A Subdued Christmas

Leighton Buzzard Post Office, Church Square c.1915 [Z1306/72/3/5]

Wednesday 25th December 1918: Christmas is being celebrated very quietly in Leighton Buzzard. The loss of so many men since last Christmas, and the absence of so many other still with the Armed Forces, has dampened spirits. The bells of All Saints Church have been rung every evening this week, a welcome sound after previous Christmases when the bells were silenced. There are relatively few visitors in the town and, unusually in recent times, very few soldiers in the streets. At Leighton Buzzard railway station there has been slightly more passenger traffic than last year, but considerably less parcels traffic, most of the usual contents of Christmas hampers being either rationed or unobtainable. The shopkeepers have been busy this week, and there has been a revival in the use of Christmas cards, making work for the staff of the Post Office. The mail on Monday of last week was one of the largest in bulk ever sent from Leighton Buzzard, with eleven letter bags despatched on the evening mail train.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 31st December 1918

Serbian Relief Appeal

Old Leighton Buzzard Library (formerly Temperance Hall, now Lecton House), Lake Street, 1956 [Z1432/2/1/23/64]

Wednesday 18th December 1918: We have reported on several occasions the work being carried out by the Leighton Buzzard War Hospital Supply Depot, most recently in February when the Secretary received a letter of thanks from the Edmonton Military Hospital. The women of the town have been asked to continue their splendid work, this time for the benefit of the Serbian Relief Fund. Two women from the Belgravia Workrooms, the Central War Hospital Supply Depot, have addressed a meeting at the Temperance Hall where they congratulated Leighton Buzzard on sending the best needlework of any depot. They trusted the town would not fail now when their efforts were so badly needed by Britain’s Serbian allies. One worker who had kept a hospital and a soup kitchen going in Belgrade for 3½ years had reported that everything had been deliberately broken up by the Austrians. The work of reconstruction specially entrusted to England was the care of returned prisoners of war and the provision of hospitals. This had persuaded them to extend the work the Supply Depots had done during the War. They hoped that Leighton Buzzard workers would continue to help “as a thank offering for having been spared the horrors of invasion”.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 17th December 1918

1st Leighton Buzzard Girl Guides

Mrs Laura Lawson Johnston, Girl Guides County Commissioner [X698/9/5]

Friday 6th December 1918: The 1st Leighton Troop of the Girl Guides, which was started in May by Mrs. Reeve of “Athelney”, Albany Road, has held its first enrolment meeting in the Church Room at Leighton Buzzard. Thirty six smart and enthusiastic guides paraded before the County Commissioner and the District Commissioner for North Bedfordshire, giving a well-trained and disciplined display of drill and marching. Unfortunately the proceedings were disrupted by the bad behaviour of a number of children who live near the hall.

The officers of the troop were formally invested with badges and colours by the County Commissioner, Mrs. Lawson Johnston. The newly enrolled Captain W. Flemming in turn enrolled two patrol leaders and two corporals. The company sang songs, demonstrated marches and dances, and signalled a greeting to the County Commissioner – who confessed that despite the best efforts of her daughter to teach her she had not managed to learn to read signals. In an address to the Girl Guides she reminded them that they had a great responsibility, especially the older girls, to help to train their younger sisters to be good girls and good citizens. She asked them to maintain the very high standard they had set themselves as Guides, and to show people who knew nothing about the work what it meant to be a Guide by their behaviour. She ended by telling them to “always be jolly, but also remember their responsibility and duty to their homes and their parents”.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 10th December 1918

News of More Casualties

Beaudesert Boys’ Council School 1913 [Z50/72/21]

Thursday 28th November 1918: Tragically the end of the War has not meant the end of bad news for the families of soldiers. News of two men killed in the very last days of the fighting has now reached Leighton Buzzard, along with confirmation of the death of a third, and a report that a fourth man has died from the effects of influenza. Private Leslie Johnson, the nephew of Mr. Thomas Munday of Bridge Street, was killed on November 4th. He had worked in the Income Tax Office, London, but took up farming owing to ill health and for a short time was employed in the local area. He joined up at the age of just 17. His brother, Charles Rowland Johnson, the son-in-law of Mr. Henry Chapman Furlong, was killed in October 1917.[1]

Private Tom Hyde of the Middlesex Regiment was killed in action on 7th November, just four days before the signing of the Armistice. The chaplain of his battalion has written to his wife telling her that her husband was killed instantaneously by a shell and suffered no pain. Private Hyde was the son of Mr. and Mrs William Hyde of East Street, where his wife and child now live at number 28. Before joining up he worked for Mr. W. G. Willis, builder. A year ago he was wounded in the knee, and as the joint remained stiff he was sent to Ireland on garrison duty. During the last “push” he was again sent out to France. He was 27 years of age, and a member of the Leighton Buzzard Excelsior Band.

