Mexborough and Swinton Times July 27, 1928

Mexboro’ Man’s Progress in America

Mr. Robert Christopher Baldwin, formerly of Highwoods Road, Mexborough has qualified to practise as a lawyer in America, and recently had conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Law at the Detroit College of Law.

Mr. Baldwin is entirelv a self-made man, and his many friends in this district. will be pleased to hear of the progress he has already made. He is the son of a mine worker, Mr.  Wilson Baldwin, who was employed at Manvers Main for many years and is now in America.

Robert Baldwin was educated at the Swinton Board School and started work as a boy at Manvers Main, and remained there until he was eighteen, when he went into the railway service for two years, but returned to Manvers Main and took up the study of mining engineering at the Wath mechanics’ institute, the Mexborough secondary School, the Rotherham Technical School, and Sheffield University. He also took a course under an Inspector of Mines. He was a member of the St. John Ambulance brigade, and of the Manvers Main Colliery rescue team.

While serving with this team. While serving with this team he was called upon for duty at the Cadebv Colliery explosion 1912, and for a month after the explosion on rescue work. When he left Manvers Main he had been a deputy there for five years.

At the outbreak ot war he, his father, and his brother all volunteered for active service though he was ordered to remain at the collieryy, at the time he joined up later, and became a corporal in the West Yorkshire regiment and in the Durham Light Infantry.

During an attack on a machine gun post in France he was shot in the shoulder, and spent four months in hospital, being eventually discharged from the Army. He was medically advised to give up mining, and decided to emigrate to Canada, where he failed to find suitable opening. He moved on to Detroit, and worked in the Ford motor works for two years. He was, then offered a position as foreman in the works of the Anderson Electric Motor company, and two years later commenced studying law at the Detroit College of Law. At the commencement of his fourth year of study, he entered the office of an attorney specialising in criminal law, and three months later joined the staff of the law firm of Senator Roy Herald, and is still engaged with that firm.

On June 20th he received from the Detroit College of Law the degree of LL.B. Mr. Baldwin has undoubtedly qualities essential to a successful career in a land which offers great prizes to men with the wit, grit and character to seize to hold them.

His success is the result of hard study and daily sacrifice for many years.