which is recognised as good by the military authorities. If a man cannot produce such a certificate, he must (unless he has duly applied to a local tribunal for an exemption certificate) report himself as directed on the notice paper, Army Form W.3,236.”

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 3rd March 1916

Sudden Death of a Welsh Soldier's Baby

Silver Street Police Station, Bedford [Z50/13/3]

Wednesday 1st March 1916: A young Welsh mother sobbed bitterly while giving evidence this morning at the inquest into the death of her 17 month old son, Thomas William Davies. The child was taken ill during the night on Monday at 17 Palmerston Street where his father, W.C. Davies of the Brecknocks, is billeted. A doctor was not summoned until Tuesday afternoon, by which time the infant had been dead for some hours. Dr. A.F. Goldsmith told the inquest at the Bedford Borough Police Station that the child was well nourished and well cared for, and he believed death was caused by teething convulsions. The little one had been playing normally just a few hours before his death.

Mrs. Davies told the inquest that before joining up her husband was a collier and lived at Brecon. The child had never had convulsions before. He had been in bed with her when he was taken with a fit. She called a neighbour who told her he would soon come out of it and not to send for a doctor; the neighbour said her children had had convulsions many times and there was no need to worry. The first fit came at 1 o’clock and was followed by one after another. The baby, a “beautiful strong child”, died between 3 and 4 o’clock. The Coroner and jury agreed the baby was one of the loveliest children they had ever seen and sympathised very deeply with the bereaved parents.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 3rd March 1916

More News of Lieutenant Lansberry

SS Appam [Wikimedia]

Monday 21st February 1916: The parents of Lt. Thomas Lansberry of Bedford have heard more news of their son, who was taken prisoner last month by a German raiding party which captured the ship on which he was being invalided home from West Africa.  In a letter from Dr. S. Deane of the West African Medical Service they were told:

“I knew your son very well indeed, and he was under my charge on the Appam. As you doubles know, all the military and naval officers were transferred to the raider, and I myself was also placed for a time in that ship, but subsequently released. I therefore know the conditions under which those detained on board lived. Needless to say there was discomfort and inconvenience, but the attitude of the Germans was quite kindly. The food was not plentiful but sufficient for health, and exercise is allowed every day. The unpleasant time is of course when the ship is in action, the suspense of not knowing what is happening. He had been in quite good health on the Appam, but I was very sorry to hear he had not been too well on the raider when the lat of those allowed to return to the Appam left. I regret that I cannot tell you any more except that the doctor on the German boat was a nice man, and seemed very competent; also the ship was extremely well fitted with medical requirements of all kinds, and I think you can rely on it that should he require any treatment he will receive every possible attention. There are about six or eight of our men on board, all extremely nice men, so he is among good friends."

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 25th February 1916