Tuesday 23 August 2016

Scotland's First World War COs: Two Fletts from Findochty

A stretch of the Moray coast (North East Scotland)
Just along the coast to the west from Cullen, another small fishing village produced two more Conscientious Objectors professing the religious faith of the Plymouth Brethren. Although they share the surname Flett, it does not follow that they were brothers, or even close cousins (but on the possibility that these two were brothers, see below), that surname having been for a long time the majority one in that particular place. Because of this, and the fact that given names (and fish-related occupations) likewise recur frequently, it is often not easy to find out more about individuals from there, without some unique identifier or access to inside-family knowledge.
     As far as can be ascertained, neither of these was directly connected with the family tree of the Joe Flett referred to in earlier posts on this blog. They are the only two Fletts, and the only two men from Findochty, on the Conscientious Objectors' Register to date.

George Flett was 40 in 1917 (when first introduced under the Military Service Acts of 1916, conscription had an upper age limit of 41). He is said to have had the unusual middle name "Also" but this may be a nickname or "Tee name"; these were frequently bestowed in the area to distinguish people with otherwise identical names. No George "Also" or George "A" Flett appears to have been born in the parish (Rathven) around the relevant date (1875-79) although there are 17 called "George Flett" without any middle name/initial shown.

What happened to him according to the record:
  • Sent to Gordon Highlanders
  •  Court Martialled at Perth 9.8.17 [presumably arrested for refusal to obey an order] 
  •  - sentenced to 112 days with hard labour 
  • Wormwood Scrubs 16.8.17 to 10.11.17 
  • Central Tribunal at Wormwood S. 27.9.17, refused to Home Office Scheme conditions
  • Escort to Gordon Highlanders Depot, Court Martialled at Blairgowrie 23.11.17
  •  - sentenced to 112 days with hard labour
  • Aberdeen Civil Prison 28.11.17; released to regiment 28.2.18
  • Court Martialled at Aberdeen 6.3.18 - sentenced to 1 year with hard labour
  •  Aberdeen Civil Prison 12.3.18 released to Princeton Work Centre, Dartmoor, 19.8.18
It appears he eventually decided, as many absolutists did, that enough prison was enough and went along with the Home Office Scheme. He may have been among those whose resistance continued in other forms in the work centres, which saw many work strikes and protests.)

George Also Flett
Age        40
Birth year            1877
Year       1917
Address               -
Address 2            Findochty
Local authority  Banff County District
County Banffshire
Country                Scotland
Latitude               57.69
Longitude            -2.9
Ordnance Survey reference        NJ460680
Motivation          Plymouth Brethren
Military Service Tribunal                MST (Military Service Tribunal) Central Tribunal at Wormwood S. 27.9.17, refused to accept HOS (The Home Office Scheme, administered by the Brace Committee) conditions
Central Tribunal                Central Tribunal Nos. W. 4338 Refused HOS
War Service        3 (R) Gordon Highlanders CM (Court Martial) Perth 9.8.17 - 112 days HL (With hard labour), Wormwood S.; Depot Gordons CM (Court Martial) Blairgowrie 23.11.17 - 112 days HL (With hard labour); CM (Court Martial) Aberdeen 6.3.18 - 1yr.HL (With hard labour)
Prison   Wormwood S. 16.8.17 to 10.11.17 to Escort; Aberdeen CP (Civil Prison) 28.11.17 released to regiment 28.2.18; Aberdeen CP (Civil Prison) 12.3.18 released to Dartmoor, Princeton Work Centre 19.8.18
Work Centre      HOS (The Home Office Scheme, administered by the Brace Committee) to Dartmoor 19.8.18
WO363 false
Sources                NA/WO86/77/85, 79/44, 81/12; LMA/4417/01/016 - Wormwood S. Nominal Register; Not found in NA/WO363; NAS/HH21/66/18 Aberdeen Prison Nominal Register; NA/MH47/2 Central Tribunal Minutes
Record set          Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918

1901 Census record - probably the right George Flett
First name(s)     Last name           Relationship       Marital status    Gender Age        Birth year            Occupation         Birth place      
William Flett       Head     Widower             Male      57           1844       Fisherman
George Flett       Son        Single    Male      24           1877       Fisherman
William Flett       Son        Single    Male      22           1879       Fisherman
Isabella Flett       Daughter             Single    Female 18           1883       General Servt
Eliz          Flett       Daughter             Single    Female 15           1886       General Servt  
(All born in "Rathven, Banffshire, Scotland" although William junior was born in Wick according to 1881 return. Place of normal residence was sometimes given instead of actual birth-place, and many families involved in the fishing industry did a fair bit of travelling to different ports.)

