A search for 'Presbyterian' on the online database of First World War conscientious objectors yields well over 100 records, as previously
noted. A few of these have already been looked at in some detail, notably those of Murdo Macleod from Cromore on the Isle of Lewis and Angus McIntyre from
Portree on Skye; "Diviinity student" Donald Morrison, also from Lewis, is very likely to have been Presbyterian too. Although the Free Church (hereinafter FC) in Scotland did not as a body oppose
the war, and many of those who belonged to it were among the casualties, there
were several like Murdo, taking his stand on the testimony of the Reformed (Presbyterian)
Church and the Revolution Settlement of 1688, and 'Covenanter' Angus (referring
to the same history) who could not reconcile their beliefs with participation
in the conflict.
The view of the Free Church (n.b. other brands of Presbyterianism were and are available, including the established Church of Scotland) on war is described by the editor of the published Diary of FC minister Kenneth A MacRae, already cited with reference to the 'Lewis Sabbath'. According to this, war, "however just" was (pp. 103-4) “a national calamity and divine judgment....” This was not one of the few Christian denominations which took a pacifist stance. A failure to condemn killing outright was not incompatible with the Sixth Commandment in the interpretation set out in the Shorter Catechism, inserting as it does the qualifications ‘lawful’ and ‘unjustly’ which crucially modify the four-word ‘law’:
The view of the Free Church (n.b. other brands of Presbyterianism were and are available, including the established Church of Scotland) on war is described by the editor of the published Diary of FC minister Kenneth A MacRae, already cited with reference to the 'Lewis Sabbath'. According to this, war, "however just" was (pp. 103-4) “a national calamity and divine judgment....” This was not one of the few Christian denominations which took a pacifist stance. A failure to condemn killing outright was not incompatible with the Sixth Commandment in the interpretation set out in the Shorter Catechism, inserting as it does the qualifications ‘lawful’ and ‘unjustly’ which crucially modify the four-word ‘law’:
Q67. Which is the sixth
commandment? A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.
Q68. What is required…? A. The sixth
commandment requireth all lawful endeavours to preserve our own life, and the
life of others.
Q69. What is forbidden…? A. The sixth
commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our
neighbour unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.
(The Westminster Confession of
which this is part dates after all from 1647, in the context of the 'English
Civil War', and was agreed by men strongly committed to a belief that their side
was amply justified in fighting).
MacRae himself of course also professed the 'Reformed
testimony' and honoured the Covenanters, and shared the general Free Church* view as outlined, while having no fundamental problem with militarism. Rather the contrary: Chapter 1 is titled “A son of the army”. He spent much of his boyhood at Fort George, where his father was a Recruiting Officer (RSM, albeit one who didn’t see action) in the Seaforth Highlanders, and he himself had joined the Royal Scots Territorials. When war was declared he was studying for the ministry at the Free Church (FC) College in Edinburgh, completing a simultaneous Arts degree at the university and spending a lot of time travelling as a preacher invited to address numerous FC congregations in Scotland.
Believing he had been called to the ministry
and the work of God, he did not join the rush to the colours, and from 1916
he was the FC minister at Lochgilphead, in Argyllshire. In August 1914 he noted:
“Some of the hard things shown the Lord's people”, placing War at number 6 and
commenting that while some "scourge" was inevitable, there might be some hope yet, since troops were having to say prayers -
the hope being of a turn to God (23-8-1914). Two months later (4-10) he was bemoaning, not for the only time, the nation's “lack of repentance, provocation of the Most High.” There is no record in the book of him exhorting others to join the fighting, although he evidently accepted that many would do so, and had a certain admiration for those who did, as well as concern for their physical and especially spiritual welfare.
*For an account of the origins and history
of the FC in the Highlands and Islands, see The People of the Great Faith by Douglas
Ansdell (Acair, 1998).
On 30-5-1915 he found himself in Aberdeen, addressing in
Gaelic, as a learner of the language, a hall full of soldiers of the Camerons
and Seaforths, whose native tongue it was; he got on better than he had feared.
On the 2nd of January 1916, a ‘Day set aside for national prayer’,
his “discourse bore upon national sin and the need for national repentance.” Later that year he noted some of the side-effects of war on
the home front: (22-7) the new permit* requisite to get beyond Inverness and (8-10)
the difficulty of finding supply preachers owing to most of the students being
away upon military service. In March
1917 he reported that students were not now protected from military service.
The Church did not accept the rationale for this where its own students were concerned, having its own set of
priorities. The FC College was closed and the students posted to congregations
as having there a better chance of claiming exemption at local tribunals – not
as COs but as doing work where they could not be replaced.
* On 25 July 1916, the area north of the Great Glen was
declared ‘The North of Scotland Special Military Area’, and access to
non-residents was restricted.
