Reminiscences of Rotherham
by G. Gummer, J.P.
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and sat down. I believe it was at a cricket club dinner the following good story was told. It related to a traveller on the Midland Railway who left the train at Derby for the purpose of obtaining a drink, and placed his bag on his seat, the only one vacant in the compartment. On returning he was surprised to find a lady had usurped his place. Mild expostulations took place, but the lady held to her position, and in her displeasure at being asked to move, exclaimed, 'Are you aware that I am one of the director’s wives?' , 'My dear Madam' , the traveller replied, 'it really wouldn’t make the slightest difference if you were his only wife!' . Colonel W. B. Hirst usually sandwiched a good story into his remarks when responding to the toast of ‘His Majesty’s Forces' . I remember one which kept his hearers roaring for quite a long time. It related to an advertisement he had seen in one of the London dailies offering to cure a red nose for the sum of one shilling. The Colonel told us he sent his shilling and received the following reply:'Keep on drinking, it will soon be blue' .
JURY LISTS
It is not generally known that the names of public men are not included in the jury lists, and as the juries are made up from these they are exempted from service. During my absence from the Council in 1893 my name was added to the list, so that although a member again in 1894, I was compelled to serve at Leeds Assizes when called upon. I sought relief on the ground of public service, and although I had the assistance of the Town Clerk, it was all in vain. I had to attend or render myself liable to a heavy fine. My first case was one of murder, and directly Justice Grantham took his seat I asked him to relieve me owing to deafness in one ear, which would prevent my hearing the evidence. No doubt judges are acquainted with all kinds of pleas. Mine received very little sympathy, and only gained my removal to a position nearer the witness box, where I had to make the best of it. Several excuses were made, but none went the length of the juror who got permission to absent himself on the ground that he had a funeral to attend. It leaked out afterwards that the man was an under- taker.
PRISONERS OF WAR
On Septcmber 15th, 1915, 1 found amongst my correspondence a postcard from Germany appealing for help. It camc from a prisoner of war, who stated that men were starving in enemy prisons, and asking me, as a public man, to do something for their relief. Such an appeal was not to be ignored. I lost no time in interviewing my friend, Dickinson, the Editor of the Advertiser, and as a result we started a public appeal for money, food, and clothing; we also called together a few well.known lady workers, who were already assisting me on the Belgian Relief Committee, and appointed them a committee to carry on the work. Owing to the generous spirit in which our appeal was met, ample funds were quickly available, and thousands of parcels containing clothing, boots, stockings, etc., in addition to a good supply of food, were sent to the prisoners who hailed from this district. At one period we were supplying close on 400 war prisoners with parcels weekly. I shall never forget the work of that noble band of ladies who gave so freely of their time and money for the alleviation of the sufferings of the lads who had gone out to save us from the atrocities that were dealt out to other countries. Altogether the sum of £5000 was raised and distributed amongst the sufferers.
MAYOR ELECTED IN HIS ABSENCE
Mayor-making in 1918 was unique. Not only was I elected in my absence, which I believe is unprecedented, but the retiring Mayor (Alderman Hemingsley) could not attend, and for the first time since I entered the Council there was no Town Clerk present. The retiring Mayor was unfortunately confined to his bed with a fatal illness to which he succumbed a few weeks later, whilst l and the Town Clerk were prostrate with influenza and unable to leave our homes.
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