1881 Census record for the same family in 1881
William Flett       Head     Married     Male      37           1844       Fisherman           
Ann        Flett       Wife      Married    Female 37           1844       Fishermans Wife
Catherine            Flett       Daughter     -     Female 12           1869       Scholar 
Ann        Flett       Daughter             -              Female 7              1874       Scholar 
James   Flett       Son        -     Male      6              1875       Scholar 
George Flett       Son        -      Male      3              1878       Scholar 
William Flett       Son        -    Male      1       1880       -   Wick, Caithness, Scotland

(All but William born in "Findochty, Banffshire, Scotland": Findochty was used in some Censuses, Rathven [pronounced Rath-in] - the parish designation as well as a placename - in others)

- and 1891:
Ann F    Flett       Wife      Married       Female 47           1844       Fishermans Wife     Findochty
Ann        Flett       Daughter    Unmarried     Female 18     1873       General Servant (Dom) Findochty      
George Flett       Son        -              Male      14           1877       Scholar Findochty
William Flett       Son        -              Male      12           1879       Scholar Wick, Caithness
Isabella Flett       Daughter             -   Female 8              1883       Scholar Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire
Elizabeth              Flett       Daughter             -     Female 5     1886       Scholar Findochty

Marriage certificate for George's parents (probably), 1872
(Details matching census return for 1881 above.)

James A Flett was George's fellow CO and co-religionist, likewise from Findochty.
It is tempting to speculate that he may also have been his 3-years-older brother (1881 Census) who would not appear with the family in later censuses (he doesn't) if absent on the night, e.g. working away from home. James is otherwise not readily identifiable from the records, due to the numbers of people with the same first name and surname in the same place, and the lack of a more precise address. As in the case of George, he may not have had a middle name; if related, they may indeed have shared a family Tee name beginning with 'A' (e.g. Also) - no "James A" shows up. If George's brother James's birth year is correctly given in 1881, however, he would have been over the age limit for conscription until it was raised to 51 in 1918.

James A Flett had a different wartime experience from George, from the little information available:
  • Applied to local Military Service Tribunal in Findochty
  •  - refused exemption, applied to Banff (County) Appeal Tribunal 2.11.16 
  •  - granted Exemption from Combatant Service only
  • Evidently accepted this, so sent to Non-Combatant Corps, location unknown.
James A Flett
Occupation         Fisherman
Age        -
Birth year            -
Year       -
Address               -
Address 2            Findochty
Local authority  Banff County District
County Banffshire
Country                Scotland
Latitude               57.69
Longitude            -2.9
Ordnance Survey reference        NJ460680
Motivation          -
Military Service Tribunal                MST (Military Service Tribunal) Findochty - refused; Banff Appeal 2.11.16 - ECS (Exemption from Combatant Service) only, NCC (Non-Combatant Corps)
War Service        (?)
WO363 false
Sources                Aberdeen Journal 3.11.16; Not found in NA/WO363;
Record set          Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918

==============================
Such case studies of small numbers of COs in small places are of course only a very small part of the picture of conscientious objection, and of opposition to the war more generally, in Scotland. A fuller account was published last year:
Objectors & Resisters: Opposition to Conscription and War in Scotland 1914-18, by Robert Duncan (Glasgow: Common Print/Common Weal, 2015)

Extract from review:
Objectors & Resisters: Opposition to Conscription and War in Scotland 1914-18, by Rob Duncan, charts the stories of the outstanding women and men who showed great campaigning skills, principles and courage in fighting against the drive to war and the conscription of young, mainly working class men [...]
Conscientious objectors (men who were called up to fight but refused on moral grounds) and the many women and men who were not eligible for service but campaigned against the war were in a minority at the time, but many of the political struggles which defined 20th century Scotland can be traced back to a radical tradition born during the anti-war movement.
The book tells the stories of well-known activists such as John Maxton, Keir Hardie, Mary Barbour and Helen Crawfurd as well as many unknown Scots who made a stand during the war.
The book also contains songs and photographs from the period and local information about how the campaign spread across Scotland. It charts the harsh repression of the movement and the torture-like conditions in which activists were held while in prison and the extent to which Scotland played a major part in the global campaign against the war.

