On This Day, 25 October 1917

Birmingham Daily Post

Thursday 25 October 1917

BIRMINGHAM MASTER BAKER’S CLAIM

At Sutton Coldfield local tribunal, Mr. J. C. Skelton, military representative, reported on the case of a Birmingham master baker living in Sutton, which had been before the Central Appeals Tribunal in London. The man was aged 34, married, and classified B1, and his original claim was on the ground of his wife’s health, she still suffering from injuries sustained in an accident on the Midland Railway at Bromford Bridge nearly 5 years ago. The man’s two brothers had obtained commissions, and when they joined up he made himself responsible for the maintenance of his widowed mother. The local tribunal granted conditional exemption and made no variation when the military brought the case up for review in July. The military then took the case to the County Military Tribunal, who withdrew the certificate, but granted the man leave to take the case to the Central Appeal Tribunal. This latter body, Mr. Skelton reported, had granted temporary exemption till December 9, in order that efforts might be made to find a more suitable substitute, the certificate not to be renewable or open to variation except on appeal made with leave of the Central Appeal Tribunal, who “will not consider that sufficient efforts had been made to find a suitable substitute unless he offers £500 a year.” No doubt, said Mr. Skelton, the Central Tribunal had decided upon that figure because of the importance of the business the man represented he was doing.