Private R. Miles of the 8th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, formerly a Trooper in the 17th Lancers and the Bedfordshire Yeomanry, the son of Richard and Annie Miles - now of Leighton Buzzard but previously of Wicken in Northamptonshire - had been reported wounded and missing. He has now been officially reported killed. His elder brother was seriously wounded on the Somme.[2]

Sapper Samuel Walter Stevens of 12, Plantation Road, was serving with the Royal Engineers when he was admitted to a casualty clearing station in France on 8th November. He died on the 13th from pneumonia following influenza. Sapper Stevens was an old boy of Beaudesert School and worked for Messrs. Adams and Whiting as a bricklayer before joining the Army in 1915. After nine months’ service in France he was operated on for appendicitis; he returned to France after recovering from the surgery. He was 28 years old and leaves a wife and young daughter.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 26th November 1918

[1] Charles Rowland Johnson of the 1st Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment died on 17th October 1917, aged 32. His wife, Jessie Frances Johnson, was living at 14 High Street, Leighton Buzzard. His brother is listed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as Martin Leslie Johnson, aged 19. In 1911 Charles Rowland Johnson was living at 18 Bridge Street, Leighton Buzzard, with his uncle Thomas Henry Munday and working for him as a jeweller’s assistant.

[2] Apparently Reginald Miles of the 8th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, whose death on 15th October 1917 is recorded on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Street Lighting

Stags Head Public House, with lamp post on corner of Old Road and Wing Road, Linslade c.1906 [Z50/74/28]

Monday 25th November 1918: The ability to raise window blinds while the lights are lit is an unaccustomed pleasure to those who have been afraid of prosecution for lighting offences for so long. Even before the Armistice was signed preparations were being made to re-light the towns of Leighton Buzzard and Linslade. The contract between Leighton Buzzard Urban District Council and the Gas Company had been allowed to lapse during the War, and negotiations towards a new agreement are progressing. It is anticipated it may take some time before the lights there can be put back into working order. However, in Linslade a fixed sum for the upkeep of the lamps was paid by the Council during the war, and it has therefore been possible to get the lights back on more quickly. Since last Friday Linslade residents have been enjoying the benefit of lit street lamps, with around fifty per cent of the former number now back in use.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 19th and 26th November 1918

Appeal for Old Clothing for Belgians

20-22 Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard 2008 [CR/PH]

Monday 18th November 1918: Back in March 1916 Charles Piron, a Belgian refugee now living at 20, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, was able to secure the donation of waterproofs for a friend serving in the Belgian army as a volunteer https://bedshomefront.blogspot.com/2016/03/waterproofs-for-belgian-soldiers.html . He is now organising an appeal for old clothing to relieve the needs of his compatriots in evacuated districts of Belgium. He writes:

“May I thank the residents of Leighton Buzzard and Linslade for their cordial initial response to my appeal for old clothing for Belgians in the evacuated districts. I have already been able to despatch two bales of clothing, and the donors may rest assured that every article in those bundles will be used to relieve real and poignant distress. The Girl Guides have promised to assist in the future collection. May I therefore ask any person who can spare old clothing (including underclothing), hats, boots or shoes, to send me a postcard, and I will do the rest with the aid of the Girl Guides. If I could only make everyone understand how terrible the need is, there would be a ransacking of wardrobes, I am sure, in hundreds of homes. Nothing is too old, or too worn out.”

