Crime of Selling Fresh Bread

Griffin's Bakery before Galway Petty Sessions

Prohibited from selling bread till it was baked for 12 hours

Defence of the Realm- Selling Fresh Bread

John Griffin, U.C. baker, Cross Street, was summoned for selling fresh bread.

Mr. Hildebrand, D.I. stated the case for the prosecution.  He said it was brought under the Defence of the Realm Act, under which an order was made on the 26th February and came into force on the 25th of March, which prohibited bakers from selling bread till it was baked for 12 hours.  Under Article 11 of the Order it must not either be sold or exposed for sale in any shop.

Sergt Dowie was then examined and stated on the 22nd ult he met the bread van belonging to John Griffin.  The driver Michael Concannon was delivering bread at a private house; he saw it was fresh bread.  There were 66lb loaves and 8 2lb loaves.  He brought them back to the shop in Cross Street. Mrs Griffin was there; he asked why she didn’t give a certificate to the huxters to show when the bread was baked, she replied she generally gave dockets but didn’t do it that day and that some of it was baked that day at ten o’clock.  He was there at half past four in the evening.  He had warned the defendant previously of the Order.

Mr Hildebrand-If it was accompanied by a certificate the police would not have taken any steps.

The defendant John Griffin appeared and said everything the sergeant stated was correct.  His defence was that there was a man of war put into the roadstead suddenly that morning and as he was the contractor for the Army and Navy in Galway, he was bound to supply it with bread.  It took away all the bread he had for his customers that morning and he had to bake more.  He had to supply the ship under a penalty.

Galway Observer, 9 June 1917

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