At home during WW1

[Francisco]

Hope this is in the right part of the forum. . .

My Great Grandfather was a Publican in 1916 in Norwich, on the 22nd March 1916 he was 'Convicted of failing to close against soldiers, fined 10/- or 7 days detention'

Does anyone know what this means ?

The pub was the Earl of Leicester, Dereham Road, Norwich

Thanks in advance

[centurion]

There were a number of restrictions on supplying drinks to soldiers, mainly regulations and orders under DORA. Publicans were not supposed to serve men in hospital blues (convalescing soldiers). Some commanding officers got orders closing pubs in certain areas to soldiers (for example Sam Hughes the Canadian War Minister managed to get an order forbidding pubs on Salisbury Plain from serving members of the Canadian Army)

[Francisco]

Thanks for that Centurian, I honestly didnt realise the Defence of the Realm Act existed. Ive just had a very quick look on Google and one of the alcohol laws were that you couldnt buy a round of drinks ! Some of my mates are knocking on, but I didnt realise they were that old !!!

Thanks again, I will have a good look when I have time

[centurion]

There is a general misapprehension that these were laws - they were not,. In a democratic state a law requires a process through an elected chamber (or two depending on the system) and scrutiny against some form of constitution - however DORA was enabling legislation - it allowed all sorts of regulations to be dreamt up and put into force without any democratic or constitutional process almost at the whim of the government. They were not in themselves laws but regulations enacted not through parliament but by an order made by the executive. Canada had its own Emergency Powers Act and later the USA had a similar act which allowed Wilson to ignore the US constitution, under it he was able to do things like have men imprisoned for refusing to buy Liberty bonds. I don't know if Australia and/or New Zealand had their own equivalents.

These emergency powers caused much disquiet, the term "violation of civil liberties " was not something that ws used in those days but effectively that is what many thought they did. In WW2 despite the nature of the enemy neither Churchill nor Roosevelt sought to take such extreme powers unto themselves.

[Magnumbellum]

These emergency powers caused much disquiet, the term "violation of civil liberties " was not something that ws used in those days but effectively that is what many thought they did. In WW2 despite the nature of the enemy neither Churchill nor Roosevelt sought to take such extreme powers unto themselves.

Some clarification is required regarding WW2. The Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939, passed a few days before the declaration of war, may not have been quite as draconian as DORA, but it was still wide-reaching. Perhaps the most controversial regulation passed under it was Defence Reg 18B, enabling persons to be detained indefinitely without prosecution, let alone trial.