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 19th November 1918

Farmers Refuse to Apply for Permits

Market day at Leighton Buzzard 1909 [Z1306/72/10/9]

Wednesday 16th October 1918: At a meeting last night of the Leighton Buzzard Branch of the National Farmers’ Union it was decided that they would all refuse to comply with instructions to apply for permits to feed damaged corn and screenings to livestock. It was considered that this was just another “ridiculous and arbitrary order” being imposed on farmers by Government Departments; it appeared that every week some new order came into force, “generally more ridiculous than those that had gone before”. Under this new plan two officials were to be appointed in each area – some of whom “did not know barley from wheat” – to receive samples and send them to London for a permit, which might take a week or two to arrive. This sub-standard corn was absolutely necessary for feeding livestock, and it appeared the Government did not trust farmers to know their own business. All other branches of the National Farmers’ Union in the area are believed to have passed the same resolution

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer 22nd October 1918

Leighton Buzzard Casualties

North Street, Leighton Buzzard c.1911 [Z1306/72/12/6]

Sunday 6th October: The tide of the war appears to have turned in favour of the Allies and there is real hope that victory is in sight; however, the toll of those killed and wounded continues to rise. Second Lieutenant Vivian Willis, of the Leighton Buzzard solicitors firm W. G. and V. V. Willis, has been wounded while serving with the Tank Corps. He had a lucky escape when a piece of shell flattened a whistle and a watch in his breast pocket and passed down his side, wounding him in both arms and the right thigh, side and hand. He is in hospital at Epsom and is expected to make a complete recovery.

Leading Seaman Frederick Brazier of 3 Friday Street was badly burned in the face, arms and body while serving on a naval ship three weeks ago. He is in hospital at Deal and although the burns are healing it has now been discovered that he has a broken left arm. He has served fifteen years in the Navy and was home on leave from the Mediterranean just a few weeks ago. His wife visited him in hospital and found him cheerful. The son of another resident of Friday Street, Private Harold Butcher of the Suffolk Regiment, is convalescing from the effects of gas. He served for six months in France before being sent to Palestine two years ago, and had only returned to the Western Front within the last three months.

The families of two soldiers now known to have been killed in action have undergone very different experiences, with one enduring a long wait and the other a sudden loss. Private Joseph George Jordan, the husband of Mrs Daisy Jordan of Ivy Cottage, Vandyke Road has been missing for virtually a year. She has finally been notified by the War Office that he is believed to have been killed on or soon after 9th October last year.[1] Mr. and Mrs. George Day of 27 Hockliffe Road have heard that their nineteen year old son, Trooper Cyril George Day, was killed on 5th September, only three weeks after arriving in France.

Sadly enemy action is not the only cause of death for soldiers serving in France. Private Alfred Joseph Dudley, whose parents live in North Street, joined the Army two years ago, and as his fitness only fell into the Class B1 category he was placed in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Service with the Field Ambulance appears to have been too much for his constitution, which was never strong, and he has died of dysentery. He leaves a widow and a three year old daughter.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 8th October 1918

[1] The Commonwealth War Graves Record for Private Jordan gives his date of death as 9th October 1917. He is commemorated at the Tyne Cot Memorial, indicating that his body was never found.

Leighton Buzzard and Linslade Casualties

Vandyke Road, Leighton Buzzard 1914 [Z1306/72/13/1]

Saturday 21st September 1918: News has been received that two more Leighton Buzzard soldiers have been wounded and a Linslade soldier killed. Private William Hyde of the Canadian Machine Gun Battalion, whose home is in Vandyke Road, is now recovering from a wounded arm at the New Military Hospital in Gravesend. Lance-Corporal Lawrence Cook of the Bedfordshire Regiment, the son of Mr. John Cook of 13 Hartwell Grove, has been wounded for the third time and is now in a London hospital being treated from a gas shell wound in the face. Lance-Corporal Cook joined the Army less than two years ago; he received bullet wounds in the hand and thigh in August 1917, and in March he was shot in the leg. One of his brothers has been discharged from the Army due to wounds.

Private Peter Smith of 52 Old Road, Linslade, was killed in action on August 22nd fighting with the London Regiment in France. He was 18 years and 6 months old and had joined the Army in February. He had only been at the Front for twelve days when he was killed. Before joining up he was employed as an engine cleaner on the railway. Three of his brothers have also served in the Army: one was reported missing in April, another is now in Egypt, and the third is in France.[1]

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 24th September 1918

[1] His older brother William Smith was killed in action on 13th April 1918 while serving with the Royal  Warwickshire Regiment.

Leighton Buzzard Soldier Receives Military Cross

British troops at Aveluy Wood, November 1916

[Imperial War Museum Q1564 reproduced under IWM Non Commercial Licence]

Thursday 12th September 1918: Leighton Buzzard officer Second Lieutenant Henry Guess of the Royal West Kent Regiment attended Buckingham Palace yesterday and was presented with the Military Cross by the King. This was awarded to him for his courage and leadership at Aveluy Wood last March. The commendation reads:

“He displayed great courage in controlling his men during a determined hostile attack, and later, when the enemy penetrated the line, he organised his platoon to cover the portion that was broken and then, counter-attacking, regained all lost ground. His services were of the utmost value to his company commander.”