As the slaughter increased one may discern a tendency to
dwell on the tragedy rather than the judgment, and even a hint that the divine
chastisement may be excessive or misdirected. Chapter 5, 'The Shadow of Death,
1917-1918', has frequent expressions of sorrow over individuals known to him and
records of condolence visits to bereaved families. His brother George was killed
in action at Arras in April. On 21-6 he wrote about other deaths of young men: “Truly
the Lord has a controversy when such lads of promise are being cut away... Who
next? What awful times!” and on 14-9 “This is an awful world... One taken away
after another.”
From time to time he made observations on particular battles and on what he saw closer to home. On 3rd May 1917 Arran sailings were suspended due to “mines or submarines in the Clyde” and on the 7th he saw 12 minesweepers. In December he heard of his remaining brother Duncan's “amazing escapes” (which sadly did not mean survival in the longer term). The 1st of January 1918 was “appointed a Day of Humiliation and Prayer by our Church, and more resembled a Sabbath”, which he greatly approved, considering it a happy venture as it would test the people, to sacrifice their usual festivities.
From time to time he made observations on particular battles and on what he saw closer to home. On 3rd May 1917 Arran sailings were suspended due to “mines or submarines in the Clyde” and on the 7th he saw 12 minesweepers. In December he heard of his remaining brother Duncan's “amazing escapes” (which sadly did not mean survival in the longer term). The 1st of January 1918 was “appointed a Day of Humiliation and Prayer by our Church, and more resembled a Sabbath”, which he greatly approved, considering it a happy venture as it would test the people, to sacrifice their usual festivities.
.
In February 1918 he was (8-2) at West Loch Tarbert en route
for Islay, and saw 100 American troops who had come ashore on the Islay coast
from the torpedoed troopship Tuscania*.
He learned that the death toll out of 2500 was about 210 missing, having feared
it was worse. His hotel was “completely occupied by troops”. On 9-2 a “great
funeral” of 48 American soldiers was held, and it was not over - on 13-2
another dead American soldier was found among rocks on the island. Also around
this time, “heavy firing was heard [one] afternoon to the south” and he found
that (1-3) in Glasgow the shortage of food was much more apparent than in
Islay.
In March he was astounded at “deplorable heresies” in a book God and the Soldier declaring we should pray for the dead including those in hell, and later wrote of a dreadful battle which led to much anxiety in the village about the lads in France: (3-4) “What fearful havoc! What devastation! How is it all going to end?”
* The Tuscania has been referred to previously in her earlier role of transatlantic liner.
A commemorative service was held on the centenary of the tragedy
(news item also available in Gaelic.)
A commemorative service was held on the centenary of the tragedy
(news item also available in Gaelic.)
In March he was astounded at “deplorable heresies” in a book God and the Soldier declaring we should pray for the dead including those in hell, and later wrote of a dreadful battle which led to much anxiety in the village about the lads in France: (3-4) “What fearful havoc! What devastation! How is it all going to end?”
It was in April 1918 that he and other ministers of the Free
Church found themselves under threat of conscription: disturbed (10-4) at the
appearance of Parliament's Military Service Bill calling upon ministers (among others) for
military service, MacRae declared himself “prepared to resist to the utmost”,
pointing out next day that no mention was made of consulting denominations.
All under 51 [and over 18] were to be deemed enlisted on a certain date, with only the choice of
non-combatant or combatant service. It was not that he ruled out service with
the forces for himself; he had in fact offered to go out as a chaplain if a
suitable replacement could be found to carry on what he saw as his main responsibility, the work of his ministry with the local congregation. But against the demands of the state, the “rights of the Redeemer” and
the autonomy of the Church were paramount.
He was not alone. On 16-4 the Presbytery meeting passed a
resolution “asserting the freedom of the Church of Christ from the control of
the civil power in respect of things spiritual especially re military service”.
As it happened (Note, p.134) the offending clause had been dropped the previous
evening, so the staunchness of the resistance was not put to the test. MacRae did not think the
protest had been a waste of time; he was “overjoyed that we were able to raise
our testimony before this was known”.
 |
| The cover shows a view of Lochgilphead |
Duncan Campbell McTavish
Age 25
Birth year 1891
Year 1916
Soldier Number -
Address Castleton Cottage
Address 2 Lochgilphead
Local authority Lochgilphead Burgh
County Argyllshire
Country Scotland
Latitude 56.03
Longitude -5.43
Ordnance Survey reference NR860880
Motivation FOR-Dartmoor Branch; Free Church of Scotland;
Military Service Tribunal MST (Military Service Tribunal)
Central Tribunal at Calton CP (Civil Prison), Edinburgh, 1.9.16 - CO class B
Central Tribunal Central Tribunal Nos. W.1096
Class: B - unconvincing
War Service Depot A and S Highlanders; CM (Court
Martial) Glasgow 31.5.16 - 2yrs detention com.to 1 yr. Stirling Detention
Barracks; CM (Court Martial) Perth 30.6.16 - 18 months HL (With hard labour)
com.6 months, Edinburgh CP (Civil Prison)
Prison Stirling MP (Military Prison)*; Edinburgh CP (Civil Prison) July
1916;
Work Centre HOS (The Home Office Scheme, administered
by the Brace Committee) 19.10.16 to Ballachulish; 7.8.17 at Wakefield; Dartmoor
1917
WO363 false
Sources Tribunal 15.6.16; FOR Dartmoor Branch in Liddle CO
044; NA/WO86/70/65, 70/173; *Reference to his time in Stirling MP (Military
Prison) in FH/FSC(1916/20)/SER2 - R. Barclay Murdoch, Scottish Quaker
Chaplain's Report 26.6.16 ; Not found in NA/WO363; NAS/HH31/29/1 - COs in
Scottish Prisons July 1916; NAS/HH31/29/6 - Central Appeal Tribunal 1.9.16;
NA/MH47/1 Central Tribunal Minutes; FH/SER/VOPC/Cases/5(937)
Record set Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918
The case of Duncan McDonald is a tragic one, since he had
the sad distinction of being, according to the Register, the first
member of the Non-Combatant Corps (NCC) to die in France, reportedly of
accidental injuries. Aged 28, he had
been granted exemption from combatant service only (ECS) in March 1916; he died
in early June, a few days after being sent abroad. He and his father were both
tailors, so that the family would have been well known in the small town.
