Digest of stories from The Luton News: Thursday, October 11th, 1917.

A profit of £1,000 on waste paper was the splendid report of the Luton Waste Paper Scheme held in the Council Chamber on Tuesday evening. Councillor Henry Impey presided over a good attendance, and the outset referred to the inception of the scheme when they were all amateurs at the work. All saw the necessity of something being done to assist the war charities in the town, and the scheme at once commended itself.

It had been a large matter to organise the work, and the credit of the success was primarily due to the Hon Secretary (Mr W. H. Cox). He had put into it that same enthusiasm and enterprise which he had put into his own business, and he had a loyal band of workers in the committee.

The machine had worked well during the year. Already £400 had been given to the war charities, and the same amount was now to be allocated. It was in great part due to the noble way in which the public had responded.

Mr Cox presented a comprehensive report of the work done during the year, and said they had been able to turn into money a by-product of commercial and home life, producing a profit satisfactory to the town and to the committee who had laboured with untiring energy. Since the commencement they had collected and sold 255 tons of waste paper and cardboard, which made a rough average of five tons weekly.

All paper was immediately re-pulped and therefore destroyed. The schemes was practically under direct Government order to supply paper for munitions, having been granted a licence by the Paper Commission. There was also the consolation that they were alleviating pain and suffering through the contributions to the Red Cross and Prisoner of War Funds. This was the only reward they asked for.

• A Luton soldier has met a sad death while training in this country. The unfortunate man is Driver Joseph Wheeler (East Anglian Royal Engineers), son of Mrs Fensome, of 6 Langley Street, Luton, who was knocked down by a plunging horse while on parade in a Nottinghamshire camp on Thursday. He was taken to the 3rd Northern General Hospital, where he passed away the next day. At an inquest at Sheffield, a verdict of accidental death was returned.

• Luton has recently witnessed some very heavy rainstorms, but that on Sunday was one of the heaviest for some time. Following a few claps of thunder, the rain came down in torrents, and in addition to causing householders much inconvenience by finding faulty places in roofs and drains, it formed the usual lakes in the low-lying parts of town. The manholes failed to take such a huge quantity of water, and Lea Road and other thoroughfares were submerged. The wind was also very violent and did a certain amount of damage. Five trees were blown down at the Park Road corner of the Luton Hoo estate. Mr James Baker, Lady Wernher's agent, was informed and the trees were removed to a safe place at the side of the road.

• Particulars have been received from Pte George William Bone, R.A.M.C., husband of Mrs Bone, of Dumfries Street, Luton, of how he won the Military Medal. Official notification of the award read: "Courageous Conduct: No. 90015, Pte G. Bone, Royal Army Medical Corps, to whom the Military Medal has been awarded by the Corps Commander, under authority granted by His Majesty the King. On September 20th, 1917, during very heavy shelling of a village behind our lines, Pte Bone, with two others, volunteered to carry a wounded sergeant of the R.G.A. across about 400 yards of open country to the Advanced Dressing Station. Utterly regardless of their own safety, they showed great pluck and set a splendid example to their comrades." [Sadly, Pte Bone was killed in action in France on April 9th, 1918, and buried at Ration Farm Military Cemetery, La Chapelle-D'Armentieres. He is commemorated on the Luton Roll of Honour.]

• Mrs Bass, of 89 Albert Road, Luton, has received letters containing news of the death on September 27th from wounds received the previous day, of her husband, Gunner William Bass (Royal Garrison Artillery). Mrs Bass is left with seven children.

• News has been received by Mrs Saddington, of 58 Chapel Street, Luton, of the death on September 28th of her husband, Sgt Herbert George Saddington. He had been admitted to hospital with a gunshot wound in the neck two days previously.

• Mr and Mrs W. Hubbocks, of the Hare and Hounds Inn, New Town Street, Luton, have been officially notified that their son Pte Horace Hubbocks was killed in action in on September 20th.

• About three weeks ago, Mrs Hills, of Chapel Road, Breachwood Green, received a War Office notification that he huband, Pte Gerald Edward Hills, of the Beds Regiment, had been reported missing on July 20th. She has since been informed officially that he was killed on that day, but she has had no information as to how he died.

• News had been received by Mrs A. Toyer, of Stopsley, that her brother, Pte Joe Whittamore (Royal West Surrey Regiment), has been wounded in the recent advances on the Western Front and is now in the 47th General Hospital in France with a broken right thigh. Married with two children, he had lived at Trumpington, Cambridge, for some years and was working as a compositor at the Cambridge University Press. He served his apprenticeship at the Beds Advertiser office in Luton.

