Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: April 27th, 1918.

• Celebration at Luton Hoo for children after the end of World War One.

At a meeting of the Beds Education Authority on Friday, the Director of Education submitted an interim report as to the nature and scope of the war activities of scholars and teachers.

Up to January 31st, there were 50 War Savings Associations with a membership of 2,605, and £3,881 invested. The collections for war funds amounted to £2,230, which was given to about 50 different funds. Some of the chief subscriptions were as follows: Parcels for Soldiers and Sailors, £333; Red Cross Society, £245; Overseas Club, £227; flag days and relief funds, £224; National Egg Collections, £191; St Dunstan's Home, £116; Prisoners of War Fund, £94; Blind Soldiers' Children's Fund, £90; Bedfordshire Regiment Comforts Fund, £77; Jack Cornwell Fund, £69; Christmas Pudding Fund, £39; Princes of Wales Fund, £38. The prize money given to patriotic purposes was £71 9s.

The garments for soldiers and sailors were: socks, 6813 pairs, mittens 1,788 pairs, scarves 3,194, body belts 871, vests 36. With similar garments for which no analysis was kept, the total number was 15,806. From wool provided by the committee, 5,634 garments; materials supplied by other sources, 10,172.

Hospital requirements, including bandages, cushions, pillows, splint pads etc, 340. In addition the boys of the Manual Centres have made: splints 980, bed tables 23, bed rests 24, crutches 9. Some 33 sandbags have been made, and over 60,000 eggs have been collected, together with a sum of £101 for the purchase of eggs.

Nearly 20 tons of vegetables, fruit etc were forwarded to the Fleet and hospitals, and blackberries picked amounted to nearly 80 tons, chestnuts collected to 4½ tons, and waste paper (other than school waste) to 11 tons.

The activities of teachers included canteen work, organisation of concerts, secretarial work in connection with various war committees, food economy campaign work, Volunteers, V.A.D. nurses, and one headmistress takes her daily share in farm work by milking cows.

• On Monday morning Ernest Gardner, aged 17, of 38 Ivy Road, was working at the Cocoa Works in Dallow Road when the fingers of his left hand were caught in some rollers. He was taken to the Bute Hospital, where his badly crushed fingers were dressed. He is now progressing favourably.

• On Tuesday morning Joshua Butler, aged 57, of 30 Highbury Road, was assisting at a sawing machine at a local mills when the saw caught his left hand and took the tops of two fingers. He was taken to the Bute Hospital, where he is progressing excellently.

• Shortly after Thursday midnight a fire occurred on the premises in Old Bedford Road occupied by Messrs Coutts & Co and Messrs Lowndes, Bendin & Jones. It appears that an overheated flue set fire to the roof of a boiler house which adjoins the main building. Fortunately, people in the neighbourhood discovered it in time and the Fire Brigade was summoned. With the aid of a hydrant they quickly extinguished the fire before a great amount of damage was caused.

• Mr H. N. Brailsford, one of the nominees for the Labour candidature in South Beds, addressed a meeting of the Independent Labour Party at the Town Hall, Luton, on Thursday. evening. He dealt chiefly with the military situation, and expressed confidence that our men would hold the line against Germany on the Western Front, and that as the chance of a complete and decisive military victory disappeared from the enemy's mind there was bound to come the cold and calculating mood in which the enemy would realise that there must be a negotiated peace.

• At the Borough Court this morning, Ellen Edwards, of 24 Ashton Street, a young tramcar conductress, was summoned for not displaying a notice on a tramcar showing that the car was full. The Chief Constable said there had been a lot of overcrowding, and the police informed the Tramways Manager that they would take action. On this occasion Pc Bone found the car full inside, outside, on the stairs and even on the platform. The defendant was fined five shillings.

• A wedding took place yesterday between Pte Sidney Deller, formerly of Luton, and Miss Lily Woodward, daughter of Mr and Mrs Charles Woodward, of Streatley. The bridegroom wore his blue hospital suit, being on short leave from Cambridge War Hospital, where he is recuperating from wounds received in action. He has spent three years and seven months in France.

• His Honour Judge Scully was welcomed to the Luton Court House on Thursday by reason of a change in the areas. Mr Lathom said His Honour was the sixth judge who had presided over the County Court during his own attendance. His Honour expressed thanks for the welcome and said he hoped he would follow in Judge Wheeler's steps with satisfaction to himself and all of them, including the litigants before the court.

• The three warrior sons (above) of Mr Charles Weston, of 29 Burr Street, Luton, have suffered in various theatres of hostilities. L-Cpl Sidney Charles Weston (Royal Warwickshire Regiment), who is married, his wife living at 47 Whitby Road, Luton, is now convalescing at a camp in Italy after an attack of trench fever. L-Cpl Ernest Weston (Northants Regiment), was wounded last month and is now in hospital in Carlisle. He is single, as also is brother Sapper Frederick John Weston (Royal Engineers), who has been reported missing on March 26th.

• An old Reservist, just completing his fifteenth year of Army service, L-Cpl R. Ayres, whose wife and two children reside at 14 Grange Road, Luton, writes to say that is in the Ontario Military Hospital, Orpington, Kent, suffering from wounds received in France. They are in his right side but are not serious and he is going on fairly well. He was working when called up at the Diamond Foundry.

• Pte A. T. Pinney (Bedfordshire Regiment), husband of Mrs Pinney, of 55 Duke Street, Luton, has been wounded for the fifth time, and is at present in Cambridge Hospital suffering from the effects of his last wound, which has been officially described as "combined fracture of knee and gunshot wound in the elbow". On March 20th he was admitted seriously ill to the 7th Canadian General Hospital, Etaples, France, but has since been transferred. Mr Pinney, who is 35, left the employ of Messrs B. Laporte Ltd for Army life 3½ years ago.

• Roll of Honour: Gunner William Frederick Govier (Royal Garrison Artillery), of 122 Baker Street, Luton; and Sgt William Buckingham (Beds Regiment), of 29 Buxton Road, Luton. [Click on individual names for further details].

• Prisoners of war: Pte A. G. Trotter (Cheshire Regiment), 66 Cowper Street, Luton; Pte W. Tomkins (Beds Regiment), of 76 Ash Road, Luton; and Pte A. V. Cherry (Machine Gun Corps), 74 Hastings Street, Luton. [To see the growing list of 1918 POWs, click here].

• The earliest of the swallows for this season were observed flying over the Harlington fish ponds by Mr A. Sanders, of Princess Street, Luton, yesterday. The cold spring has delayed their arrival by nine or ten days later than the average date.

• Luton Town played at Hitchin this afternoon in the final match of their season, advertised there as "the match of the season". Considerable difficulty was experiences in finding a team to travel for the game against Hitchin R.E. Depot with four of the selected team failing to report. Butcher, Kaye and Bob Hawkes scored the goals that gave The Blues a 3-2 win.