Fare Dodger on the Midland Railway

Luton Midland Railway Station c.1905 Z1306/75/13/6

Wednesday 27th March 1918: Stanley Scales, a 35 year old munition worker of 4 Alma Street, Luton, has appeared at the Luton Borough Police Court charged with travelling on the Midland Railway without having paid his fare and with giving a false name and address. He denied the first charge but admitted the second.

Mr. Scales had travelled from Harpenden to Luton but only had a ticket for the journey from Luton to Harpenden. Arthur George Miller, a porter at Luton Midland Station said he was on duty on January 29th when the 11.27 train from St. Pancras was due, but the train did not arrive until 2 a.m. due to an air raid. He spotted that the ticket Scales produced was wrong and Scales offered him one shilling. Miller refused and Scales gave him the name H. Brown and a false address. The next day Scales gave him the name Friday and a Collingdon Street address. Scales said this was true and his nickname was “Friday”.

Harry Jayes told the court he was on duty at Harpenden on the the night of the 29th January. Scales was the only passenger and had plenty of time to book but did not attempt to do so. Scales said he had a sleep in Jayes’ room and had mentioned the matter to Jayes; the ticket office was never open. Jayes denied this. Scales also claimed that the air raid being on had unnerved him. He was fined twenty shillings in each case.

Source: Luton News 28th March 1918