South Yorkshire Times, August 26th 1944
Marconigrams
Dr. Francis Briggs, vicar of Mexborough from 1921 to 1930 and previously for a period curate at Rawmarsh Parish Church died on Wednesday of last week at York and was buried there on Monday.
Britain’s mineworkers have now contributed more than £340.000 to the Red Cross Penny-a-Week Fund. Largest totals have been raised by Yorkshire miners, £80.920 and Durham miners £72.166. Totals from other areas are: Lancashire and Cheshire £60.023; South Wales and Monmouth £50.472; Derbyshire £23.427; Northumberland £17.734.
Salute the Soldier campaign has broken all records. Though all the figures are not yet in Lord Kindersley states that the total already exceeds that of the Wings for Victory weeks of the last year which was the previous highest. Totals in former campaigns were; War Weapons Weeks £469.007.713; Warship Weeks £545.967.720 and Wings for Victory Weeks £615.945.000, so that with the inclusion of the Salute the Soldier Weeks, the four major efforts have produced a sum of approximately £2.250 million.
The newly formed National Union of Mineworkers will not affect the administration or status of the Yorkshire Mineworkers’ Association, according to a statement by the president, Mr. J. A. Hall.
The arrangements for the semi-finals of the Yorkshire Cricket Council to be played next Saturday are: Hickleton v Featherstone at Hickleton; Hanging Heaton v Hemsworth Colliery at Hanging Heaton.
Konstanty Sienkiewicz, a native of Poland, described as a medical student of Altyre Street, Glasgow, was committed to Leeds Assizes for trial at Doncaster on Monday, on charges of attempting to murder Joyce Bramwell (19), student, of Queen’s Terrace, Mexborough and inflicting grievous bodily harm on her mother, Margaret Bramwell.
Mr. R. A. Butler, the Minister of Education, makes it clear in his first official circular to local authorities that it will be at least 18 months before the school leaving age is raised to 15. The new Education Act raised the school leaving age from 14 to 15 from April 1st, 1945. But “in view of the impossibility of securing the necessary teachers and school accommodation by that date.” Mr. Butler is to make an order retaining the present leaving age until at least April 1st 1946.
An appeal to Boy Scouts who live in the country to do their best to help the campaign against fire wastage during the next few weeks has been made by Sir Percy Everett, the Deputy Chief Scout. Pointing out that the Ministry of Agriculture is more than ever concerned at the serious loss of farm produce, implements and buildings. Sir Percy, in a message published in “The Scout” – the official organ of the Boy Scouts – asks all Scouts to keep a particularly sharp eye on boys or girls who have made fires in the neighbourhood of growing crops, hay ricks or farm buildings.