January 1915

A pleasing function took place at the offices of the Rushden and District Boot and Shoe Manufactories Association when the members met to show their appreciation of the 21 years’ work of Mr H.Pitt as Station Master at Rushden.  Mr Pitt was presented with an inscribed watch.

February 1915

The third annual report of the Rushden & District Electricity Supply Company was published.  Great progress had been made during the previous twelve months, the number of consumers having increased from 56 to 79 and the units sold had been 56,993.  There was every prospect of a steady and increasing output in the near future.

March 1915

At Rushden Council meeting it was resolved to recommend that the Clerk be instructed to post notices in that part of Rectory Road between the Salvation Army barracks [Queen Street] and Beaconsfield Place, declaring it a highway repairable by the inhabitants at large.

The annual meeting of the Rushden and Higham Ferrers District Gas Company was held.  The balance sheet showed a total expenditure of £7,742 and the total receipts £10,070 showing a profit of £2,327.

April 1915

An accident occurred at the bottom of Wymington Road hill to a lad who was cycling down the rather steep hill with a friend.  Probably owing to the pace at which he was travelling he was unable to turn the corner at the bottom and impacted with the high causeway.  After first aid was rendered he was taken home to Bedford Road Cottages.

Mr James Foster passed away at the advanced age of 96.  He was the last member of a group of eleven of Rushden’s oldest inhabitants whose photograph was published in the Rushden Echo in 1906 when their united age totalled 965 years.  Shown in the photograph were J.Foster, C.Lewis, C.Sturman, W.Cox, G.Perkins, W.Campion, J.Cook, G.Williamson, D.Sharp, W.Briggs and C.Wooding.

May 1915

The Midland Railway at Rushden and Higham Ferrers celebrated its coming of age, 21 years having elapsed since the stations were first opened for passenger traffic on May 7th 1894, although the line was used for goods traffic from September 1st 1893.  Prior to the opening of the Rushden line for passengers, residents who desired to travel by rail had no option but to walk to Irchester station, a distance of two and a half miles.  When the branch was first opened, Rushden was a large village of some 5,000 inhabitants compared with the thriving industrial centre in 1915 with a population of about 14,000.

The 5th, 6th and 7th battalions of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers marched into Rushden headed by their bugle band.  The Fusiliers were billeted at Rushden and Higham Ferrers for a few weeks, and the Queen Street School Rooms were requisitioned as their headquarters.

June 1915

Some very big orders for army boots were received in the Rushden district.

Applications were invited for the post of caretaker at Rushden Newton Road Council School, with a salary of £55 per annum, with house.

Carpenters and joiners of Rushden came out on strike demanding one penny an hour increase in their pay.

A cricket match between Rushden Baptists and the 7th battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers was played on the Baptist ground.  The home team won by 58 runs.

July 1915

Plans were presented before Rushden Urban District Council for the Rushden and District Electricity Supply Company Ltd for a house in Shirley Road and were passed subject to compliance of Bylaws 17 and 18.

August 1915

On Registration Monday, August 9th, volunteers at Rushden began their task of numbering the inhabitants.  The town of Rushden was divided into 21 registration districts.  Only two houses in Rushden were found to be unoccupied.  The enumerators reported that they had been met with a favourable reception.

Many of the residents of Rushden with whom the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were billeted received letters from their former soldier guests expressing their regret at having to leave Rushden, and their appreciation of the efforts of the inhabitants to make their stay in the town a very pleasant one.

Soldiers who had been billeted in Rushden and Irchester, the 1st battalion Herefordshire Regiment and the Welsh Fusiliers, were in action on the Gallipoli Peninsula.  They had left Rushden in July for the Dardenelles.

September 1915

A competition was held at the Palace Theatre when three prizes of money were given to the three best imitators of Charlie Chaplin.  A good number of entries were made and the winners were Ray Willmott who received £1, Percy Cook 10 shillings and Jack Joyce 5 shillings.

Local photographs of many war victims, killed in action, wounded, missing and taken prisoner, together with reports from the front, dominated the Rushden Echo every week.

October 1915

A recruiting parade was held when Rushden recruits of the 8th Northants marched through the streets of Rushden.  The parade started outside the new recruiting office, 100 High Street.  The route taken was Queen Street, Cromwell Road, Grove Road, York Road, Park Road, Harborough Road, High Street South, The Green, Skinners Hill, Wellingborough Road, Station Road and back to the High Street.  The parade was headed by the Rushden Boy Scouts and the Rushden Rifle Band.

November 1915

Rushden people who took so keen an interest in the 1st Herefords who had been billeted at Rushden and Irchester were advised that copies of the Hereford Times giving full reports could be obtained from Mr Charles Robinson, High Street, Rushden.

It was resolved to recommend making charges of 10 shillings per day for each pot stall pitched on The Green.  It was also resolved to recommend to the Council that a fee of 2s.6d per day be charged for all other occasional stalls, other than those of tradesmen carrying on business in the town.

The boys reported for damaging the fence at the cemetery field attended the meeting of the Rushden Council and were admonished by the Chairman.

At Wellingborough Police Court, Ernest J.Walker of St.Neots was ordered to pay 6 shillings costs for leaving a motor car on the highway at night without a rear light at Rushden.  Ernest Albert Frost of Rushden, for riding a bicycle at night without a light was fined 10 shillings.

December 1915

A route march and recruiting rally organised by the Rushden recruiting authorities was held and, taking into consideration the fact that snow was falling heavily in the early part of the morning, the number of men who turned up for the parade was very satisfactory.

The Rushden Belgian Relief Committee reported that in November 1914 the first party of Belgian refugees had arrived in Rushden, consisting of 9 men, 7 women and 3 children.  During December an additional 4 were received, and on January 2nd 1915 a further 6 arrived, bringing the total to 29.