Luton Boy Fires at Soldier

Thursday 15th July 1915: Soldiers have become all too used to being fired at by the enemy, but they do not expect to be shot at before they reach the Front. A Luton boy, Arthur Holton of 150 Farley Hill, has appeared at Luton Police Court where he pleaded not guilty to firing a bullet across the hill on July 10th. Private Thomas Short of the 2/5th Lincolns told the court that he saw Holton standing in a passage with a gun in his hand. Holton said his gun was as good as the soldier’s, then shot a little round bullet into Private Short’s eye. Holton claimed that he had shot across the road, not at the soldier. Another private in the same regiment, Sidney Nicholls, said that Short had said “Shun” to Holton, who then made the comment about his gun being as good and shot, hitting Short in the eye. Detective Attwood produced the gun, for which Holton had no licence. Holton had told him he was shooting across the road and did not mean to hit Short. The boy said he had given three shillings for the gun, had not had it for long and was only testing it. The Chairman of the Bench said he should have tested it over a field. The boy was fined 20 shillings and the gun was confiscated.

Source: Luton News 15th July 1915