Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: July 7th, 1917.

Anxious townspeople besieged the Luton News/Saturday Telegraph offices at the corner of Manchester Street and Alma Street for detailed news of the biggest air raid to date on London earlier in the morning.

As soon as the first official announcement was received via the Exchange Telegraph Co at about 1pm, crowds gathered around the newspaper office windows to see the announcements displayed there in bold type. There were also numerous inquiries about the raid at the offices.

The Telegraph later carried an eye-witness account of the raid given by local businessman and photographer Mr Thomas Hobbs, who had returned safely to Luton from a terrifying experience in London.

• Great excitement prevailed last evening when it was learned that a biplane had fallen on the Dallow Downs. A crowd quickly flocked to the scene and found the biplane was wrecked. It was about 30 yards within the borough boundary, near Onions Farm, Caddington. It appears that about 6 o'clock the biplane was coming down when its left wing caught a tree. The machine fell to the ground with both wings damaged and the engine wrecked. Fortunately, the pilot, an office with the Royal Flying Corps from Coventry, escaped injury. He had attempted to land owing to engine trouble.

• Last night at about 8 o'clock, Susan Webb, a Bedford girl who works on one of the machines at Messrs Kent's, met with a distressing accident. As she was stooping her cap was caught by the belting and she sustained very serious injury to the head. She was in a very perilous position, but her fellow workers quickly extricated her. She lost a great deal of blood, but did not lose consciousness, and the girl was quickly taken to the Bute Hospital.

• Sgt Ernest T. Cox, of the Field Ambulance and husband of Mrs Cox, of 52 Hartley Road, Luton. has been commended by his superior officer for conspicuous gallantry on June 7th and 8th while in charge of stretcher-bearers who collected wounded men under heavy shell fire.

• Pte Ernest Ambridge, Beds Regiment, has been commended by his Commanding Officer for great bravery in carrying ammunition up to the Front line under heavy shell fire during the fighting at Hill 70 in April 1917. Pte Ambridge, who was wounded in the back during the Somme campaign, has returned to the Front after ten days' leave at his home, 26 Albert Road, Luton.

• Mrs Gertrude Day, of 66 Oak Road, Luton, has received a card from her husband, Pte Stanley Reuben Day (20660, Suffolk Regiment Machine Gun Corps), to say he is a prisoner of war in Minden, Germany. He had been reported missing at Villers on May 6th. [The 30-year-old father of daughters Constance and Vera survived his captivity and was repatriated in November 1918 and demobilised the following February. He had married Gertrude Peck at St Matthew's Church, Luton, on January 29th, 1910, and lived at 77 Saxon Road. Gertrude was living with her parents in Oak Road while Stanley was in the Army]. Pte Day is pictured right.

• Nine months after he was first reported to be missing, Mrs Alice Jeffery, of 61 John Street, Luton, received official information that her husband, Pte Lusignan Ernest Jeffery was presumed to have laid down his life for his country in action on the Somme on September 3rd, 1916.

• Mrs Ida Saunders (nee Cox), of 104 Cambridge Street, Luton, has received a telegram stating that her husband, Cpl Harold Hubert Saunders (Beds Regiment), was dangerously wounded on June 29th. The couple were married by licence at St Paul's Church, Luton, on March 15th, 1917.

• Pte Gerald Stanley Rolph (22531, 4th Bedfords), whose home is at 78 Grange Road, Luton., has been sent to England with a wound in the right arm. He has been in the Army two years and before joining up worked at the Steam Laundry, Luton.

• For the second time Pte A. J. Billington (Beds Regiment Machine Gun Section), whose relatives live at 64 Warwick Road, Luton, has been wounded by shrapnel. He was previously wounded in the right thigh and is now suffering from wounds in the left hip. He is an old boy of Leagrave School.

• An employee of the Telephone Department of the G.P.O., Luton, Cpl Albert Scales has been wounded in the Messines battle. He saw considerable service before the war, being stationed in India for about seven years. At the outbreak of hostilities he was called up with the Bedfordshire Regiment, was promoted early last year and in August was drafted to France, where he was appointed to the Royal Fusiliers. Cpl Scales, who lives at 7 Princess Street, Luton, is now in Stonebridge Hospital.

• Yesterday, Thomas George, of 6 Dallow Road, Luton, was awing wood on a circular saw at Mr Barber's works, Bury Park Road, when the wood slipped. The index finger of his left hand of his left hand was severed and the other were badly cut. He is being attended in the Bute Hospital.

• We understand that the Rev E. E. Jobling, second minister of High Town Primitive Methodist Church, has been asked by the Synod to take up the superintendency of a circuit at Southend-on-Sea. He concludes his ministry in Luton tomorrow, and he will preach farewell sermons at the High Town and Cardigan Street churches.