William Burr had just turned 18 in January 1916 when the first Military Service Act was passed, making single men aged between 18 and 40 liable to conscription into the armed forces unless they could make a case for exemption under one of seven headings. He made his application to Southall Local Tribunal on the sixth of these, f. On the ground of a conscientious objection to the undertaking of combatant service - rooted in his case like that of many others in religious conviction.
Extracts and information from Central Military Service Tribunal
and Middlesex Appeal Tribunal: Minutes and Papers, Case Number: M126. (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/).
Unlike quite a lot of others whose beliefs led them to make a conscientious
objection, William Burr did not attempt to claim absolute exemption from participation
in the war effort, stating clearly that he asked for “Exemption from combatant
service only”. Specifically and repeatedly he expressed his willingness to
serve in the RAMC, without adding any reservations about taking the military
oath as Albert Evans had done; in fact he said he had attempted to join that
body but had been told the unit was “not open”, giving this as one reason for
his appeal.
Notice
of Appeal. (2) Grounds on which appeal
made:
The grounds on which I appeal are:-
(1) I do not consider that I had a
fair hearing.
(2) I was very unwell at the time with
a severe cold being confined to bed te two previous days & having a
difficulty with my speech for which I am attending hospital. I was rather
depressed & nervous not being able to express myself as I should.
(3) I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ & therefor object to taking life (as
taught in the New Testament). But I am willing to serve in the RAMC or other
work of National Importance. I was asked by the Local Tribunal if I would
object to working in an aeroplane factory & I answered “No”. Wishing to
help my country as much as possible without taking life & violating my
conscience.
Wm H Burr
Sept. 29th 1916.
P.S. I have been Examined by the
Medical Board and passed as C.1.
Although “exemption from combatant service only” was sometimes granted
to “absolutists” who could not accept it, no such offer was made to Burr by the
local tribunal. One factor may have been his age, tribunals being inclined to
deny that 18-year-olds could have formed settled principles. (The inconsistency
of such an attitude was not lost on the anti-conscription lobby: old enough to
kill but not to refuse to do so, to “give” their lives but not to take control
of them, to take a binding oath but not to have a conscience...) The Southall decision tends to imply that his
comparative moderation counted against him:-
Reasons
for the decision of the Local Tribunal
The Applicant and his Father both attended before the Tribunal and
stated (amongst other matters) that he (Applicant) was quite willing to work at
an Aeroplane Factory or other similar works and the Tribunal were unanimously
of opinion that applicant had not proved his case.
FOR APPEAL TRIBUNAL
Decision of
exemption from combatant service
17 Oct 1916
So in this case the appeal was successful. The Middlesex
Tribunal may have been impressed by two pieces of testimony in support of
Burr’s application, confirming the sincerity of his beliefs and agreeing with
his interpretation of his religion.
R. Wallace Martin of the
Pottery, Southall. Can testify that Mr. William Burr has been meeting with those known as “Brethren”
since before the commencement of the present war. Our meeting place is the
Gospel Hall, Hammond Road. Southall Green.
September 11th
1916
Dear Sir,
I have known Master William Burr... to be a
believer in the Lord Jesus Christ for about three years, and his conscience
would not be at rest to take up arms to kill his fellow Man...
Alfred White, 22 Kingston Rd., Southall.
Notice of Decision
19 OCT. 1916
[The Appeal Tribunal]
have decided that: the man be exempted from the provisions of the Military
Service Act 1916. The exemption is from combatant service.
The ground on
which the exemption is granted is that a conscientious
objection to combatant service, has been established.
Background
William Burr
gave his occupation as Joiner (Wood) and had been in the same line of work from
the age of 14; his employers were Avery and partner [? – illegible], Joinery
Manufacturers of Hartington Road, Southall.
His brief answers
to the wordy, tendentious multiple-question form in use by tribunals in mid-1916
give few more details about him. He described himself as a member of the
Plymouth Brethren from about 3 years previously (and of no other anti-war
organisation), but denied that he was merely following a line (‘tenet’) laid down
by that body:
6. (b) No. Each member is responsible for
himself to God.
(There were
other Plymouth Brethren COs; like WHB they appear not generally to have been
absolutists).
From census
records, he was evidently living with his family at the same address in 1911
and 1901 as in 1916, and attended school in Southall. His father, also called William,
was a carpenter and builder.
Sadly, after surviving the war (and the flu pandemic) he seems
to have died at the young age of 28, in 1926 (Uxbridge, Middx. records).
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