Children of war: juvenile crime during World War One

We have often considered the impact of the First World War on the Manchester and Salford Refuges on this blog with solemn remembrances of the care leavers and staff who died, celebrations of their bravery, and the economic effects on the day-to-day running of the charity. Yet the war affected the charity in other ways, as it led to higher numbers of admissions to the charity's residential homes.

As fathers went to war, with some sadly never to return, this saw more children enter the charity's care. In 1914, the charity's annual report noted the admission of 22 "war children" to its Orphan Homes, that is "motherless children of men gone on active service, or others". The war destroyed many lives, and whilst the charity acknowledged the devastating impact this had on the nation's children it highlighted the need to nurture and support young people at all times:

It is a sad reflection to think that the awful experience of this war may suggest more effectually than times of peace and prosperity the paramount value of the children to the nation and empire.

– Annual Report (1914)

With the nation in turmoil and children separated from their parents or guardians, the impact of such loss and confusion on young people was immense. The charity soon remarked on an increase in juvenile crime and admissions to the Remand Home at the Children's Shelter as a result:

We regret to report that this class [children on remand from the Police Courts] shews [sic] a great increase in numbers compared with previous years, many are cases of pilfering with a view to obtaining money to attend picture palaces, others are children out of control owing to fathers being away at the war.

– Annual Report (1914)

A 1944 study Juvenile Delinquency in Britain during the War by M.E. Bathurst, noted a significant increase in the number of young people brought before the Juvenile Courts for indictable offences. In 1917 figures stood at 24,407, marking an increase in over 10,000 cases compared to 1913. To remedy this rise, the charity called for increased schooling and enforced attendance as seen in France and Germany where it claimed there was little "evidence of of an increased number of juvenile offenders". By 1918, and with the passing of the Education Act, school attendance improved and the leaving age raised from 12 to 14 – this was inasmuch a result of increased awareness of the need of improve and extend educational provision which was brought to light during the war than a reaction to rising levels of juvenile crime. Within 12 months of the war ending numbers dropped back to pre-war levels, yet similar concerns were to be raised again by many authorities during the Second World War.

Further discussions on juvenile crime and the war in the charity's Annual Report (1914) 

(click for enlarged version)

Following a week of reflection on the 102nd year since the end of the First World War we remember the 33 young people and staff from the charity who tragically lost their lives between 1914-1918. 

The Together Trust First World War memorial

Whilst Together Trust staff and students from our Ashcroft and Inscape Schools were unable to gather this year to place poppies at the memorial on our Cheadle campus, young people from across our services still paid tribute to those who fell with some beautiful classroom displays.

A display by young people from Ashcroft for Armistice Day 2020