"It is high time to redress the imbalance in the historical record and close the undoubted gap in public awareness of this largely neglected and controversial aspect of wartime Scotland."

See also Scotsman review.
--------------------------
Our islanders and north-easterners are just a few such "unknown Scots who made a stand during the war".

Monday 15 August 2016

More Scottish First World War COs: from Orkney, Shetland and Cullen

The Northern Isles did not produce many Conscientious Objectors in the First World War, but we do have a couple of names, and some details about each.
A view of Burrafirth, Unst, Shetland
Alexander Robert Cook was a Schoolteacher in West Unst, Shetland, aged 40 in 1917. One of 130 (so far counted) Presbyterian COs, he was an "Absolutist" (refusing alternative service) and also one of about 30 COs who were certified "insane" during the war. In his case this occurred after a harrowing series of events.
  • Military Service Tribunal, Shetland 23.3.16, granted Exemption from Combatant Service only
  • Sent to Non-Combatant Corps, Fort George 6.3.17
  • Court Martial at Hamilton 13.3.17, sentenced to 112 days hard labour, Wormwood Scrubs prison
  • Central Tribunal at Wormwood Scrubs 27.4.17
  •  - refused to accept alternative service under the Home Office Scheme
  • Released and returned to unit 15.6.17
  • Court Martial at Hamilton 21.6.17 -  sentenced to 1 year.hard labour; Barlinnie Prison
  • Released to rejoin unit 22.11.17; 
  • Hospital, Hamilton 29.12.17 - 1.1.18 (Scabies) 7.3.18 - 6.3.19 
  • Diagnosed with 'Delusional Insanity', sent to Dykebar War Hospital, Paisley 6.3.19-13.6.19
"Died in Dykebar War Hospital 13.6.19" - "rather suddenly" according to the authorities.
Footnote:
Although Alexander Cook seems to have been the only CO admitted to Dykebar Military Hospital, there is an interesting parallel with an Australian soldier whose aberrant behaviour (“disorderly conduct”) - which may be seen as amounting to a rejection of his role in the war - led to the same eventual diagnosis of “delusional insanity”. He survived the experience of Dykebar, however.
Information (edited from http://harrowercollection.com/hornew.html, with thanks to PG for the tip-off):-
William Horn (not Horne) enlisted with A Company 35th Battalion AIF on the 11th of December 1915 and was an original member of the Battalion and left Sydney on board HMAT A24 "BENALLA" on the 1st of May 1916. Whilst AT SEA on the 23rd of May he was Charged for being Absent Without Leave from 14:00 to 22:30 and was Awarded 14 days Fatigue duty and [forfeited] 1 day’s pay. William disembarked AT Plymouth, England on the 9th of July. William was marched to the 9th Training Battalion but 2 month later transferred to the 17th Battalion and proceeded overseas for France on the 30th of September 1916.
 After arriving in Etaples, William joined the 54th Battalion AIF on the 12th of October but found himself in trouble again on the 18th of November 1916 and was again Charged with being Absent From Billets, from 07:30 17/11/1916 to 16:00 18/11/1916. Admonished by Lieutenant C. E. SHAW Forfeits 2 Days’ Pay.
 A couple of days later William was sent to the Australian Field Ambulance on the 22nd but rejoined his unit again that afternoon but was sent back to hospital on the 30th of November. A week later William was transfered to the Australian Casualty Clearing Station suffering from Mental Deficiency and on the 26th of January he was transfered to the 8th General Hospital at Rouen as being Mental[ly ill].
 William was evacuated back to England on the 3rd of March 1917 and admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley and remained there for nearly a week before again being transfered to the Dykebar Hospital at Paisley as a Mental Patient.
 He remained at Dykebar until the 29th of August and was transfered to the Lord Derby Hospital at Warrington. After a history of disorderly conduct and in and out of Mental Hospitals, William was returned to Australia on board HMAT A72 "Beltana" on the 18th of October 1917 for discharge due to 'DELUSIONAL INSANITY' and disembarked at Sydney, Australia on the 13th of December and was discharged as Medically Unfit on the 23rd of January 1918.

