Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: November 11th, 1916.

In July last the cost of third class monthly season train tickets issued between L.N.W.R. Dunstable and Luton was raised from 7s 6d to 8s 6d and those from Church Street, Dunstable, from 6s 3d to 7s. Seeing that the company made no increase either in the cost of quarterly tickets or first class tickets, the monthly ticket holders maintain that they had a distinct grievance in being thus singled out.

They petitioned the Great Northern Railway authorities for a reconsideration of the matter. Unfortunately for the promoters of this protest,the petition was rather hurriedly presented and was not signed by the majority of the ticket holders, the time and trouble in getting signatures being too great. Dunstable Town Council officially supported the petition.

The company, however, practically ignored the main issue, merely replying that the majority of the between 500 and 600 ticket holders had not signed the petition.

Mr T. Crabtree, of Grove Road, Dunstable, has now taken a step further by writing to the Rt Hom W. Runciman, President of the Board of Trade, maintaining that it was unfair to put the increased burden on those least able to bear it.

• We have to record the death from wounds of Pte Charles Radford, 266772, Hertfordshire Regiment, son of Mr and Mrs Radford, of East Dulwich and formerly of Luton. Pte Radford was wounded in the head on the Western Front and succumbed to his wounds in hospital on October 15th. He worked as a gardener for Viscount Hampden at Kimpton Hoo for over two years before enlisting in November 1914.

• A message was received from the War Office at Wrest Park, Silsoe, on Wednesday morning to the effect that the Rt Hon Lord Lucas was missing. All that is known is the he went up in an aeroplane from the British lines in France to reconnoitre the enemy's position, and, possibly owing to the gale which was prevailing at the time, he was obliged to descend in the enemy's lines. It is surmised that he was captured or met his death.

• Honour has been brought to Luton and High Town in particular by the excellent war career of one of its old boys in the person of Second Lieut Fred Lovell (pictured right), now of the 18th Lancashire Fusiliers, and son of Mr F. W. Lovell, of 'Goodmayes,' 72 Clarendon Road. The former Brown & Green employee has been at the Front about 17 months and has fought at Loos, Ypres and through the Somme campaign, coming through without a scratch. He is at present home on leave and is about to return to the Front.

• Seventeen war savings associations have been formed in Luton, with a total membership of about 2,000.

• Three boy vandals were fined at the Borough Petty Sessions this morning for causing wilful damage to chestnut trees on the Crawley Estate at Stockwood Park on October 29th. The highest fine of 15 shillings was imposed on a boy who had threatened park-keeper Eli Cripps with the thick bough of a tree. Mr Cripps said he had warned all three on several occasions throughout the summer as "they simply roamed the Park and broke anything they encountered.

• About 3,000 spectators saw Luton Town snatch their first victory in three weeks with a 3-2 home win over Watford in the London Combination. Centre-forward Simms gave Luton the lead after 20 minutes and left-winger Butcher increased the lead before Watford pulled a goal back. Simms restored Luton's two-goal lead before the interval, and the visitors completed the scoring late in the second half.