by carol524459 » Fri Mar 12, 2021 11:19 pm
I thought I'd copy a transcript of the newspaper article. My grandad was Joseph and he was teetotal his whole life so I guess his childhood memories were very bad.
"HERTFORDSHIRE MERCURY 1915, page 5
Hertfordshire Borough Sessions Thursday…
HARD LABOUR FOR CHILD NEGLECT – Annie Judd (35) a married woman, of Railway Street, who adopted a very defiant attitude in Court, was summoned for ill-treating and neglecting her five children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering and injury to health. Inspector O. Melaniphy of the NSPCC, said that on October 7 he went to the defendant’s house, and had much difficulty in obtaining admittance. Witness went upstairs and there discovered Mrs Judd in bed with two children. The house was in a filthy condition, and in consequence of the state of the place and the children he called in Dr Hall. The boy David, aged 6, had a bad sore on the left hand, was dirty, and badly shod: Charlie (7) had four sores on the back of his head: Joseph (11) had an old pair of corduroy trousers on and was badly shod : Ellen (9) had sores on her feet: and Violet (13) had a sore on a toe. There was only one bed in the house and there were some rags on the floor, on which the defendant said the boys slept at night. There was no blanket, and the clothing on the bed was in a filthy condition. The children had been removed to the workhouse.
Dr HSW Hall gave corroborative evidence, and said the house was very foul smelling and dirty. There was absolutely nothing to cover the children at night. PS Palmer said that at 1am on September 30 he went to the defendant’s house to search for an absentee, when defendant was under the influence of drink. The children were sleeping with a few old rags over them. He had frequently seen defendant drinking with men. Her husband was at the front. PC Read said that on Saturday August 7 at 10.30pm he was in Railway Street when he received information that there was groaning and an awful noise at defendant’s house. He opened the door and found a soldier dead drunk and asleep on the sofa. Another soldier was on the floor under the influence of drink, with Mrs Judd who was also drunk, lying by his side. The soldiers were reported. Inspector Melaniphy said the defendant’s allowance of 23s. a week had been stopped by the War Office on October 23. Defendant was sentenced to two month’s hard labour, and an order was made for the children to remain in the workhouse until the Society could find a home for them."
(Apologies if this is too long for a post.)