South Yorkshire Times, January 17th 1942
Violent Bolton Miner
Gets Gaol Sentence
On a charge of behaving in a violent manner at Goldthorpe Colliery, George Kitchen, a ripper of Bolton-on-Dearne, was at the Doncaster West Riding Police Court on Tuesday sent to prison for three months.
Prosecuting. Mr. W. L. Crawford said that Kitchen approached the manager with the intention of speaking to him concerning’ certain stoppages to which Kitchen objected. The manager and agent, Mr. H. L. Hirst. who had just come out of the pit with an inspector, said “I am sorry. I cannot see you now. L am engaged with an inspector.”
It was alleged that Kitchen then spun the manager round and threatened him with a raised fist, saying “You will stop and listen. If you move a ——- inch, I’ll knock your ——- head off.”
Witnesses stated that one shilling a day had been stopped from Kitchen’s pay because he was more than six weeks In arrears with his union contributions. This, it was stated, was strictly In accordance with union rules.
Kitchen pleaded not guilty and said he offered to pay off the arrears at 2/- a week, but he was told he would have to pay 5/- a week for two weeks, which he thought was out of order.
Supt. Walker said Kitchen had 27 convictions for various offences., and a prison sentence for assault.