Thursday 10 February 2022

A Surprise for Slackers - Sheffield April 1917

 This cutting I hgave had for years and it is fron the Western Daily Press dated 22nd April 1917.

I did not do anything with the cutting as I did not know where the raid was carried out - it had been blanked for some reason or another. But a trawl of the British Newspaper Archive had another report from the Weekly Dispatch dated 22nd April 1922 and it was idetical but this time it stated that raid was on the coke ovens at Nunnery Colliery in Sheffield. 


Unfortunately there were no further details of these "batch of men" but reading the newspapers around that time it is startling to read the bitterness and anger that was directed towards anyone who was perceived to be "shirking" or "slacking" or "not pulling their weight." And particular hostility was directed at consientious objectors who apart from periods of imprisonment and forced labour had to endure constant vilification from politicians, the press and the general public. Modern parallels??. 



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