Pte Frederick Alfred Bunker, 16769, 9th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment, was killed in action in Mesopotamia on January 25th, 1917. He had recently spent his 25th birthday and Christmas in the trenches.

The second son of Walter and Louisa Kate Bunker, of 75 Albert Road, Luton, he had spent eight or nine years working for Vauxhall Motors Ltd. About 12 months after war broke out he left Luton to do war work at Coventry, and after being there about seven months he was 'combed out' on February 1916 and placed in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

Pte Charles Henry Pearson, 43204, 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment, was killed in action on the Somme on February 17th, 1917. He was aged 32, the youngest son of Kent farmer George Pearson.

Prior to enlisting, he had been for four years a salesman and window dresser in the drapery department of Blundell Bros' department store, where he was known as Tony. He was one of 30 of the firm's employees who had joined up.

Pte William Impey, 43127, 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment (ex-Beds Regiment, 26564), was killed in action on the Somme on February 17th, 1917. He was aged 21.

He was the elder son of William and Harriet Impey, of 53 Cowper Street, Luton. Prior to enlistment he worked for Mr Bailey, straw hat manufacturer, of Crawley Road, Luton.

Pte George John Gatward, 11054, 11th Royal Fusiliers (City of London), was killed in action on the Somme on February 17th, 1917. He was aged 36 and married with three children, one aged 15 months old.

News was received by his widow, Clara Alice, at their home at 16 Dorset Street, from Captain H. H. Mundy, Royal Fusiliers. He wrote that before the death of her husband was confirmed he had been reported missing "but has since been found killed outright and was buried where he fell".

Pte George Flitton, 48085, 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment, was killed in action on the Somme on February 17th, 1917. He was aged 26.

Familiarly known as Jack, he lived at Slip End, one of 11 children of Thomas and Lizzie Flitton. Prior to joining up under the Derby scheme in February 1916 (he at first served with the Beds Regiment [26066]), he had worked for dyers Messrs E. W. Hart and Sons, of Windmill Road, Luton.

Hed was trained at Landguard and then went to France. He had been in the trenches eight months and three weeks when he was killed.

Pte Stanley George Halfhead, 18925, 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action on the Somme on February 11th, 1917. He was aged 21.

He was the son of widow Mrs Kate Halfhead, of 20 Wood Street, Luton - his father, school caretaker George, had died in 1906. Prior to enlistment in February 1915, Stanley had worked at hat manufacturers Haye & Co, George Street. He was an old boy of Waller Street School, and was Assistant Scoutmaster in the local battalion of Boy Scouts.

Pte Arthur Robert Goodman, 23081, 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action on the Somme on February 5th, 1917. He was aged 20.

Percy James Osborn was born in January 1890 in Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire. He was the only son of 3 children born to Abel & Annie.

In 1911 Percy is 21 years old & working as a skating rink floor manager & living with his family at 195 Dunstable Road above the shop that his 48 year old father runs selling fruit & confectionary. His mother Annie is 49, older sister Kate is 23 & working as a straw hat finisher & younger sister Hilda is 14 & at school.

Pte Frank Wilson, 33808, 1st Border Regiment, died at the 2/2nd London Casualty Clearing Station in France on January 31st, 1917, as a result of gunshot wounds in the leg received on the Somme three days earlier. He was aged 19 and had been in France only since January 6th.

Sister W. E. Tice at the casualty clearing station wrote to parents James and Eliza Wilson at 67 Frederic Street, Luton, that their son had been brought in badly wounded on January 28th.

Pte Harold David Joad, 25196, 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action on the banks of the River Ancre on the Somme on January 28th, 1917. He was aged 20.

Born at Weston, Herts, he was the son of the late Charles Joad (died 1896, the year Harold was born). He was also stepson of farmer and pig dealer George Desborough of Ansells End Farm, Kimpton, whom his mother, Annie Maud Appleton Joad (nee Tee), married in 1907.

Pte Ebenezer Logan, 7360, 7th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action at Ovillers-la-Boisselle on the Somme on January 24th, 1917. He was aged 20.

Born in Luton, he had lived at 8 Windsor Street with his widowed mother, Hannah, older brother Arthur William and sister Ada. Another brother, Fred, was married and serving with the R.A.M.C. in Egypt.

Pte Stanley Squires Cawdell, 5329, 15th County of London Regiment (Civil Service Rifles), was killed in action near Ypres on January 11th, 1917. He was 30 years old and the son of Sarah Ann (nee Squires) and the late William George Cawdell (died 1906), of 244 High Town Road, Luton.

Stanley Cawdell was an old boy of St Matthew's School and had been employed as a clerk by the Midland Railway Co. He was also secretary of the local Midland Railway Football Club. He had tried five times to enlist before joining the Civil Service Rifles in December 1915.

Herbert Ward Saunders was born in 1898 in Sundon, Bedfordshire.

In 1915 he was a patient at Wardown V.A.D Hospital.

His service record tells us that on 5th June 1916 Herbert enlisted into the 22nd Manchester Regiment. At the time of enlistment he was living at the Red Lion Inn, Harlington Road, Sundon & his next of kin was his mother Charlotte. He was working as a carter for Mr W Smith in Limbury Green Lane.

On 25th November 1916 he was transferred to the 11th Infantry Reserve Brigade located at Prees Heath Camp, Whitchurch, Shropshire.

Pte Sidney Fensome, 60043, 26th Royal Fusiliers, is recorded as having been killed in action in Flanders on December 15th, 1916. He was aged 28, single and had enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers soon after the outbreak of war.

Frank Hull was born in Sundon on October 23rd, 1895. He was 1 of 12 children born to John & Ann.

In 1911 Frank is 15 & working as a farm labourer for Mr F Ward. He is living in Upper Sundon with his parents & 2 brothers. His father John is 67 years old & a farm labourer for Mr W Cooper, his mother Ann is 58 & a straw worker. George is 22 years old & working as a general labourer at Forder's cement works & Henry, 30 is a farm labourer for Mr Hucklesby.