Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: June 16th, 1917.

• Wardown Lake bridge in 1926 (Photo: W. H. Cox).

Last night about 8 o'clock a most exciting incident occurred in Wardown Park in which Pc Mason, of the Borough Force, accomplished a very smart rescue from the lake. A number of children were playing about on the town side of the first bridge. Suddenly, a little girl named Dorothy Dean, aged nine years, of 11 Ashton Road, toppled over into the lake, which at that part is rather deep.

The child shrieked out and a number of people rushed to the bank. The child was in imminent peril, and was drifting out towards the centre of the lake, when Pc Mason, who was on duty near at the time, heard the children cry out and, hurrying to the side, he waded in.

He grasped the child and brought her to the bank. She was in so exhausted a condition that he immediately began artificial respiration, which after a few minutes was completely successful. The child recovered, and the constable then wrung most of the water out of her garments, gave her into the charge of her sister and saw her on a tramcar for home.

• Among those in Wednesday's London air raid to have a lucky escape was Mr G. Hickman, of the Ryto Cycle Stores, New Bedford Road, Luton. He happened to be in the East End of London when the Taubes arrived. He said: "I was walking along the street and heard one report but did not take much notice, as I thought it was the noise made by men who were moving big cases by the side of the warehouses. Then came a second bomb, and the detonation ws terrible. It dropped on buildings near where I was walking. I was against the roadway, and the concussion threw me across the footpath up against the wall. My head was bruised, and I was in danger from the falling debris, but I am thankful I had such a lucky escape."

• A soldier in the Army Service Corps names Evan Holding, attached to the Training Reserve, was loading chaff on to a lorry [cart] at the Midland Railway siding at Limbury on Thursday afternoon when he met with a bad accident. He was pulling on the rope with his back to the horses when the rope snapped and he fell backwards between the horses and the lorry. The horses became frightened and started off, dragging the man with them. Fortunately they were quickly stopped by a sergeant, but not before Holding had sustained severe cuts and bruises to the head and face. He was taken to the Bute Hospital and a good number of stitches had to be inserted. He is now progressing satisfactorily.

• One of Luton's Red Cross bandsman, Sgt Albert Mullett, son of Mr and Mrs W. F. Mullett, of 142 Castle Street, Luton, has been killed in action. He enlisted in the Beds Regiment shortly after the outbreak of war and was only 26 years of age.

• The news of the death in action last Thursday of her son Frederick George Charge, a gunner in the R.G.A., came as a great shock to Mrs Charge, of 109 Maple Road, Luton. It was contained in a letter from Second Lieut C. Copp, who wrote: "He was one of six brave men killed by a German shell."

• News has been received that Pte F. W. Bunker, son of Mrs Bunker, of 28 Russell Rise, Luton, was wounded in the left shoulder and elbow whilst taking part in "Haig's Big Bang" at Messines Ridge, and is now in hospital near Birkenhead. Pte Bunker enlisted in September 1914 in the Bedfordshire Territorials and went to Gallipoli in July 1915, but was subsequently invalided home with dysentery. He was next attached to the Royal Fusiliers upon proceeding to France in September last.

• The khaki element was certainly to the fore in the wedding solemnised on Thursday at Christ Church, Luton, between Miss Hilda Olive Kingswell, daughter of Mrs F. Kingswell, 63 Tennyson Road, and Pte Horace Stewart Gentle, son of Mr and Mrs H. A. Gentle, of Beech Hill, Luton. The bridegroom is serving in the Army Service Corps, Motor Transport Corps.

• The suggestion of the Vicar of Biscot, the Rev S. H. Collins, that a park or open space should be provided in Leagrave was to be referred to a parish meeting. Mr P. Blundell thought the Common [Leagrave Marsh] could be converted into a suitable piece of ground for the purpose, saying it was one of the most picturesque pieces of land in the county.

• The plant and machinery of the Luton Reporter newspaper at Park Square, Luton, were sold by auction by Mr H. Ruddock on Thursday, by instructions of the proprietors. It is stated that arrangements have been made for the printing of the paper elsewhere - we understand in London.

• Yesterday morning an alarming outbreak of fire occurred on the premises of Mr H. W. Spratley, hairdresser, 6 Wellington Street. It was in the umbrella repairing room on the first floor over the shop. The fire had an alarming hold on the goods in the room, and even on the window frames. It was extinguished in under half an hour by the Fire Brigade, but damage to materials and building will probably amount to £100. The cause of the outbreak is unknown.

• What a day! It reminds one of the days before summer holidays were taboo. At 1 o'clock the thermometer registered 115 degrees F in the sun. Inside the composing room of the Telegraph office a temperature of 87 degrees was registered, while an itinerant vocalist in Manchester Street found three spasms of Three Blind Mice quite enough exertion.