Lieutenant Guess joined the Army in 1914 and has spent much time on active service. He was mentioned in despatches during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, and was promoted from the ranks in 1917. In June he was seriously wounded by shrapnel during fighting around Albert, being hit in the neck, left shoulder and left leg. The leg wound was particularly severe and he is still on sick leave.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 17th September 1918

Company Fined for Employing Girls on Sunday

Welders at Morgan and Company Limited 1914-18 [Z1432/2/13/22/15]

Tuesday 20th August 1918: Morgan and Company Limited of Leighton Buzzard have been summoned for unlawfully employing women and girls at their factory in Lake Street on three Sundays in June. The Factory and Workshops Act does not restrict the employment of men over 18, but limits the hours of work of women, young persons and children; unless special exception is made, they cannot be employed in a factory or workshop on a Sunday. Morgan’s have obtained an exemption order which allows women over 18 to work exceptional hours, but this is specifically limited to weekdays. While there was no suggestion that the company had acted from improper motives, it was a matter of principle – not only were there religious considerations, but in many cases Sunday work destroyed family life and reduced people’s social enjoyment. Experience had also shown that it was not economically desirable.

Constance Alice Louisa Pooley, aged 14, of 32 Dudley Street, gave evidence that on 9th June she was employed on machine work from 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with ten minutes for lunch at 10 a.m. and an hour’s break at 12.30 p.m. She had volunteered to work overtime, and was paid double time of sixpence an hour. She had just had a week’s holiday and a money gift from the company, she was happy in her work and her health had not suffered through the Sunday work. The firm put in a guilty plea, but pointed out that it was engaged in work of great national importance; it was contracted to produce a fixed quota of machines in a given time, and had been successfully meeting its quota. At the time of the offences some of the machinery at the main works in Linslade was out of order and could only be mended at the weekend. As a result the work’s manager had asked if any of the girls at the Lake Street works could help, without thinking about the working hours restrictions. However, in November 1917 the company had been sent a warning letter after an inspector had found Morgans was employing women and girls for more than the legal limit of sixty hours a week - some were working as many as eighty-eight hours and staying at work into the early hours of the morning. In view of this a fine of £16 was imposed.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 27th August 1918

Appeal on Behalf of Leighton Buzzard Prisoners of War

Theodore Bromhead Bassett [from Z1432/5/1/8]

Monday 29th July 1918: Mr. Theodore Bromhead Bassett, of Barclays Bank in Leighton Buzzard (formerly Bassett’s Bank), has requested publication of the following letter in the Leighton Buzzard Observer: 

“Sir, - I trust I need make no apology for bringing before your readers a matter which concerns Leighton Buzzard and district very closely.

There are in Germany at the present time six prisoners of war of the Bedfordshire Regiment from Leighton Buzzard. To keep these prisoners, not in comfort, but in health, entails an expenditure of £21 per month on parcels in addition to what is already being done by relatives. In other districts the expense is borne locally; surely Leighton Buzzard and district will be equally ready to pay its quota.

I hope that it will be possible to raise the necessary £21 monthly but subscriptions of £1 a month, 10 shillings a month, 5 shillings a month, or even 2 shillings 6 pence a month. Few people, surely, will be able to resist such an appeal for men who are helpless in the enemy’s hands. 

If any of your readers with accounts at Barclays Bank will send me orders on the Bank, I will do the rest, and, needless to say, I shall be pleased to receive any donations, large or small. I trust also that in view of the special and pressing character of this appeal, you will be ready to receive subscriptions or donations at the Leighton Buzzard Observer Office.”

