Follow the Great War Via Burton Mail
Staff and volunteers working with the Staffordshire Archives are tracing the progression of the war through the reports found in the Burton News.
Burton Mail : Articles from WW1 [Held at Burton Library]
January 1916
MONDAY JANUARY 10TH 1916: SHORTAGE OF FARM LABOUR
Lord St. Andries appeal to women.
Speaking at [Tangton] on Saturday in reference to the shortage of agricultural labour, Lord St. Andries said this shortage, far from diminishing was going to increase for both under Lord Derby‘s scheme and the bill now before Parliament. A great many more men would be taken from the land. To overcome the difficulty they wanted help from women in the county district. The services of women could be utilised in various ways, such as dairying, leading of horses, weeding etc. Women also could look after their own cottage gardens and produce food for themselves and their children or sell in the immediate neighbourhood. Farmers must pay women a fair wage and he suggested it would be better to employ them at piece-rates. British women were very much influenced by fashion and that the best inducement to them to take up farm work would be for them to see one or two of the leading women in each parish setting the example by working themselves.
FRIDAY JANUARY 14TH 1916: IRISH LADY AND HER BURTON DIVIDEND
What the Irish priest told her.
The secretary of a well-known Burton concern was startled to receive a curious communication from a shareholder residing in the ["DISTRESSFUL"] country. It appears that owing to some irregularity in the stockholders signature a recent dividend warrant was returned unpaid, whereupon the stockholder – a lady by the way wrote to the company for an explanation, enclosing a stamp for a reply, remarking pathetically that she was afraid she would never see her money as her priest told her that the English were being beaten everywhere, that her stocks and shares were worthless and that the dividend would not be paid. Perhaps she will be happier now she has been told that in the first place the English are not being beaten everywhere, secondly that her stocks and shares are readily saleable on the Stock Exchange and thirdly that her warrant only required her correct signature to ensure it’s being honoured on presentation.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 19TH 1916: CASTLE GRESLEY BELGIAN FUND
The monthly report of Mrs. J.S. Francombe, Secretary to the Castle Gresley Belgian Relief Fund shows that £7-16s-3d was collected. The amount[s] received by the collectors were: Mrs Phillips £2 3s 7d, Mrs Francombe and Miss D. Ord. £2 1s 3d, Miss Ord £1 9s 1d, Mrs S Bourns 13s 2d, Mrs D Tunnicliffe 14s and Miss Roberts 11s 11d.