Wednesday 22nd December 1915: In response to complaints from the
6th Battalion (see 17th December), when it had been ascertained that the 6th
and 7th Battalions had been somewhat overlooked in the general provision made
for the troops of the county, the Mayor and Mayoress made on their behalf a
special appeal, which has met with a good response. On Monday morning we found
a number of soldiers from the Barracks packing ten substantial bales of woollen
goods for the 7th Battalion. We were informed that Sergeant Hassall, who was
returning to duty on Tuesday after a period of leave would take with him those
ten bales and a melodeon which was the gift of Mrs A L Field.
In looking
through the list of gifts we noticed, here and there, a musical instrument.
Socks, mittens and mufflers have been made by the ladies’ working party in the
Corn Exchange, but mittens and helmets have been knitted by school girls and
people in different parts of the town and county. The Recreations Committee has
supplied wool to the Elementary Schools to be made up into those articles, but
the available funds were not sufficient to extend the wool supply beyond these
limits and the government has not been supplying materials for some time. The
higher Girls’ School and the private workers in the town have therefore found
their own wool. Miss Collie has sent a good parcel of mufflers and mittens
which were made in the High School and a similar contribution is expected from
the Modern School, where the girls have been engaged in similar work. The Rev.
Mother of the Convent of the Holy Ghost in Bromham Road has sent sixty pairs of
mittens. Considerable quantities have also come from the Harpur Girls’ School
and the school at Queen’s Park, Goldington Road and Clapham Road, where nimble
fingers have been busy for some time past, the output being mostly in the form
of mufflers and mittens.
One
substantial parcel from the Ampthill Road School was, we believe, ear-marked
for the 6th Bedfords. The 8th Battalion has, we understand, been taken in hand
by Mrs. Liddell, the wife of the Officer Commanding and an appeal is being made
for funds to pay for gifts. Last week Mr Machin, on behalf of the Borough
Recreations Committee, sent nearly 600 pairs of mittens and 120 mufflers to Sir
Edward Ward for those soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force who have
escaped the attention of the County Organizations.
In addition
to the woollen goods made for the soldiers, there has been a large quantity of
cloaks and garments made by the Corn Exchange working party for Belgian
children, who are living in school colonies(1). Mrs Shenton has been in charge
of this section. A good many articles have been received for the purpose from
the Bunyan Sunday School and from people working privately in various parts of
the town.
Source: Bedfordshire Times 24th
December 1915
(1) It is
estimated that about a quarter of a million Belgian refugees came to this
country during the war. There were no colonies in Bedfordshire.