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 30th July 1918

Woman Ambulance Driver Receives Military Medal

Miss Hilda May Dickinson and Great Dane [Luton News, 1st August 1918]

Friday 26th July 1918: News has reached Leighton Buzzard that Miss Hilda May Dickinson, whose widowed mother Adeline lives at Heath Cottage in Heath Road, has been awarded the Military Medal for bravery. Miss Dickinson went out to Belgium as a nurse at the beginning of the war, where she helped the wounded during the fighting at Antwerp and was decorated by the Belgians for her work there. She then spent six months nursing in a French hospital. After returning to England she worked at Woolwich for eleven months before joining the Military Transport in London. She was sent back to France on Christmas Eve last year and is now serving as an ambulance worker in the First Army Nursing Yeomanry. General Plummer’s notification states that the Military Medal was awarded:

“For conspicuous devotion to duty during the hostile air-raid, on the night of May 18th, 1918. This lady was out with her car during the raid, picking up and in every way assisting the wounded and injured, showing great bravery and coolness, and was an example to all ranks.”

Before the war Miss Dickinson was an enthusiastic breeder of Great Danes, and was a familiar sight in the town with her animals. One champion dog has accompanied her throughout her travels; she says it is a great protection to her when the enemy gets at close quarters. We reported in January 1916 on the adventures of Miss Dickinson’s sister Edith, who escaped from Serbia in a hazardous trek across the mountains following the fall of Belgrade, where she had been serving as a hospital chauffeur orderly.

Source: Luton News, 1st August 1918

Belgian Charged with Failure to Register

Leighton Buzzard High Street with Swan Hotel to the left, c.1900 [Z1306/72/10/1]

Saturday 13th July 1918: George Marie Van-der-Poele, a Belgian subject, has appeared at the Leighton Buzzard police court after receiving a summons for failing to notify the Registration Officer of where he intended to be living and the date on which he changed his place of residence. Mr Van-der-Poele came from London on 26th June intending to stay at the Swan Hotel and duly reported his arrival. However, he should have had his identity book stamped before he left London and this had not been done. Speaking in broken English he explained that he had intended to return to London but had some difficulty in getting a season ticket. He was then advised to inform the London police. The proprietor of the Swan Hotel later notified the Leighton Buzzard police that Mr Van-der-Poele had gone, and the next day a postcard was received saying that he had returned to London.

While the prosecution did not want a heavy penalty to be imposed, they did wish the magistrates to make it clear to Mr. Van-der-Poele that he was obliged to inform the police whenever he decided to change his residence. He had been fined for a similar offence at Linslade last February, although in that case he had been to France without notifying the police. The Chairman explained to Mr. Van-der-Poele that notice must be given by foreigners before changing address, and that sending a postcard after the event was not sufficient.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 16th July 1918

Linslade Neighbours are Prisoners of War

Group of Bedfordshire prisoners of war, 1919 [Z1306/16/36/16]

Saturday 29th June 1918: Rifleman Arthur William Sayell of the Rifle Brigade, who is now a prisoner of war in Germany after being captured at St. Quentin on 21st March, has written to his parents at Springfield Road, Linslade. After being taken prisoner he was marched for some distance and then put on a train for Giessen, where he was kept for three weeks. He has now been moved to Limburg Camp. Rifleman Joe Woods, of Fern View, Springfield Road had been with Rifleman Sayell since they joined the army. They were captured together, but were parted after they reached Giessen.

Rifleman Sayell says that so far he has been treated decently and is getting enough food. He has received food parcels from the Prisoners of War Help Committee and the Red Cross, including biscuits, cocoa, condensed milk, roast mutton, beef and dripping. He complains that time passes very slowly, although they expect soon to be given some work. In the same barracks he has met Horace Rollings of George Street, Leighton Buzzard, who had only just returned from leave when he was captured.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 2nd July 1918

Motor Transport Volunteers

Cars on the forecourt of the Swan Hotel, Bedford, 1907 [Z50/9/299]

Thursday 13th June 1918: A half section of the Motor Transport Volunteers is to be formed in Leighton Buzzard, with Second Lieutenant Pannell of the Chalet, Dunstable, in charge. The Volunteers will be men over military age who are exempted by Tribunals or who hold protection certificates. They will be required to enrol both themselves and their vehicles, either a car if they possess one, or a motorcycle. Between 15 and 20 volunteers will be required. It is expected that they will mostly be men who already know each other and meet in other work. Membership of the corps will allow them to use their cars for authorised military duties.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 18th June 1918 

Farmer Fined for Wasting Food

Swedes (from Wikimedia)

Tuesday 28th May 1918: Farmer John Dancer of Leighton Buzzard has appeared today at the Petty Sessions charged with permitting foodstuffs to be wasted. Proceedings were taken at the direction of the Ministry of Food. The Beds War Agricultural Executive Committee arranged a routine inspection of Mr Dancer’s farm at Heath and Reach on March 12th, and found a very large quantity of swede turnips lying about in fifteen small heaps, each containing about 1½ cwt of the vegetables. Mr. Dancer stated that he had pulled the turnips last November and covered them with leaves, but had not put any earth on them. Many were found to be frost bitten, and at least half were useless as food for either man or beast. Two other witnesses confirmed the poor state of the turnips, with one in no doubt that it was “simply the result of sheer carelessness”.