Duncan McDonald
Marital status Single
Occupation Tailor
Age 28
Birth year -
Year -
Soldier Number 1471
Address Daill Cairnbaan
Address 2 Lochgilphead
Local authority Lochgilphead Burgh
County Argyllshire
Country Scotland
Latitude 56.03
Longitude -5.43
Ordnance Survey reference NR860880
France Yes
Motivation -
Military Service Tribunal MST (Military Service Tribunal)
Mid-Argyll 9.3.16 ECS (Exemption from Combatant Service)/NCC (Non-Combatant
Corps)
War Service NCC (Non-Combatant Corps)(1 Scottish)
Stirling Castle 23.5.16; To France 30.5.16 Died of accidental injuries in
France 4.6.16 - found dead on the railway in France - the first NCC
(Non-Combatant Corps) casualty
WO363 true
Sources CD-Rom Soldiers died in the Great War; See also
www.britishwargraves.org.uk; Daily News and Leader 27.7.16; NA/WO363 - on line;
Record set Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918
His WO363 service record is available, including a Ministry
of Pensions form stating that he died or was killed on active service.
Duncan McDonald
Birth year 1888
Age 28
Death year 1916
Death date 04 Jun 1916
Number 1471
Rank Private
Unit No. 1 Scottish Coy.
Regiment Non Combatant Corps
Grave reference Plot C. Row 1A. Grave 8.
Cemetery or memorial Calais Southern Cemetery
Burial country France
Additional information Son of Donald and Margaret McDonald, of Daill
Cairnbaan, Lochgilphead, Argyll.
Link https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead
War First World War, 1914-1918
Record set Commonwealth War Graves Commission Debt Of Honour
Category Military, armed forces & conflict
Duncan Mcdonald
Age 28
Birth year 1888
Service number 1471
Regiment Non Combatant Corps
Unit / Battalion 1st Company
Year 1916
Residence county Argyllshire
Residence country Scotland
Series WO 363
Series description WO 363 - First World War Service
Records 'Burnt Documents'
Archive The National Archives
Record set British Army Service Records
Category Military, armed forces & conflict
McDonald’s family may have been among those to whom
MacRae made visits of condolence. There were many, including one which had lost six members, and "a woman with a brother in the asylum as a result of the war”. In August 1918
he heard of the death of his own brother-in-law, wondering again: “When will
this horror of war cease?” Not that he expected peace to be without its
problems, fearing “a very black day to come” after the war. By now he had found
that the "preaching of consolation was becoming sweeter than warming" of the
wrath of God.
On November 11 1918 there was no note of victorious triumph in his reaction: “At midday news came that peace had come at last… The first we heard was church bells in the early afternoon.” He found himself ”strangely unmoved, sad and pensive...” indeed "crushed", and fearing the future...
On November 11 1918 there was no note of victorious triumph in his reaction: “At midday news came that peace had come at last… The first we heard was church bells in the early afternoon.” He found himself ”strangely unmoved, sad and pensive...” indeed "crushed", and fearing the future...
==================
Note on surnames: In the Highlands generally the Mac form, with no capital letter after the prefix, was until recently the spelling most commonly used when writing in English.
Previously on this blog:Note on surnames: In the Highlands generally the Mac form, with no capital letter after the prefix, was until recently the spelling most commonly used when writing in English.
Already linked in text above -
http://smothpubs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/conscientious-objectors-from-lewis.html [Lewis]
http://smothpubs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/first-world-war-conscientious-objectors.html [Skye]
Other posts on COs in Scotland and elsewhere (Ealing) and what happened to them include -
Scots Against War, 1914-18 style (Scotland - book review)
Conscription Comes to Britain, 1916 (General - with more links)
http://smothpubs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/first-world-war-conscientious-objectors.html [Skye]
Other posts on COs in Scotland and elsewhere (Ealing) and what happened to them include -
Scots Against War, 1914-18 style (Scotland - book review)
Conscription Comes to Britain, 1916 (General - with more links)
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