Digest of stories from The Luton News dated Thursday, December 28th, 1916, but published December 29th.

At 11.30 yesterday morning (Thursday 28th) the worst accident which has yet occurred on the track of the Luton Corporation tramways took place at the junction of Midland Road and Old Bedford Road. The steep declivity, ending in a curve which is little more than a right-angle, demands the greatest care in negotiation,and more than one car has left the track, but prior to yesterday no catastrophe has occurred.

Yesterday the car in question was proceeding down High Town Road with seven or eight passenger in it. Nothing appeared to be wrong until the car was half way down Midland Road, when there could be no doubt from what eyewitnesses say, that it was exceeding the regulation pace. But the cause of that remains a mystery.

As it neared the bottom it was evident that an accident was unavoidable, and at a considerable speed the car failed to negotiate the curve, swept over the kerbstone, struck an electric standard and finally crashed through the wooden fence into the earth bank abutting on the Midland Railway bridge. The body of the car was quite wrecked. The front was smashed in like a concertina, with the poor motorman involved in the debris.

Seven people on board, including motorman Alfred Lloyd (pictured right) and Acting Chief Constable Walter Hagley, two women, two children and conductor Arthur Eaton were injured.

• Full military honours were accorded the late Gunner Ernest Victor Jackson on Wednesday afternoon at the Church Cemetery. All his comrades, numbering upwards of 250 men, and the officers attended. The cortege was headed by the Artillery Band and included a firing party of 24. The procession was met at the cemetery by the Chaplain, the Rev A. Thorpe. Gunner Jackson had died following bomb explosion during a training accident at Biscot Camp. An appeal was launched at a Christmas Day party held in the Church Army Hut, Dunstable Road, for Gunner Jackson's mother, who had lost both her husband and son within three months and was left unprovided for.

• Medical Officer Dr Rollings reported to Luton Rural District Council that since the last meeting there had been 18 deaths and 20 births in the district. Another case of tuberculosis and four of scarlet fever had occurred, two at Slip End and two at Woodside. There had been three cases of diphtheria at one house at Limbury, two of which followed the return of an older sister from the Isolation Hospital. Chairman Mr Ben Hartop said the hospital authorities would hardly have let the girl return if she was not cured.

• News has been received at 4 Warwick Road, Luton, that Pte Alf Johnstone, Royal Sussex Regiment, who was reported missing on September 9th, was killed in action on that day. He would have been 19 on January 28th and prior to enlistment was employed at the Diamond Foundry.

• The coming month will witness very drastic changes to our country's train services. Man and rolling stock are required for war work, and to secure their release 50 per cent will be added to the cost of ordinary tickets, and roughly half the trains will cease to run. So numerous are the changes , and so belated is the information regarding them, that Hobbs' Luton Timetable cannot be published for some days after the first of the month.

• On Christmas Day, Mr J. Facer, of Cheapside, Luton, received a telegram to the effect that his son, Lieut Frank Facer (Royal Flying Corps) had been received into hospital at Amiens. Later a letter from him stating that as a result of the high altitudes at which he has been flying his eardrums have been affected, and it is expected this will put an end to his flying. Lieut Facer joined up in February and went out to France with the R.F.C. in August.

• Deep regret is felt in Luton at the death of Pte William Henry Parsons, aged 36, of 102 Crawley Road. He passed away on December 24th at a Cambridge military hospital after removal from his home in Luton. He returned from serving in France to undergo an operation, and it is suspected that he contracted the fatal illness at Chatham, where he was for a time in hospital. His funeral at the Luton General Cemetery yesterday was marked by full military honours.

• It is fairly clear that Lutonians generally have responded well to the request of the Government not to travel at Christmas. Those who travelled long distances by train were the workers engaged on munitions, who took advantage of the lengthy holiday to go to their respective homes. Railway travelling was not a very desirable holiday occupation this year, for the traffic was naturally congested as a result of fogs, depleted staffs and also other war conditions.

• Once again the Luton Post Office staffs are breathing freely after another Christmas rush. But it was obvious that people were not sending so many Christmas cards away this year but, on the other hand, the parcels were well up to average. On account of the scarcity of labour, it became necessary the requisition the assistance of a number of soldiers from the camp.

• A considerable sensation was caused at Luton during the early part of the week at the military cookhouse near the Salvation Army Barracks, Park Street. It would appear that overnight the door had been broken open and two cooked turkeys and 25 lb of uncooked beef had been taken away. Nevertheless, the 150 men who occupy the mess rooms adjacent to the Salvation Army Barracks in no way suffered by reason of the turkeys being taken. At any rate they disposed of three turkeys and had 25 lb of English beef instead of the foreign supply which had disappeared.

• There were mixed fortunes for Luton Town in their home and away London Combination fixtures with Fulham over Christmas. At home on Christmas Day, a Simms goal was enough to give them victory. But at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day, the Town lost 5-1 after taking an early lead through Butcher.