John Quinn
Then aged 44, Quinn was a leader of a section of the 1932 Hunger Marchers from Manchester, and as such was almost certainly a card-carrying Communist. He was sentenced at Brentford Police Court to two months' hard labour on a charge of having in his possession sticks and staves with intent to do felonious acts. Bail was allowed pending an appeal.
Quinn said that the sticks were used solely for walking or currying bundles over the shoulder. He had seen no nails in any of them until they were produced by the police in court.
At Hayes they were told by the police that sticks must not be carried in the London area, so they were packed up into bundles and put into a lorry to be taken to the London headquarters.
Similar charges against Walter James, aged 37, of Linden Gardens, Chiswick, S.W., and Challis Charles Martin, aged 58, of Duke Street, Chiswick, were dismissed, an application for costs against the police were refused.
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