Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 23 September 1939
Senseless Damage To School
Kilnhurst Youth and Mate Brought to Book
The story of how two youths did extensive damage to school premises at Woolley colliery village was told to Barnsley West Riding magistrates on Friday. Defendants were Jack Jones, a 19-year-old Kilnhurst steelworker and a 15-year-old boy. The elder defendant was fined £5 and ordered to pay £5 5s. damages and costs and the younger boy was fired £1 and ordered to pay costs.
They pleaded “Guilty.”
Inspector Williams said at 2 pm on Saturday, July 29th, the caretaker of the Church of England School at Woolley colliery village left the premises in good condition. A hatchet was left in the coal-house and the door was fastened with a chain and padlock. At 6-30 p.m. the following day she went to the school and found extensive damage had been done.
The matter was reported to one of the managers, who found six windows broken, a lavatory seat chopped, coal-house door frame chopped, a chopped pipe, an iron gate smashed, and an iron ventilator damaged.
The police made enquiries and the defendants admitted doing the damage with a chopper which they said they took from a coal-house. Later, the chopper was reported missing, and the police recovered it at Brick Row, where the boys had given the chopper away.
Jack Jones said he was sorry and that he would never do anything like it again. “I have no explanation whatever,” he said.
The Chairman of the Bench, Mr. N. Mell, told Jack Jones that the magistrates considered it a serious offence. It was only after conversation with the Clerk that they had decided not to inflict a sentence of imprisonment. “In my opinion, prison is the only place for men like you,” he added.