Illegal Employment of School Children
"Wisbech Standard" - October 1, 1915

March Petty Sessions
        Tuesday - before Messrs. J.E.J. Smith [in the chair], J. Collingwood and G. Foster        
         
        JURY LISTS.
        The jury lists for March, Wimblington and Doddington were presented by the respective Assistant 
        Overseers [MessrsH. Coy, A.W. Broker and J.H. Sharwood] and approved.

        ILLEGAL EMPLOYMENT             
        John William WHITTOME, farmer, Doddington, was summoned at the instance of W.E. Sandall,
        School Attendance Officer, for employing four children under twelve years of age, viz. Robert WRIGHT,
        Reginald BRADSHAW, William DAWSON and Walter WRIGHT. 

        Defendant did not appear, but was represented by his foreman.  The four cases were taken together.

        Prior to giving evidence, Mr. Sandall said that the Education Committee had made every effort to 
        assist farmers with their work.  They fully realised that the present was great war and accordingly 
        they made arrangements to let boys of twelve years of age go free to work on the land.  In addition
        to that, they were frequently writing out total exemption certificates for boys of 12 and 13, while 
        under very special circumstances children of 11 could go, but they must have passed Standard IV.
        Of all this the defendant had been informed, and witness had done his best for him in respect of 
        warnings to prevent the necessity of bringing these cases into Court, but in spite of that he found 
        all these children of school age - one in particular being only 9 - employed.  The Committee and
        himself had tried to help defendant and his failure to comply with the regulations was the cause of 
        his being summoned.

        Mr. Sandall stated that at 10-30 a.m. on the 16th inst. he visited defendant's farm at Ransonmoor, 
        Doddington, and found the following boys at work:  
        Wm. Dawson [11], Robert Wright [9], Walter Wright [11] and Reginald Bradshaw [10].  He saw Mr. Whittome
        in the afternoon and told him that he had been to his farm and found the four boys named at work.  He 
        said they were under 12 and asked him to stop them, to which defendant replied "I cannot stop them; I
        have my harvest to get in and must have the boys".  Witness asked him to see that they went to school
        on the Monday, and he replied that he must have them the next week.

        Defendant's foreman said that they had to have the boys there otherwise they would have to stop one set.

        The Chairman said that defendant had rendered himself liable to a fine of 40s. in each case, but they 
        would make it 20s, in each case.  The parents of the boys had not been prosecuted for failing to send 
        their children to school, but according to the law they ought to have been.  They must bear in mind
        that the children must go to school in the future. 
    
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This page created 28 January 2005   
& updated/amended 20:33 26/02/2020