The Boer War peace celebrations in Bourne

The war that began with a string of British defeats, ended on 31st May 1902 after two years and seven months. The Boer leaders arrived in Pretoria to meet Lord Milner, the High Commissioner, and Lord Kitchener, the Commander-in-Chief, and less than an hour before the expiry of the British deadline, at midnight on the last day of May, they signed the terms of surrender although the announcement did not become public in London until the next day which was a Sunday. 

The news reached Bourne on Monday 2nd June and there were demonstrations around the town and bonfires lit in the Market Place and South Street and blazing tar barrels rolled down the road. The police turned out after calling in reinforcements from surrounding villages including Morton, Bourne Fen and Little Bytham, and 29 people were arrested and on Tuesday 10th June, all appeared before a special sitting on Bourne magistrates at the Town Hall. The court was due to start at 11 am but half an hour before, crowds had assembled in the Market Place in an animated mood and when the defendants arrived, there was a rush for the space allotted to the public. 

The magistrates present were: Colonel Albert De Burton (chairman) with Messrs Edward Smith, George Johnson, William Wherry, Thomas Pick, Robert Gardner and George Mays.

Mr W T Page of Lincoln appeared on behalf of the prosecution and Mr A Farr defended. The accused were:

The first 22 defendants were charged on the first count of starting a fire and the other seven on a variety of charges involving assaulting and obstructing the police as detailed below:

• assisting to make a certain fire called a bonfire within 50 feet of the centre of a certain carriage-way there situate, to the interruption of passengers thereon, contrary to the statute;

• throwing a missile at the police;

• throwing a firework at the police;

• assaulting the police; and

• resisting an officer in the execution of his duty.

All of the defendants pleaded not guilty.

Mr Page said that a total of 30 summonses had been taken out against the defendants and he asked the bench to hear the cases as one, which was agreed. 

He went on: "On June 2nd, the welcome announcement that peace had been proclaimed reached Bourne and during the day, nothing transpired to call forth in any way, the interference of the police. But later in the evening, and until about 1.30 in the morning, the condition of things was such as to call forth the active interference of the police. From about a quarter to nine to 1.30 in the following morning, the defendants and others were actively engaged in lighting tar barrels and attempting to roll them into the street. It is an offence for all who either lighted or assisted in the lighting a fire which is calculated to do injury to the highway or to cause interruption to the traffic. 

"The police have no desire to be vindictive in this matter, and have therefore taken the milder form of procedure and charged the defendants with interruption to traffic. The action of the defendants was practically to set the police at defiance and it was then that the police considered that the time had arrived when they must put a stop to such practices. I am quite willing to make allowance for the due recognition of the peace announcement but in the case of the defendants, they apparently occupied their time in lighting up whatever they could lay their hands upon and I ask the bench to deal with this in such a manner as to put a stop to such practices. As recently as last June, some of the defendants, together with other persons, were summoned for similar offences and on that occasion they were dealt with in a very lenient manner with a caution that such practices could not be allowed to take place in the town. I therefore ask the bench to deal with the defendants on this occasion so that there will be no risk of any such thing happening again."

A number of policemen involved in the affray were called to give evidence about tar and other barrels filled with rubbish being lighted and rolled through the streets and bonfires being started at various points around the town. There were repeated protestations in an attempt to stop them but they were met with such cries as: "Bring out another, boys! Get another ready, boys!" Instead of dispersing, the crowd started more fires, sometimes using fireworks such as squibs and crackers, and at one point, planks and piles of faggots stolen from the yard of the Red Lion public house were brought out to keep them burning. Superintendent Herbert Bailey said that he saw a lighted barrel being rolled down South Street. "I stopped it from being rolled past the Red Lion and stones were thrown at the police", he said. "The streets were packed and the crowd was a very disorderly one."

There were also disturbances in West Street after a lighted tar barrel was rolled out of the yard adjoining Cliffe's furniture shop. The police moved in to stop it with some constables striking out right and left with their truncheons but this incensed the crowd who attacked them and many angry and violent scuffles ensued.

Addressing the court on behalf of the defendants, Mr Farr said that the main evidence in support of the charges was that of rolling tar barrels but submitted that it was insufficient to justify convictions. "The point at the root of all of the cases is the lighting of a fire on the highway which I submit is not an offence per se, but the sting of the offence is that there was injury to the highway or the interruption of traffic. The prosecution does not allege injury to the highway and it is straining common sense to attempt to prove that anything done on this occasion was an interruption to traffic. At the most, all that the defendants have done is to commit a technical offence. I really would have thought that under the exceptional circumstances - the patriotic circumstances - it would have been much better if the authorities had used a little more discretion and have pandered somewhat to the crowd, who were not out for any unlawful cause, but merely for a spree in common with the rest of the country. The whole crowd were all out to see the fire although the defendants have been singled out as scapegoats. There are others in this court house and others outside that were equally as guilty as the defendants."

After considering the various cases during the day-long hearing, the chairman, Colonel De Burton said that in view of the evidence, and the various arguments put forward on behalf of the defendants, they were prepared to take the most lenient view but it must be thoroughly understood that a day of rejoicing must not be a day of lawlessness. He went on: "The news of the peace declaration was a great occasion of rejoicing but there is no reason why a large part of the population should be forced to lock themselves in their houses. Nor could it be much enjoyment to the police to be knocked about; there is not one person but who might be glad of the services of those officers and it is a pity that they were not supported on these occasions better than they were. Taking into consideration the occasion and the excitement, we will dismiss all charges but it must be perfectly understood that on the next occasion, such as the Coronation, the town must not be turned upside down."

The cases against the first 22 defendants accused of starting fires were therefore dismissed and three of the others who were accused of incidents against the police were given light sentences. Ernest Spridgeon, John Elliott and Daniel Parker were bound over to keep the peace for three months in the sum of £5, but Charles Moisey, Thomas Rodgers and Samuel Rodgers were given the benefit of the doubt and the case against Charles Smith was withdrawn.

The Stamford Mercury reported:

The decision was greeted with a great outburst of applause from the spectators in the body of the courtroom which was severely commented on by the chairman, but outside, the result was received with the utmost excitement. A band was at once brought out and the town paraded by the defendants in a body. As soon as Mr Farr appeared outside the courtroom, he was greeted with great cheering which continued until he had crossed the Market Place. A portion of the crowd followed the band but a concourse awaited the departure of Superintendent Bailey from the courthouse and when he made his appearance, he was met with a hostile reception, the crowd following him to the police station hooting the whole of the way. The parading of the town was kept up to about ten o'clock when the whole company quietly dispersed.

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