I came across this sad story in the Salford City Reporter from February 1924 and it shows that attitudes have become more enlightened and changed considerably since this court case,
William Bland aged 37 described as being, “a coloured man” who lived at Garden Lane, Salford appeared at Salford Magistrates Court charged with,
‘Being an alien, to wit an American you did fail to furnish to the Registration Officer of the Registration District of the district in which you lived, contrary to the Alien Order of 1919’
Bland had been remanded in custody for a week prior to this court hearing whilst enquiries were made with the American Consulate. he was asked if he wished to have the case tried by a Higher Court, he replied that he wished to be tried here and pleaded guilty saying he was ignorant of the facts relating to registration being necessary.
A police sergeant told the court that Bland had been born in Virginia and came to England in 1903 where he worked as a stage assistant, he had acted as a bookmakers “tout” in Dublin and as a showman in Wales.
He came to Manchester in 1913 and was again a showman until 1915 followed by a brief spell working at the docks but since 1924 he had done no regular work and had been arrested four times for vagrancy.
The court was then told that the woman Bland was living with was married but even then was seeing him without her husband’s knowledge who was a hard working man who had served in the army who was now living at his parents home with the children in a home.
Her estranged husband said that all his family troubles was due to this “coloured” man, his three children were in a home and that the woman had visited them there and had tried to prejudice them against him to such an extent that the authorities had forbidden her from seeing the children.
And rather oddly said that she was living with Bland in a furnished room in the “black quarter” of Salford…I do know that Greengate and the Bloom Street areas of Salford had large black communities, many ex seamen who stayed in Salford.
Inspector Smith said that Bland had recently been brought to the police’s attention by his behaviour at a shipping office where he had given false statements to the staff.
The Stipendiary Magistrate then told Bland:
“I do not think you are a desirable citizen, I intend to recommend your deportation after you have served a months hard labour in prison”
The unnamed woman shouted at him…”what about me? what about me in the state I am in now, with a coloured child here. if he is to be deported I suppose I shall have to go on the streets, and this is a court of justice?”
Astonishingly the Stipendiary Magistrate, replied:
“You are as disgrace to your sex!”
With that Bland was taken to Strangeways and the courtroom was cleared.
The stigma of having a “coloured” lover and having a child was taboo in those times and the language bandied around the court was sadly considered the norm in those days, can you imagine the furore if a woman was to be called that in a court room today?
The poor woman would have certainly been left to fend for herself, her husband had made it clear their marriage was over, also those three poor children in care, what kind of live would they face?
Bland does seem a feckless character, not holding down a steady job, being arrested for vagrancy numerous times, he hardly seems a catch does he?
All in all a sad story with so many people damaged many of them innocent, sad times to be live in and not really, “The Good Old Days” as we are so often reminded.
