Diary: Luton's oldest weekly newspaper closing

 

Stories from The Luton News: Thursday, February 24th, 1916.

Last edition of the Beds Advertiser

The final edition of the Bedfordshire Advertiser, launched in 1855 as The Luton Times. The first front page of The Luton Times is reproduced below, carrying a report of the Siege of Sebastopol during the Crimean War.

 

Owing to the very great increase in the price of paper and the shortage of supplies consequent upon the Government's restriction on the importation of paper, The Luton News announced that it would suspend publication of its sister newspaper, the Bedfordshire Advertiser, after tomorrow's February 25th edition, and raise the cover price of the News from ½d to 1d. The Saturday Telegraph would publish as previously.

Luton Times No 1The Advertiser, launched by John Wiseman as the Luton Times, Luton's first weekly newspaper, on July 7th, 1855, was taken over by Luton News publishers Gibbs, Bamforth and Co at the end of March 1915. The name was to be incorporated in The Luton News and Bedfordshire Chronicle under the new title of The Luton News and Bedfordshire Advertiser.

"Unfortunately the war, with its drain upon our staff, has rendered necessary economy of labour as well as of material, "said The Luton News. "We have prided ourselves upon the News being the best half-penny provincial weekly between London and Leicester and it is a source of regret that it is the exigencies of the paper market which now compel us to join the ranks, at any rate temporarily, of the penny weeklies."

  • Capt Edward E. Simeons , 8th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, died of wounds while serving on the Western Front. He was the nephew of Mr T. A. Cawley, who ran the British Gelatine Works in New Bedford Road, Luton, and had lived there with his aunt and uncle since 1910.

  • The father of an absentee from the Royal Engineers who delivered his own son into police custody asked Luton Borough Court yesterday to grant him a reward as given to police officers. The court made no recommendation but complimented the father on doing his duty. The father said he would rather have the 5s reward. The son, who had spent five weeks in Ireland to keep out of the way of the police, was remanded for an escort back to his regiment.

  • Flight Commander Hewlett, the well-known naval airman and son of Mrs Hewlett, of Hewlett & Blondeau Ltd, Leagrave, was fined £1 at Dover on Saturday for allowing a light to show from his bedroom at the Grand Hotel. Flt commander Hewlett took part in the Christmas air raid on Cuxhaven, when he was reported missing, being afterwards picked up in the North Sea.

  • Pte Wood, a soldier home on leave, rescued his three children sleeping in a burning bed at a house in Cobden Street. His wife, who was unwell, had come downstairs from the bedroom in which a fire had been lit. A spark from the grate was thought to have caused the bedding to catch alight. Pte Wood and another soldier had put the blaze out by the time the Fire Brigade arrived.

  • Pte E. Grubb, 1/5th Bedfords, of 9 Windmill Street, Luton, who has been in hospital at Reading for some weeks after being wounded in Gallipoli, has had a finger amputated.

  • Luton's air raid sirens were to be sounded for the first time on Sunday to give Lutonians an opportunity to acquaint themselves with their sound. The Town Council placed an advert in the Press to say that sirens at the Police Station and the Electricity Works would be sounded at one o'clock on Sunday, February 27th.

  • Six cases of diphtheria were reported at Leagrave - and there would probably be others. Luton Rural District Council Medical Officer Dr Rollings said it was the old story of the spread of infectious disease - a person was taken ill and friends and neighbours paid visits. One of the cases involved a girl from Stondon who had died, and afterwards several girls went to look at her. Dr Rollings said prompt removal of cases to the isolation hospital would be facilitated if the hospital was directly on the telephone.

  • After four lighting cases had been dealt with at the Luton Borough Court yesterday, the Mayor (Alderman J. H. Staddon) said the magistrates wished it to be stated that the penalties had been very lenient up to the present, but the continual summonses which had to be dealt with week by week made them come to the conclusion that the fines must be increased very considerably if the public were not going to comply with the Order. Occupiers of properties in George Street, Langley Road, King's Road and Park Street were fined between 20s and 40s at the court.

  • A tram driven by Horace Wilson, of 23 Peach Street, Luton, ran into seven beasts in Manchester Street at 6.30 on Monday evening. The cattle, the property of butcher Mr Fisher, were being driven by Frederick Bowler. Three of the animals were injured, one so severely that it had to be taken to the slaughterhouse in a float and killed at once.

  • Olive May Dickinson, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs H. C. Dickinson, of 39 Dale Road, Luton, was married at Christ Church on Saturday to Driver William Breed, of the Honourable Artillery Company. The couple afterwards left for London for a honeymoon during the bridegroom's short leave.