Conscientious Objectors in Birmingham in WW1

In Birmingham, England, from 1914-1918, conscientious objectors were opposed to the First World War. At first their objections were voiced through peace protests and rallies.^[1] Later, when conscription (1916) was introduced, they refused to fight and caused a political issue. There were various reasons for objection including; religion (especially Quakers), pacifism/moral objection and political objection.^[2]

There were two types of objectors; absolutists who refused to have anything to do with the war, and non-combatants who only refused to fight. Objectors were forced to go through local tribunals, under the terms of the Military Service Act 1916,^[3] which often ended unsuccessfully and in forced military service, of which nationally 34,760 out of 90,721 cases were unsuccessful.^[1]

Conscientious objectors who were not forced to enlist were offered alternative service in the Non-Combatant Corps (NCC), which supplied services such as medics, ambulance drivers and there were also 465 bomb disposal experts.^[4] Absolutists however, were imprisoned if they refused to undertake alternative service, 985 out of 16,500 objectors were sent to prison including Oliver Banwell, from Birmingham.^[1]

Oliver Banwell

Oliver William Banwell was a junior teacher at Stirchley School in Birmingham, before the war and during the war became a conscientious objector (for pacifistic reasons) when he was conscripted in 1916, he was sent to a tribunal at Wormwood Scrubs Prison where he spoke about his belief that no man had the right to force him to kill another who was in a similar position as himself. After his successful tribunal he was sent to become a member of the Non-Combatant corps at Chiseldon Camp in Wiltshire. In May 1918 he was sentenced to two years hard labour for disobeying an order of refusing to maintain a rifle range, he remained in Winchester Prison along with many other conscientious objectors, such as Scott Duckers, until June 1919.^[1][5]

Wilfred Ernest Littleboy

Although not originally from Birmingham; Wilfred worked and trained as a Chartered Accountant in the city from 1902. He was from a Quaker family and grew up in a small country town, attending a Quaker Boarding school in York for three years.^[6] He was deeply involved in the activity of the local Quaker community, spending 9 months representing young friends in Australia 1909. Whilst in Australia World War I and therefore conscription were becoming more and more likely, he remembers saying "Well I suppose I shall be going to Prison then", as he had no doubt that he would become a Conscientious Objector.^[7]

Conscripted at the age of 30, Wilfred attended his local tribunal^[1] with Neville Chamberlain chairing. Chamberlain was unable to comprehend his absolutist views and asked "You’re an accountant; couldn’t you go to a munitions factory into the office as an accountant? You’d be paid as an accountant?”. ^[8] Wilfred was given exemption from fighting, but was given a month to rethink his absolutist views, which remained unchanged. Ignoring his plea at his second tribunal^[9] he was referred to the non-combatant corps, later he was arrested and taken to military barrack in Warwick, where he refused to put on the military uniform he was given, causing him to appear before a court martial, after which he was sentenced to 112 days service at Wormwood Scrubs Prison.^[10] Following this spell in prison Wilfred was court martialled a further two times, causing him to spend a total of two and a half years in a small civic prison in Dorchester (where the majority of prisoners were conscientious objectors).^[1] Wilfred considered himself to be lucky, as he managed to keep a positive attitude throughout the war, and witnessed other conscientious objectors suffer in prison.^[11] His father (a bank manager) reportedly had a harsher time during the war years, as it was known that all four of his sons were conscientious objectors. After the war his luck continued, when he was able to restart his accountancy business.^[12]

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