Alexander Robert Cook
Marital status    Single
Occupation         Schoolteacher
Age        40.5
Birth year            1877
Year       1917
Address               West Unst [Westing, Unst]
Address 2            Shetland
Local authority  North Isles County District
County Orkney & Shetland
Country                Scotland
Latitude               60.74
Longitude            -0.88
Ordnance Survey reference        HP607073
Service number                3776
Absolutist            Yes
Motivation          Presbyterian
Military Service Tribunal                MST (Military Service Tribunal) North (?), Shetland 23.3.16 - ECS (Exemption from Combatant Service) only; Central Tribunal at Wormwood S. 27.4.17, refused to accept HOS (The Home Office Scheme, administered by the Brace Committee) conditions
Central Tribunal                Central Tribunal Nos. W.3337 Refused HOS
War Service        Fort George 6.3.17; NCC (Non-Combatant Corps) (3 Scottish) CM (Court Martial) (4 Scottish) 13.3.17 Hamilton 112 days HL (With hard labour) Wormwood S.; released and returned to unit 15.6.17; CM (Court Martial) Hamilton 21.6.17 - 1yr.HL (With hard labour) Barlinnie CP (Civil Prison); released to rejoin unit 22.11.17; Hospital, Hamilton 29.12.17 - 1.1.18 (Scabies); 7.3.18 - 6.3.19 'Delusional Insanity'; Dykebar War Hospital, Paisley 6.3.19-13.6.19
War Service comments Died in Dykebar War Hospital 13.6.19; Mental illness NOTE the WO363 file contains a great deal of medical detail
Prison   Wormwood S. 16.3.17 to 15.6.17; Barlinnie CP (Civil Prison) 25.6.17 to 23.11.17 released to unit
WO363 true
Notes    *The NA/WO363 file gives his next-of-kin as his sister at 12, Atholl Place, Edinburgh
Sources                NA/WO363/C1668; NA/WO86/74/145, 76/117; LMA/4417/01/016 - Wormwood S. Nominal Register; NAS/HH21/70/55 Barlinnie Register 1916-1919; NA/MH47/2 Central Tribunal Minutes; FH/SER/VOPC/Cases/2(4026)
Record set          Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918

=============================
Robert McKay came from Finstown in Orkney, but not much else is known about him in the context of conscientious objection to the First World War; his motivation is not stated. Although he is said to have been in prison, he was evidently not one of the ultra-hard-line Absolutists, and accepted the terms of the  Home Office Scheme. Like many others, he was eventually sent to work at Dartmoor.

Robert McKay
Age        -
Birth year            -
Year       -
Address               Finstown
Address 2            Finstown
Local authority  Mainland County District
County Orkney & Shetland
Country                Scotland
Latitude               58.98
Longitude            -3.18
Ordnance Survey reference        HY322119
Motivation          -
Work Centre      HOS (The Home Office Scheme, administered by the Brace Committee) 25.5.17 been in prison then at Broxbourn, leaving for Dartmoor 18.5.17; 28.8.17 at Dartmoor
WO363 false
Sources                Collins Notebook; FH/SER/VOPC/Cases/5(4236); Not found in NA/WO363;
Record set          Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918

=============================
The harbour at Scapa Flow, of great importance in both world wars
Alexander Guthrie Tulloch was a 21-year-old student in 1916. He seems to have accepted the decision of his Military Service Tribunal  on 25.8.16 that the should be granted Exemption from Combatant Service only, conditional on his being willing to serve in the RAMC. No doubt bidding farewell to Stromness, where he lived, he was sent to the Non-Combatant Corps at Fort George and apparently served with no major disputes or incidents from 16.10.16 until demobilisation on 21.2.19.

Alexander Guthrie Tulloch
Marital status    Single
Occupation         Student
Age        21
Birth year            1895
Year       1916
Address               Plainstones
Address 2            Stromness
Local authority  Stromness Burgh
County Orkney & Shetland
Country                Scotland
Latitude               58.96
Longitude            -3.3
Ordnance Survey reference        HY250090
Service number                3072
Motivation          -
Military Service Tribunal                MST (Military Service Tribunal) 25.8.16 - ECS (Exemption from Combatant Service) conditional on RAMC
War Service        NCC (Non-Combatant Corps) 16.10.16 Fort George, NCC (Non-Combatant Corps); Home: 16.10.16 - 21.2.19, Demob.
WO363 true
Sources                NA/WO363 - on line - incomplete
Record set          Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918



