Digest of stories from The Luton News: Thursday, February 22nd, 1917.

Another alarming tram accident occurred at about 7.30 on Monday morning on the Dunstable Road route. It was a serious accident for, although there was no severe personal injuries, the damage to one of the cars was very great.

The accident was doubtless due to the dense fog which prevailed at that hour. It appears that it isthe practice for one car to wait on the loop line for the car coming in the opposite direction, but on Monday a mistake seems to have occurred. The motorman drove the car on the return journey from the laundry and went on to Moor Street, evidently expecting the other car to be the other side of the loop by the Gas Works.

But the other car was on the wrong side of that loop and in the dense fog the cars met unexpectedly on the single line. Near Moor Street the cars were going at a good pace when they met with a terrific impact. There were a good number of passengers on the car going to the laundry, but few on the car entering the town, and all were much shaken and unnerved by the sudden collision.

Both cars, however, kept to the line, and the passengers soon found that nobody was seriously hurt. Simpkins, the driver of the incoming car, is stated to have been slightly cut, and it is a marvellous thing he did not meet with serious injury. The portion of the car on which he stood was crumpled up like a matchbox, and those who witnessed the collision declare his escape to be a mystery.

The outward car sustained very little damage, and was used to push the wrecked car back to the depot. Naturally the service was greatly interfered with by the collision.

• The Luton Tribunal and Military Representative were on collision course during yesterday's hearing after it transpired that Lieutenant Gardner proposed to appeal every case where conditional exemption had been granted by the Tribunal. Under the circumstances, the Tribunal refused to hear any further cases that night and agreed to adjourn for two weeks to allow the Military Representative to communicate with headquarters on the principle of cases being taken automatically to appeal.

• At the Union Chapel, Luton, on Tuesday 2nd Lieut Henry G. Grundy, of the Royal Garrison Artillery and son of Mr H. J. Grundy, of 94 Dunstable Road, married Miss May Brown, daughter of Mr T. Brown, of Arthur Street. The bridegroom was one of the first volunteers on the outbreak of war and went to France as a bombardier. He was in the big battles of 1915 before subsequently coming home as an instructor at one of the South of England camps. He was gazetted in June 1916.

• As no reply has been received from the Home Office to the representations made by the Luton Corporation some five or six weeks ago concerning the suggestion of the amalgamation of the Borough Police Force with the County Constabulary, the Town Council decided on Tuesday to invite applications by advertisement for the post of Chief Constable at a salary of £300 per annum with residence, for which the rent is to be £10 per annum.

• Writing to Pte H. G. Preece, formerly secretary of the Luton Ivydale FC, Pte A. Toyer, who was a member of the same club and is now in a Machine Gun Corps in Salonica, said: "I saw the old year out in the trenches. We had not got any bells, so all our artillery fired at midnight. You can guess there was more than bells would make. Our boys send them plenty of John Bull's rations over, but we don,t get a great lot back as a rule and, if we do, nearly all are duds but, of course, we don't mind that. There are a lot of daring airmen out here, and one this afternoon has been looping the loop right over the enemy's lines while they were busy putting shells up at him."

• We regret to announce the death of Mr Edwin Deacon, head of the firm of Messrs E. Deacon & Sons, which occurred on Saturday at his residence, 11 Dunstable Road. Mr Deacon, who was 72 years of age, had been seriously ill for about three weeks, pneumonia having followed a chill. He was buried at the General Cemetery yesterday. A native of Luton and son of the late Timothy Deacon, a farmer, he transformed a small jewellery shop in Wellington Street into a large emporium selling not only jewellery but fancy goods and china plus a needlework and wool department. In 1889 he found his existing premises inadequate and had it pulled down with the present commodious shops, Nos 3, 5, and 7 Wellington Street, erected in its place. About three years ago the shop at the corner of Wellington Street and George Street was also taken over for the extension of the jewellery business. He leaves a widow, two sons and four daughters. A third son, 2nd Lieut Raymond Eric Deacon, was killed in Gallipoli on August 7th, 1915.

• Last night some extraordinarily strong remarks were made at a meeting at Limbury in reaction to the recent epidemic of diphtheria in the parish. A resolution was carried unanimously to press the Education Authority to appoint a lady health inspector to see that the children had healthy conditions at the schools, that removal of affected patients be done at night and taken away from the dwelling area, and that the District Council be asked to consider a proper sewerage scheme immediately after the war.

• A popular figure among social circles in Luton, Gunner A. E. White is again indisposed. During the week preceding the last big concert given by the Biscot boys at the Assembly Hall for the mother of the late Gunner Jackson, he was suffering from influenza, but nevertheless remained working until after the concert. The following week he was confined to his room and got up a few days ago when he seemed a little better, but unfortunately he was ordered to Wardown V.A.D. Hospital, where he now is, and it is hoped that he will soon recover.

• At the conclusion of court business yesterday a young woman sought the advice of the justices under very serious circumstances. She said her husband had returned from France but would not support her, and her four infants were suffering a certain complaint. The Magistrates Clerk (Mr William Austin) pointed out that unless she left him she could not get a summons for neglect, and the Mayor (Alderman J. H. Staddon) advised her to go with her children into the workhouse infirmary, adding that when she came out with her little ones cured, she would find friends ready to assist her in every possible way.

• Mr Percy Reginald Hinton, a dentist who has practised in Upper George Street for over seven years, has now obtained his commission. He enlisted as a private in the Beds Regiment in May of last year and was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps and the Officers' Training Corps. He obtained his commission last month.

• Luton Town Council's Electricity and Tramways Committee reported that the local manager of the tramways (Mr A. E. Wray) had furnished particulars of the tram accident at Old Bedford Road on December 28th to the Board of Trade, and he hoped shortly to supply a complete statement to the committee. It was also reported that the lessees did not feel able to agree to a proposed discontinuation of the tramways on Sundays to enable necessary repairs to be completed, particularly with regard to the overhead apparatus and track.

• The seventh annual general meeting of the Luton and District Rifle Club was held in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall on Monday evening. Secretary Mr R. Head said the club had had a most successful year, winning the Astor County Cup for the fifth time. Proposing the adoption of the secretary's report. Dr Sworder said he thought a deputation should proposed to the Town Council that a municipal rifle range should be created in the town.

• Roll of Honour: The following were among those reported as having made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield - Lieut Cyril Edward Franklin (Royal Engineers), Cpl Edwin Francis Smart D.C.M. (London Regiment), Pte Arthur Robert Goodman (Bed Regiment), Sgt William Saxty (Machine Gun Corps), Cpl Alec Walter Harris (Beds Regiment), Sapper Fred Clark (Royal Engineers).