• At a meeting of the Luton Chamber of Commerce on Friday evening, the Secretary (Mr Thomas Keens) reported upon Mr George Warren's proposal at a meeting of the hat sections for uniform hours throughout the trade. Mr Keens also reported that at the meeting of the hat sections no resolution was moved, but briefly the suggestion was that it is desirous to adopt more or less uniform hours throughout the trade. They would begin earlier, have a fixed hour for dinner, miss the tea hour and close earlier in the evening. The proposal was received generally with favour, but it was decided to refer it to the separate committees for detailed enquiry. When that was available a further conference would be called.

• Active steps have been taken on the initiative of the Luton Disablements Sub-Committee to initiate a scheme for the training of disabled soldiers and sailors. At a meeting of the Luton Chamber of Commerce on Friday evening, it was arranged that a committee should be appointed to bring up a report with a view to starting a technical school for the [hat] trade for the purpose, among other things, of training disabled men.

• Congratulations and honour have been showered upon Darley Hall man Pte A. J. Fleckney for his gallant services as a runner in the recent fighting operations in France. He received a parchment certificate signed by Major-Gen R. P Lee for his gallant conduct and devotion to duty on August 10th, 1917, during operations against Westhoek Ridge, and Capt H. Dover also congratulated him on his fine work on the 10th. "You were a stout fellow, for it was no joke running backwards and forwards through that Glencorse Wood, but you never once failed to turn up cheerfully with your message, and , what is more, to return to your platoon." Before joining the Bedfordshire Regiment on June 2nd, 1916, Pte Fleckney was employed by Vauxhall Motors. He has not been promoted to the rank of lance-corporal.

• A Lutonian, Pte C. Setchell, is not in Kitchener's Military Hospital, Brighton, having been gassed in France on September 5th. He has been serving across the Channel with the Eastern Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance for ten months, and his friends in Luton will wish him a speedy recovery.

• L-Cpl Harry Foskett, of 11 Grafton Terrace, Cobden Street, Luton writes home that he has been recommended for tthe Military Medal. He had served through the Suvla Bay campaign with the Bedfordshire Regiment but was invalided home. After a few months in England he was drafted to a machine gun section n the Royal Fusiliers.

• Pte T. G. Sole, of 106 Clarendon Road, Luton, had a hearty reception from the members of his family when he emerged from the Midland Station on Tuesday. He had just arrived home on leave. He is one of a large number of High Town men who have recently been home on leave after strenuous days in the trenches.

• A quiet wedding was solemnised yesterday by special licence between Miss Alice May, daughter of Mr John Clare, of Regent Street, Luton, and Walter, son of the late Mr George Rackley, of Aley Green. The bridegroom, who has been serving in France, came home on leave for the wedding and has now returned.

• On Monday afternoon, Hedley Wright, a youth living at 4 Smart Street, was working on a drilling machine at Messrs G. Kent Ltd when he was caught in the belt and was badly cut about the forehead and rendered unconscious. He left arm was also broken, and he is an in-patient at the Bute Hospital. Yesterday at the same works, Harold Wood, aged 15, of 71 Wimbourne Road, Luton, was working a machine when his right hand was caught in a heavy electric press. He was taken to the Bute Hospital, where it was found that his finger were so badly crushed that two had to be amputated.

• There were some peculiar points attaching to an inquest held at the Luton Court House yesterday, touching the death of Alfred William Shepherd, a schoolboy who died suddenly on Sunday. Coroner Mr G. J. M. Whyley remarked that the deceased, a lad of 13, had been kept away from school, apparently suffering from a cold. On Sunday morning he complained of feeling cold, and his sister, noticing a change in his appearance, said she would go for the doctor. The lad replied that if she did he would not be there when she came back. A post mortem examination showed that death was due to heart disease, and a verdict was returned in accordance with the medical evidence.

• The report of the Medical Superintendent of the Children's Sick and Convalescent Home [London Road] stated that for the year ended June 30th there had been 86 admissions. Sixty were discharged cured, four relieved, two unrelieved, leaving in the home 20. That number was rather lower than usual, but was regarded as a desirable maximum.

• How many veterans of the straw trade cane remember when corporal chastisement was inflicted on employees? We are led to ask this by the following passage in a book published half a century age, and picked up second hand. "A straw plait manufacturer at a village in Bedfordshire, who had been in the habit of whipping his young females in his employment, was upon one occasion, much to his astonishment, sentenced to six months imprisonment for indecently birching a girl who was in his service." I another part of the same book we came across the following: "The girls employed by milliners, mantle makers, stay makers and straw bonnet makers were all liable to the rod."

• During the last year the men of Biscot have proved their skill in many spheres of sport and pastime. Not only have we heard their talented vocalists and instrumentalists, witnessed their prowess in athletics and equitation on the playing fields, but in swimming also they have taken much interest. To further this laudable enterprise an aquatic exhibition was admirably carried through at the Luton Public Baths on Monday evening. There was a good attendance.