Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: August 17th, 1918.

Widespread sympathy will be extended to Mr and Mrs Christopher Cunningham, of Gateside, Cardiff Road, in the distressing news which reached them this morning that their youngest son, Ronald, had met his death at an aerodrome in Norfolk.

Ron Cunningham, as he was popularly known, was 18 years of age last September. Pictured right, he applied for and obtained admission to the Royal Flying Corps Cadet Wing at Hastings, whence he in due course passed out satisfactorily and entered upon a course of military aeronautics in the West of England. Subsequently he also qualified in gunnery, and then commenced flying some two months since at an aerodrome in Norfolk.

This week he was expecting to graduate as a full service pilot, and to be home on his usual leave. He was unable to complete it, however, before the usual fortnightly rest day at the aerodrome, and Tuesday last he decided to spend the holiday in Luton and return to do a height test to complete his flying apprenticeship.

Whether he had successfully done the height test, or whether the accident happened in the course of it, we are at the moment unable to say, but the sad news reached Luton this morning that he had crashed and met his death. His father at once left Luton for Norfolk, and it is hoped to bring the body home to Luton for interment.

• Conspicuous figures in Luton during the past few days have been several Lutonians home on leave wearing the uniform and large helmets served out for service in tropical countries. This fact led the townspeople to believe that they were home from Salonica, Egypt and the Far East, but we understand most of them are on leave from Italy and that very few have arrived as yet from further east. The men are chiefly members of the original Eastern Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance. Among them are L-Cpl Hudson, of Stanley Street; Pte Smart, of Grove Road; and Pte Howard, of Gladstone Avenue.

• Among those on leave was Pte W. H. Darby who on Saturday was married at Wellington Street Baptist Church to Miss Emily Tallon, of North Street, Luton. Pte Darby was a member of the former Crusaders Football Club, and he played for Luton Reserves. He had not been in England for two years, and returned to service yesterday. His chum, Pte Dickinson, with whom he had served in France and Italy, arrived home just in time to attend the wedding.

• The wedding took place on August 8th at Heath and Reach Baptist Church of Miss Florence Ada Whiting, youngest daughter of Mrs M. A. Whiting, of 7 Woburn Road, Heath and Reach, to Rifleman Leslie Claude Barrett, eldest son of Mr and Mrs Barrett, of 93 North Street, Luton. The bridegroom is serving in France, and there was therefore no honeymoon. After a short time of leave he returned to his unit yesterday.

• A 15-year-old munition worker from Albert Road was charged at Luton Borough Police Court this morning with sixpennyworth of wilful damage to a tree belonging to the Corporation on August 8th. P.Sgt Janes said he saw defendant with a piece or cord round the branch of a chestnut tree in Windmill Road and break it off to get conkers. The defendant, who said he worked at Messrs Kent's had earned £1 0s 1½d plus a 5s war bonus this week, was ordered to pay a 10 shillings fined.

• Wednesday night's Gazette contained an announcement of the dissolution of partnership between Arthur James Higgins and Frederick George Higgins, straw hat manufacturers, Bute Street, Luton.

• About 12.30 this morning, Mr J. M. Hodges, manager of a fried fish shop at 44 Bury Park Road, awoke to find the room full of smoke. Jumping out of bed, he got his wife and children out of the place and raised the alarm. A floor joist and the ventilation shaft for the fish cooking stove were alight owing to a defective flue but the flames had not got a strong hold and were quickly dealt with.

• The employees of Messrs George Kent Ltd held a sports meeting this afternoon in a field adjoining the Chaul End Works. The crowd, which was rather thin at the start, steadily augmented until it reach considerable dimensions, and the Bute Hospital, Children's Home and the discharged soldiers and sailors should benefit considerably thereby.