=============================
John Addison Findlay had visited Orkney as a 15- or 16-year-old on a fishing boat in 1901, according to the Pearce Register transcription. Other evidence (1911 Census, birth record, affiliation) strongly suggest that his home was in Cullen. He was a member of the Plymouth Brethren, one of the denominations most consistently opposed to the war, and would probably have encountered several co-religionists in the course of his trials and troubles as a CO.
[After being denied full exemption by the local Tribunal, if he applied:-]
  • Sent to the Gordon Highlanders [and presumably refused to obey orders]
  • Court Martialled at Aberdeen 8.6.17 
  • Sentenced to 9 months with hard labour) commuted to 140 days
  • Wormwood Scrubs Prison  18.6.17 to 23.9.17
  • Came before Central Tribunal at Wormwood Scrubs 3.8.17, judged CO "Class: A - Genuine"
  • - referred to Brace Committee and sent to Dartmoor 23.9.17.
John Addison Findlay
Occupation         Fisherman*
Age        32
Birth year            1885
Year       1917
Address               * (1901) [236 Seatown, Cullen, in 1911]
Local authority  -
County -
Country                Great Britain
Latitude               -
Longitude            -
Ordnance Survey reference        -
Motivation          Plymouth Brethren
Military Service Tribunal                MST (Military Service Tribunal) Central Tribunal at Wormwood S. 3.8.17, CO class A, to Brace Committee
Central Tribunal                Central Tribunal Nos. W. 4008 Class: A - Genuine
War Service        4 Gordon Highlanders; CM (Court Martial) Aberdeen 8.6.17 - 9 months HL (With hard labour) com.140 days, Wormwood S.
Prison   Wormwood S. 18.6.17 to 23.9.17 to Dartmoor
Work Centre      HOS (The Home Office Scheme, administered by the Brace Committee) 23.9.17 to Dartmoor
WO363 false
Notes    *Occupation in 1901 census and registered on a fishing boat in Kirkwall harbour, Orkney
Sources                NA/WO86/76/92; LMA/4417/01/016 - Wormwood S. Nominal Register; Not found in NA/WO363; NA/MH47/2 Central Tribunal Minutes;
Record set          Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918

Birth certificate, Pitsligo 1884, for John Addison Findlay.
(Note parents married in Cullen).
1901 Census showing First name(s)   Last name  Relationship    Marital status  Gender    Age     Birth year        Occupation       
James   Findlay   Head   Married   Male    49        1852    Fisherman  Cullen, Banffshire         
Maggie  Findlay   Wife    Married           Female 47        1854  Portknockie, Banffshire        
Isabella Findlay    Daughter         Single  Female 25        1876
Jane     Findlay    Daughter         Single  Female 20        1881    Fishworker
George Findlay     Son      Single  Male    17        1884    Fisherman
James   Findlay     Son      -           Male    14        1887    Fisherman
Jessie   Findlay     Daughter         -           Female 11        1890    Scholar 
(All except Maggie said to have been born in Cullen, Banffshire, Scotland)
[Address given as Cullen, with no street/ house number]
As noted above, according to the Register, John, 16 in 1901, was away from home on census night, on a fishing boat at Kirkwall. Other names are consistent with the 1911 image below and with his birth record.


1911 Census image for the Findlays
at 236 Seatown, Cullen

236 Seatown, Cullen, summer 2016 
 

Alexander and George Mair were from the Seatown in Cullen too, and would certainly have been known to John Findlay, the more so as they were about the same age, and fellow adherents of the Plymouth Brethren (such religious groupings were and are strong in the fishing communities of the north-east).

Alexander,the elder by 2 years (32 in 1917), was sent to the Gordon Highlanders Depot, then - 
  • Court Martialled at Aberdeen 29.5.17 -  sentenced to 112 days with hard labour
  •  in Wormwood Scrubs Prison 8.6.17 to 28.8.17
  • before Central Tribunal at Wormwood Scrubs 20.7.17, judged "Class: A - Genuine"
  •  - referred to Brace Committee 
  •  - sent to Home Office Scheme Work Centre in Kew Gardens 28.8.17.
George, a Boat Builder aged 30, followed or was dragged along the same path, on the same dates, as far as the Brace Committee referral, but was then less fortunate (in all likelihood), being sent to work at Dartmoor on 26th July or 26th August 1917. So he would have been separated from his brother at this point, but would very likely soon have encountered John Findlay (see above), as well as other Brethren.


