The prisoner has committed an offense punishable by death” said the Manchester Stipendiary, remanding in custody for a week Valentine Garrett, a private in the 1st Battalion Connaught Rangers.
Garrett had served in France and was granted five days leave back in November but did not return to his regiment forging and altering his pass book.
The Stipendiary observed that it seemed the most serious offense against the prisoner was that of absenting himself from his regiment while it was on active service.
Amongst the Manchester men killed in action that week, Lance Corporal Walter Harris aged thirty one from Levenshulme who left a widow and one child, Private Albert Davies from the Manchester Pals aged twenty eight who had formerly worked at the Cawley Dye works in Blackley and Private Feran from Withington nineteen years of age who had enlisted back in Sept 1914.
The passing of the service bill in the House of Commons, wrote the Evening News has brought home to eligible single men that there is only a short time left for them to exercise their liberty with compulsion being estimated to be no more than five weeks away.
It was estimated that there were over twenty one thousand since males thought to be eligible across Manchester and Stretford.
An official list of British casualties up to Jan 9th was announced.549,467 in all theatres of war with 128,318 killed, 353,283 wounded and 68,046 missing in action.The Galliopli campaign was responsible for 137,549 of all the casualties
The death was announced of the Lord Mayor of Manchester Alderman Copeland who had been elected the previous November.He had collapsed while at the Royal Infirmary addressing the Manchester and District Radium committee.
A native of Doncaster, he had come to Manchester joining an outfitting establishment in St Ann’s Square, latter becoming a partner in a King Street outfitters and setting up by himself in Cross Street.He had served for 30 years on the council and was a staunch churchman who served at St Paul’s Parish church in Withington.
It was only the sending time that a serving Mayor had died. Later that week Alderman Smethurst was appointed to the vacant position of Mayor, unopposed.
Manchester’s traders were worried about the new import restrictions that were coming in across the country.The move to set shipping tonnage free to carry food, fuel and other essentials would impose restrictions tobacco, many building materials, furniture and some fruits.
There were more fines for shopkeepers that week under the new blackout laws while a Market Street trader stated that the majority of shopkeepers would be willing to close down at a certain if only it were suggested by the police.
Six Trafford Park worked were charged with stealing timed milk,sugar, chocolate and sausages from a shed on the park
The Manchester Courier announced that it would be suspending publication for the duration of the war.First published in 1825, it became a daily in 1894.The suspension was due to a shortage of paper.
