South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 05 December 1942

Waste of Bread

Bolton Woman Fined £2

“Four out of every live loaves you eat are made with ingredients brought over the oceans at the risk of sailors’ lives. Bread is life, and it is paid for by lives,” said Dr. B. Dunne, presiding at Doncaster West Riding Court on Saturday when Mrs. Dorothy Baxter of The Crescent, Bolton-on-Dearne, was fined £2 for wasting bread.

The bread, which was produced in Court, weighed 19 ounces.

Mr. C. R. Marshall prosecuting for the Dearne District Food Committee, said the case was brought on the previous Saturday, when the defendant did not appear. She was ordered to appear on that day.

On October 2nd, P.c. Hayward visited the defendant’s home on another matter, He saw near the dustbin five or six pieces of bread. One piece, which had been toasted, was covered with dripping.

P.c. Hayward said when he spoke to Mrs. Baxter about the matter she said: “It has gone dry and we cannot eat it. I leave it near the bin for the pigs.” The constable said that in his opinion the bread was not too dry and was quite eatable.

In evidence. Mrs. Baxter said the bread was put out on September 30th. She was left without bread one night and a shopkeeper gave her the bread because it was too stale to sell. She cut the loaf in half, but it was stale and sour throughout. She denied that she put the toasted bread beside the bin. The children might have put it there.

In answer to the Chairman, she admitted that she put bread out fairly frequently.

Announcing the fine, to be paid at the rate of 2s. a week, Dr. Dunne urged Mrs. Baxter to teach her children that they were living by the sacrifices of brave sailors.