Wednesday
30th June 1915: A soldier of the Leicester Regiment has
appeared at the Bedford Borough Sessions charged with obtaining food valued at
1s 6d from Emma Amos by false pretences. Jack Smith, alias John Miles, alias
David Ross had previously been convicted on a similar charge here at Bedford in
October. At that time he was serving as a private in a Scottish Regiment, from
which he was discharged as a result of the conviction.
It was stated that Smith had
called at houses in Bedford, Wilstead and Goldington claiming that he needed to
billet a large number of soldiers. He arranged for the residents to get food
in, which most did, putting them to a great deal of inconvenience. He got
nothing from them for himself beyond a drink or two. He obtained food and
lodgings for a night from Emma Amos on the same pretence. Captain Porter of the
Leicester Regiment, which is stationed at Luton, told the court that Smith had
been in his Battalion since January 3rd, since when there had been only one
small complaint against him. Smith himself gave a written statement, which
merely repeated promises of reform he had made last October. The Recorder was
unmoved and Smith was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment with hard labour.
Source:
Bedfordshire Times 2nd July 1915
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