South Yorkshire Times March 2 , 1946.

Broke Into Rail Truck.
Boots Stolen at Conisbrough.

Jointly charged at Doncaster West Riding Court on Tuesday with stealing boots value £146 from a truck at Conisbrough railway station, Charles Beardsley (24), miner, of Arnold Crescent, Mexborough, was fined £25 and Bernard Allen (40), labourer, of Daylands Ave.’ Conisbrough, was sent to prison for six months.

A third man, Fred Whitehouse (23), miner, Mexborough, was found not guilty, and the case against him was dismissed.

Alfred Senior, miner, of Burcroft, Conisbrough, was fined £5 for receiving seven pairs of boots from Allen, knowing them to have been stolen.

Chief Inspector Lawrence said 137 pairs of pit boots arrived in a box wagon at Conisbrough station sidings, and on February 1st two cases containing them were missing. The police saw Allen, who made an admission and said the containers had been thrown into the river. Most of the boots were taken to Mexborough and sold for 20s. a pair. Seven pairs were found at Senior’s home and he said that if he had sold them Allen would have given him 10s. Only 11 pairs of boots had been recovered.

Mr. D. Dunn, defending, said Allen accepted responsibility for what had happened and was sorry he had dragged Beardsley into it. On the night of January 31st the two were returning along the canal bank from Sprotborough when Allen decided to see what the truck contained. Beardsley was called and Allen suggested that part of consignment should be removed and fetched later. Senior would not have been there but for his relationship with Allen.