Page 19 - RVM-HB-KTHFB
P. 19
Keep The Home Fires Burning
The mother of the family now became the
head the of the house hold. She would
have had to deal with finances, there had
been a rise in rents in the early part of the
war, and the food queues and rationing
later. The muddle over the Separation
allowance and pensions, caused hardship
although local charities helped were they
could. To add to this muddle the authorities
found that many wives were common law
wives, they sensibly added the phase ‘as a
wife’ and paid both the married and
unmarried the same amount of money. This
incensed Mr J Willis Bund chairman of the
Worcestershire pension committee who
thought it a great scandal government
treating immorality the same as morality
It wasn’t until 1915 when the Naval and
Military pensions Act were passed. the
solders wives did their best on 12/6 for
themselves and 2 shillings for each of their
children. Many had to work in the local
factories to make ends meet. Leaving their
children with family and friends, and child
minders, the local schools took under fives,
there were around 648 in the Redditch
schools by the middle of the war.
However older children could be a problem, theft by children of school age and above was
increasing. As the indicator put it “, boys about school age are getting out of hand.”Two
or three children a week were appearing in the juvenile court each week. There was a rise
in juvenile crime nationally it was estimated that it rose by 40% or 50% in the four years
of the war. Although this seems a high figurer it is worth remembering that the categories
of child crime had not been counted before. Despite this sudden rise in crime disturbed
the local authority.
The most common crime was seems to have been theft and the miscreant are usually
boys. Thefts range from taking eggs, stealing a pineapple from green grocers, to
threatening a younger child and taking 10 shillings from him and general mischief.
Theories were put forwarded for the reasons there was an increase in Redditch. The
favourite being as the child's father or older brothers were on military service and their
mother working long hours the child had no discipline at home. In fact the breakup of a
settled home life. One correspondent to the “Indicator “, made a suggestion that children
from a poorer background saw their better off classmates and older working siblings with
pocket money to buy things they could not afford; this in turn encouraged them to take
what they wanted so they could buy sweets.
One of the places Juvenile delinquent were believed to spend his money was the cinema.
Films became very popular they were escapism for everyone. But there was national
concern expressed by the news papers about by the effects films were having on children.
The Bishop of Worcesters Lenten conferences in 1918 was on the effects of cinema on
children. This was held at the Redditch Church institute, the discussion was” serial film...
Source: Sue Tatlow Page: 19
The mother of the family now became the
head the of the house hold. She would
have had to deal with finances, there had
been a rise in rents in the early part of the
war, and the food queues and rationing
later. The muddle over the Separation
allowance and pensions, caused hardship
although local charities helped were they
could. To add to this muddle the authorities
found that many wives were common law
wives, they sensibly added the phase ‘as a
wife’ and paid both the married and
unmarried the same amount of money. This
incensed Mr J Willis Bund chairman of the
Worcestershire pension committee who
thought it a great scandal government
treating immorality the same as morality
It wasn’t until 1915 when the Naval and
Military pensions Act were passed. the
solders wives did their best on 12/6 for
themselves and 2 shillings for each of their
children. Many had to work in the local
factories to make ends meet. Leaving their
children with family and friends, and child
minders, the local schools took under fives,
there were around 648 in the Redditch
schools by the middle of the war.
However older children could be a problem, theft by children of school age and above was
increasing. As the indicator put it “, boys about school age are getting out of hand.”Two
or three children a week were appearing in the juvenile court each week. There was a rise
in juvenile crime nationally it was estimated that it rose by 40% or 50% in the four years
of the war. Although this seems a high figurer it is worth remembering that the categories
of child crime had not been counted before. Despite this sudden rise in crime disturbed
the local authority.
The most common crime was seems to have been theft and the miscreant are usually
boys. Thefts range from taking eggs, stealing a pineapple from green grocers, to
threatening a younger child and taking 10 shillings from him and general mischief.
Theories were put forwarded for the reasons there was an increase in Redditch. The
favourite being as the child's father or older brothers were on military service and their
mother working long hours the child had no discipline at home. In fact the breakup of a
settled home life. One correspondent to the “Indicator “, made a suggestion that children
from a poorer background saw their better off classmates and older working siblings with
pocket money to buy things they could not afford; this in turn encouraged them to take
what they wanted so they could buy sweets.
One of the places Juvenile delinquent were believed to spend his money was the cinema.
Films became very popular they were escapism for everyone. But there was national
concern expressed by the news papers about by the effects films were having on children.
The Bishop of Worcesters Lenten conferences in 1918 was on the effects of cinema on
children. This was held at the Redditch Church institute, the discussion was” serial film...
Source: Sue Tatlow Page: 19
