A Sugar Rush at Bedford

Sugar queue at Bedford [Bedfordshire Standard 14/7/1917] 

Thursday 6th September 1917: Yesterday morning a rumour spread that a grocer in Bedford’s High Street had a quantity of sugar for sale. The shop was soon besieged by would-be purchasers and a lengthy queue formed. By 11 a.m. the shopkeeper was obliged to close the door, but the crowd around the shop continued to grow. Some left during the dinner hour, but by 2 p.m. the number of sugar hunters was larger than ever. Those who had managed to secure a prime spot in the doorway were “most inconveniently crowded” and P.C. Smith had difficulty keeping the crowd in check. The pressure from behind eventually caused a large side window to be smashed. The crowd remained until 3.30 p.m. when an announcement was made that no more sugar was available, after which the waiting shoppers dispersed quickly and quietly.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 7th and 14th September 1917

Leighton Buzzard Property Market

Heath Road, c.1915 [Z1306/72/7/2]

Tuesday 4th September 1917: Despite war time conditions the local property market in Leighton Buzzard continues to improve, with Messrs. Cumberland and Hopkins carrying out successful auctions of properties in Leighton Buzzard and Heath and Reach. A pair of modern, seven-roomed villas in Heath Road, known as Fair View and West View, both currently let at annual rents of £39 p.a., were sold for £335 each. The houses are bay fronted, with ornamental flower gardens in front and large gardens at the rear.

A freehold, double-fronted house at 59 North Street, with yard, stabling, coachhouse and outbuildings was put up for sale by the Aylesbury Brewery Company and was bought by Messrs. W. J. and G. Baker for £290. This property was formerly the Buffalo Public House and was used as an inn or beerhouse for at least two hundred years before it closed in 1913 and became a private house,  In Heath and Reach a double fronted six-roomed freehold cottage on Shenley Hill Road, currently leased at £10.8s p.a. was sold for £205.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 4th September 1917

A Policeman's Poem

Scroll honouring men of Luton police force who served in the Great War [Po/PH2/7/4]

Saturday 1st September 1917: Bombadier Alfred H. Goss, a former member of the Luton Police Force now serving with the Heavy Trench Mortars, is at the Bath War Hospital suffering from trench fever. He writes that he is “getting on favourably” and has sent some verses of his own composition to the Luton News for publication. These include the following: 

Having been a soldier
For fifty years or more
I’ll tell to you a story
Of the Kaiser and the war.
He has a great big army,
There’s not the slightest doubt,
With all his guns and all his men
He can’t knock Tommy out. 

The “contemptible little Army”
That fought him on the Aisne
Returns again to action
To knock him back again.
They knocked him back upon the Somme,
They knocked him back at Vimy,
They carried the heights of Westhoek Ridge,
And of airmen he’s not many. 

There’s our “contemptible little Army”
Out in old Flanders now,
And how to stand and hold his ground
Prince Rupert doesn’t know how.
He uses his best tactics,
And shock troops he inspires;
He can’t stop our artillery
Or the lads behind the wires.

Source: Luton News 30th August 1917

Sugar Rationing to be Introduced

Ministry of Food Poster: Breaches of the Rationing Order, 1918 [Source: Wikimedia]

Wednesday 29th August 1917: Arrangements are being put in place for sugar rationing, which is to come into effect in October. Application forms for sugar registration cards are to be distributed to all households before September 30th. These will require information to be supplied for each member of the household. Local Food Offices will then issue sugar registration cards on which the householder will fill in the name and address of the registered retailer from whom he wishes to buy supplies of sugar. The card must then be handed to the retailer, who will keep the upper part of the card, and will sign and return the lower part to the householder.

The redistribution of sugar supplies will not be completed until the end of the year, so during the interim period some retailers may not have sufficient supplies for all their registered customers. Efforts will be made to make local adjustments in order to meet any cases of hardship. Catering establishments such as inns, hotels, restaurants, canteens and coffee stalls will have to make a return every four weeks to the Local Food Office showing the amount of sugar received and used, and the number of meals served.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 28th August 1917

Workers Fined for Damaging Crops

High Street, Leagrave c.1912 [Z1306/75/12/5]

Monday 27th August 1917: Six employees of the Leagrave Works have appeared at the Luton Divisional Court where they have admitted damaging the clover belonging to farmer Alfred Fensome. A few weeks ago Mr. Fensome complained to the magistrates that people from the works were crossing his field and causing damage to his crops. He was promised police help. Last Thursday, P.C. Howe was with Mr. Fensome in Beechwood Road when he saw the defendants walking across the oats field. The oats had been cut and young clover was growing. He stopped the defendants, took their names and addresses and told them they were doing damage. They said they did not know the field was sown with clover, that they had just left the works and were going to dinner by a short cut. They all stated that they did not know they were trespassing as the fields were open, and alleged that the police had allowed other people to go over. One of the defendants, Harcourt Bromley, said he came from Australia where they could walk anywhere, and he thought it was the same here – the Clerk of the Court pointed out that there was rather more acreage in Australia. The Bench accepted that there was no malicious intent, but the Chairman said it was a serious matter and that crops must be protected in these times. The defendants were “let off” with a fine of seven shillings and sixpence each.

Source: Luton News, 30th August 1917

Royal Engineers at Leighton Buzzard

First World War novelty postcard, 1915 [Z1306/75/16/54]

Friday 24th August 1917: Leighton Buzzard has today been “invaded” by around 240 officers and men of the Royal Engineers. Six squads of soldiers who had been taking part in a 36 hours exercise assembled at their designated collection point at Church Square and in the High Street. After replenishing their supplies of petrol they moved off to return to their depot near Dunstable.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 28th August 1917

Watered Down Milk

William Hyde with Biddenham Dairies handcart c.1930 [Z50/141/551]

Tuesday 21st August 1917: Edward A. Greenaway of Iddesleigh Road, Bedford, has been fined ten shillings for selling watered down milk. Mr. Edward Fell told the court he had met Mr. Greenaway with a bicycle and can and asked for a pint sample of new milk. Mr. Greenaway said the milk was not his own, but that he had bought it. The next morning Mr. Greenaway called at Mr. Fell’s office and told him he had been very busy that morning, that his wife had helped him to wash out the churn but had left some water in it. When the sample of milk was tested, it was found to contain 11.8% of added water. Mr. Greenaway’s defence was that he had run out of his own milk so went across the road to borrow some from a neighbour. While he was away his wife washed out the churn. She was anxious about her son who had been reported wounded and went out in a hurry to look for the postman, leaving a small amount of water in the bottom. In the meantime he returned and filled the church with milk, not realising that there was water in it. He had been at Bedford for 27 years and in the milk trade for 16, without any previous complaint against him.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 24th August 1917