The previous blog on the dishonest apprentice referred to my mother's maternal grandfather Fred Shirt but the following refers to her paternal grandfather and my great grandfather Alonzo Hemsworth.
Once again the first I knew about this incident is when I discovered it in the British Newspaper Archive Needless to say it never came up in family conversations!
It is from the Yorkshire Telegraph and Star dated 8th September 1910 and refers to an accident that occurred on 21st August at South Street and Cemetery Road in Sheffield
Reading the report it does not appear a first glance to be favourable towards my great grandfather. The girl was carried "some distance on the front of the car" and when he eventually stopped he refused to take the girl to hospital. He was according to the prosecution travelling at between 15 and 20 miles an hour which was deemed excessive given the nature of the road. This I find difficult to believe - if he was travelling at that speed the girl would have in all probability been killed or at best seriously injured.
My great grandfather said he was travelling at 5 to 6 miles an hour and skidded 6 inch.
At that speed the girl would have and did survive and there is nothing to indicate that she sustained any major injury or trauma. I am more dubious about the 6 inch claim as I am about him travelling some distance with the girl on his bonnet. Also the fact that he did not take to hospital points to the fact that her injuries if any were superficial.
But he lost his licence for 6 month and was fined £2 which is about £165 in todays money.
And so thanks to the BNA I have discovered that both my maternal great grandparents had a criminal past
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