By 1916 most able bodied men were engaged in war work and this meant that women were taking over many civilian jobs which had previously been done by men. Tram conductors would take the fares and signal the tram to start and stop by ringing a bell. The sudden appearance of women in such jobs put a strain on the Edwardian "gallantry" of many men who were eager to help "the weaker sex". Such gallantry landed several citizens of Huddersfield in court before a magistrate who confessed that he too had been guilty of such a crime. It didn't stop him fining them, however. Once the poor prisoner had been taken down, perhaps he rang a bell to indicate that the next miscreant should be brought in front of him.
How much were the fines and did they actually land in the cells before seeing the magistrate?
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