Mr. Dancer said he took the farm ten years ago and it was managed by his son William. He had heard that turnips kept better in small quantities and were not affected by cold or wet. Both he and his son thought the best way to preserve them was to cover them with leaves. However, another farmer, John Hopkins, stated that the best way to keep swedes was to cover them with dirt. Two other witnesses spoke on Mr. Dancer’s behalf. Walter Mills said he had bought some of Dancer’s turnips to feed to his pigs and none were bad. Another farmer, Arthur Syres, had also bought some of the swedes and their condition was “very fair for the time of the year”. After some consideration the Bench found Mr. Dancer guilty and imposed a £5 fine.  

Source: Luton News, 30th May 1918

Death of Private John Quick

Saturday 25th May 1918: The mother of Private Francis John Quick of the Middlesex Regiment, who died of wounds earlier this week, has received the following letter of sympathy from the Captain of his Company:

“I had known Private Quick for a very long time, and always considered him, both as a soldier and a sportsman, one of the best men I ever had in the company. He was wounded whilst on a bicycle carrying an important message, and it will possibly be some slight consolation to you to know that the whole thing occurred just outside one of our officers’ messes, where he received immediate attention and was in hospital within 20 minutes. I visited him in hospital about 10 minutes later and stayed with him until the doctor was ready to dress his wounds properly. Your son was quite conscious and able to speak to me and did not seem to be suffering greatly. His last words to me were “cheerio!” and I promised to visit him again next day, which I did, but unfortunately he had passed away a few hours earlier. All who came in contact with your son after he was wounded are high in their praise as to his conduct throughout. Within the last hour I have been over to visit his grave. It is all very peaceful, many miles from the line. He lies amongst many of his late comrades, and the cross next to his bears the name of a Captain in a very famous division. It is a beautifully kept ground and you may feel quite sure in your mind that your son’s grave will receive every necessary attention.”

Mrs. Quick lives at 92, Bassett Road, Leighton Buzzard. Her son was twenty years old and serving with the 11th Entrenching Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 28th May 1918

[1] Private Quick is buried at the Duisans British Cemetery at Etrun, near Calais.

Fare Dodging by Munitions Workers

Dunstable Town Railway Station, c.1928 [Z1306/36/14/2]

Wednesday 8th May 1918: Three young women have been fined for fare dodging on the London and North-Western Railway. Linslade Police Court heard that on 27th February Elizabeth Maud Vincent, of 52 Wing Road, Linslade, and Daisy Sutton of 10, Summer Street, Leighton Buzzard arrived at Leighton Buzzard Station from Dunstable. When asked for their tickets as they were leaving the station both young women said they had lost them. They claimed to have walked from Chaul End, where they work in a munitions factory, to Dunstable, and to have booked their tickets there. When inquiries showed this was not true, Vincent admitted she had used her brother’s weekly ticket while he was on night work, and had not paid the fare either way. Sutton said she went to Chaul End with her sister Mabel; when she returned  she had borrowed her sister’s weekly ticket and had also not paid the fare. Daisy Sutton and Elizabeth Vincent were fined £1 5s.6d. and £1.15s.6d. respectively for travelling without tickets, and Mabel Sutton was fined £1.0s.6d for transferring her weekly ticket to her sister. Vincent told the court “I know this sort of thing is being done by other girls”.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 14th May 1918

Leighton Buzzard Soldier has a Narrow Escape

Friday Street, Leighton Buzzard c.1925 [WL800/2]

Saturday 4th May 1918: Bombadier J. Pool of Friday Street, Leighton Buzzard has sent home a French Testament as a souvenir of the war. This volume, which is around an inch thick, contains a piece of shrapnel which passed through one cover but not the other. Bombadier Pool was carrying the Testament in his breast pocket at the time it was hit, and he is in no doubt that it saved his life. A handkerchief which was in the same pocket now has four holes where the shrapnel passed through the folded fabric.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 7th May 1918