Alexander Mair
Age     32
Birth year        1885
Year    1917
Address           * (1891)
Address 2        Cullen*
Local authority            Cullen Burgh
County            Banffshire
Country           Scotland
Latitude          57.69
Longitude       -2.82
Ordnance Survey reference    NJ510670
Motivation      Plymouth Brethren
Military Service Tribunal        MST (Military Service Tribunal) Central Tribunal at Wormwood S. 20.7.17, CO class A, to Brace Committee
Central Tribunal          Central Tribunal Nos. W. 3938 Class: A - Genuine
War Service     Depot Gordon Highlanders CM (Court Martial) Aberdeen 29.5.17 - 112 days HL (With hard labour), Wormwood S.
Prison  Wormwood S. 8.6.17 to 28.8.17 to Kew Gardens
Work Centre   HOS (The Home Office Scheme, administered by the Brace Committee) 28.8.17 to Kew Gardens
WO363           false
Notes   *Family address in 1891 - father a fisherman. 'F' George and Alexander Mair, brothers.
Other Conscientious Objectors in family        Yes
Sources            LMA/4417/01/016 - Wormwood S. Nominal Register; Not found in NA/WO363; NA/MH47/2 Central Tribunal Minutes;
Record set       Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918
["F" refers to Conscientious Objection as the grounds for applying for exemption from military service - there were half a dozen other possible grounds under the Acts] 

George Mair
Occupation      Boat builder*
Age     30
Birth year        1887
Year    1917
Address           39, Seatown *
Address 2        Cullen
Local authority            Cullen Burgh
County            Banffshire
Country           Scotland
Latitude          57.69
Longitude       -2.82
Ordnance Survey reference    NJ510670
Motivation      Plymouth Brethren
Military Service Tribunal        MST (Military Service Tribunal) Central tribunal at Wormwood S. 20.7.17, CO class A, to Brace Committee
Central Tribunal          Central Tribunal Nos. W. 3939 Class: A - Genuine
War Service     Depot Gordon Highlanders CM (Court Martial) Aberdeen 29.5.17 - 112 days HL (With hard labour), Wormwood S.
Prison  Wormwood S. 8.6.17 to 26.8.17 to Dartmoor
Work Centre   HOS (The Home Office Scheme, administered by the Brace Committee) 26.7.17 to Dartmoor
WO363           false
Notes   *Family address and his occupation in 1901 census. 'F' George and Alexander Mair, brothers.
Other Conscientious Objectors in family        Yes
Sources            LMA/4417/01/016 - Wormwood S. Nominal Register; Not found in NA/WO363; NA/MH47/2 Central Tribunal Minutes;
Record set       Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918


1901 Census record for Mair family in Cullen [no street/ house number given]
James   Mair     Head   Married           Male    49        1852    Fisherman        Rathven, Banffshire
Margaret          Mair     Wife    Married           Female 48        1853    Fisherman's Wife 
George Mair     Son      Single  Male    14        1887    Boat Builder   Sandhaven, Aberdeenshire
John Wm         Mair     Son      -           Male    12        1889    Scholar            Cullen, Banffshire

Ann Mair         Falconer  Mother-In-Law  Widow  Female 70        1831    - Rathven, Banffshire
[George, at 14, is already working as a "Boat Builder"; Alexander (16) is presumably away from home, perhaps working elsewhere, on census night.] 

From Cullen: 
 
A view over the Seatown
Cullen, late 20th century

A more impressionistic view
To Dartmoor:
COs at work camp



Thursday 11 August 2016

First World War Conscientious Objectors from Scottish Islands: Skye

Lewis was not unique among the islands of the north of Scotland in producing a small number of open opponents of the First World War in the form of Conscientious Objectors (COs), along with many, as is better known, whose lives were taken in the conflict. The list of men with the courage of their anti-war convictions includes, for example, residents of Skye, Orkney and Shetland. Unlike those of Lewis, unfortunately, the other islands' files of Appeal Tribunal cases have not survived, so that there is much less chance of being able to access these COs' reasons for their stance, as presented in their own words. With the help of the invaluable Pearce Register, however, it is possible to provide an outline of their stories, particularly tragic in at least two instances, and perhaps to suggest avenues for further research.
===========================
Keyword “Skye” finds 4 records, with transcriptions which confirm their relevance to the island:

Last name        First name     Born   Event [in CO context]         
Borradaile       Borradaile              —       —      
Campbell         Peter                1886   1917     
McIntyre         Angus               1892   1917
McKenzie        Ronald             1885   1916   


One of the four records gives both first name and surname as "Borradaile", suggesting a mistake in data entry or transcription (the Register, though invaluable, is not infallible). This is or was a place-name* on the island although it can also be a surname, albeit an uncommon one, and one which does not appear in Census records referring to the Isle of Skye, or indeed anywhere on Scotland's People for 1901 or 1911. The transcription supplies enough detail to indicate that there is a story here, although exactly  whose, and what happened to him, must await further ferreting-out:-

He (the Military Service Acts of 1916 only applied to males) was an Absentee, having failed to report when called up, or gone on the run. The latter may be suggested by the fact that the Conscientious Objectors Information Bureau lost track of him; if he was lucky, perhaps the military authorities did so too. 

