Here is this week’s round-up of pieces from the Batley News relating to the parish of St Mary’s. As usual I have put in bold the names of those connected to the parish who served with the military. And, as ever, the spelling and punctuation matches that of the newspaper.
Soldier John Curley was before the local magistrates.
MR. JOE AUTY AND THE SOLDIER. —John Curley, Villiers Street, Batley, a soldier wearing three wound stripes, was remanded to await an escort as an absentee from his regiment, was stated at Batley Court on Monday to have given a wrong name when apprehended by the police. —Mr. Joe Auty: A man who gives a wrong name ought to be thoroughly ashamed of himself, and is not fit to live.
The magistrate’s extreme reaction prompted an equally robust public response, which featured in the following week’s newspaper.
The next tale concerns a family only briefly in the parish:
A Cross Bank Woman’s Allegations
William Riches (52), mill worker, 35, Broad Marsh, Nottingham, failed to answer a summons charging him with deserting his wife, Margaret Riches. Outlining the case, Mr. Samuel Brearley said complainant lived at No. 2, Yard 2, Cross Bank Road, Batley. The parties were married at Northampton Catholic Church on May 8th, 1905, the man being complainant’s second husband. There were three children born before the marriage. As an indication of the defendant’s migratory tendencies, they had lived at ten places. While living at Retford defendant patriotically joined the Army (Army Vetinary Corps), though over age. While he was away Mrs. Riches came to live at Batley, and defendant, when discharged, joined her. On May 24th complainant followed her husband up Coal Pit Lane, Carlinghow, and saw him enter the house of a woman who was living apart from her husband. When spoken to he said he would do as he liked, and the following day left home, taking his clothes with him. She had since gone to Nottingham and found her husband and the woman had been living as man and wife and had registered as such under the Alien Restriction Order. Defendant was earning £3 19s. on munitions work, in addition to his pension of £1 a week. One son was serving in the Army, and two children were at home with her. —Complainant, who bore out these statements, said that at Not- [the next line is missing] money and now you have come to disturb me.” —The Magistrates ordered payment of £1 a week to complainant and the costs of the case.
The couple were seemingly reconciled and together in Oldham in 1921. Margaret emigrated to America in 1925, settling in Chicago, Illinois.
The final piece this week is Monday’s sitting of Batley Tribunal looking at military service exemptions. Amongst the clutch of Temporary Exemptions granted for workers at Messrs. J. T. and J. Taylor, Ltd., woollen manufacturers, was one for single-man Michael Merriman (35), 25, Cooper Street, an oil pressman, medical classification Grade 3.
Past To Present Genealogy 