First name(s)   Borradaile
Last name        Borradaile
Age     -
Birth year        -
Year    -
Address           -
Address 2        Isle of Skye
Local authority            5th or Skye County District
County            Invernessshire
Country           Scotland
Latitude          57.38
Longitude       -6.26
Ordnance Survey reference    NG439410
Motivation      -
War Service     8.1.17 waiting 2nd CM (Court Martial) at Inverness - COIB [Conscientious Objectors Information Bureau] lost track of him
Magistrates Court       Arrest reported 12.1.17
Magistrates Court comments  Absentee
WO363 [re. War Office file series]           false
Sources    Tr[i]bunal 11.7.18; No-Conscription Fellowship/COIB Report 101 5.7.17, 109 25.10.18
Record set       Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918

The Terrific Register: Or, Record of Crimes, Judgments, Providences, and Calamities ...
(Sherwood, Jones, and Company, 1825): "instantly agreed to conduct him [Bonnie Prince Charlie] to the Isle of Skye ... they resolved to place themselves between two hills near the road to Strathglass. ...  two French frigates were arrived at Lochnanuagh, near Borradaile..."

===========================
The other three transcriptions give a slightly fuller account of the individuals identified, and show how their principled stand affected their lives, as follows.

Peter Campbell, from the Glendale area of Skye, was 31 in 1917. He was a member of the No-Conscription Fellowship and an "Absolutist" who refused all forms of participation in the war, including the alternative service under the Home Office Scheme which many COs eventually accepted. In his case the outcome was fatal.

(Having been refused exemption, if he went to the local tribunal:-)
  • Sent to Cameron Highlanders' Depot, Court Martialled at Inverness 6.10.16 
  • sentenced to 2 years hard labour, commuted to 112 days, Wormwood Scrubs prison
  • came before Central Tribunal at Wormwood Scrubs 10.11.16 
  • refused to accept Home Office Scheme (administered by the Brace Committee) conditions
  • Became an "Absentee"; arrest reported 12.1.17
  • Court Martialled at Inverness 19.1.17 - 6 months hard labour 
  • Court Martialled at Inverness 29.6.17 - 1 year.hard labour
  • Aberdeen CP (Civil Prison) 14.11.17 released 30.4.18
  • Court Martialled at Inverness 10.5.18 - 2 years.hard labour.
  • "Died in prison".
(Page from David Boulton's book, Objection Overruled)
Peter Campbell is one of those said to have "died as a direct result of the treatment they received" for being COs.

First Name     Peter
Surname     Campbell
Age     31
Birth year        1886
Year    1917
Address           Glendale          
["Glendale is an 18,956 acre estate that extends from Neist Point in the West, to Loch Pooltiel in the North, to Loch Dunvegan in the East. To the South it covers vast acres of moorland, skirting the slopes of MacLeod's Tables and extending almost down to MacLeod's Maidens at Idrigill.
The name 'Glendale' is the anglicised version of its gaelic name, Gleann Dail, which means 'valley with level fields by a river'."] 
Address 2        Isle of Skye
Local authority            5th or Skye County District
County            Invernessshire
Country           Scotland
Latitude          57.38
Longitude       -6.26
Ordnance Survey reference    NG439410
Absolutist        Yes
Motivation      NCF (No-Conscription Fellowship)
Military Service Tribunal        MST (Military Service Tribunal) Central Tribunal at Wormwood S. 10.11.16 - refused to accept HOS (The Home Office Scheme, administered by the Brace Committee) conditions
Central Tribunal          Central Tribunal Nos. W. 2015 Refused HOS
War Service     Depot Cameron Highlanders, CM (Court Martial) Inverness 6.10.16 - 2yrs.HL (With hard labour) com.to 112 days, Wormwood S.; CM (Court Martial) Inverness 19.1.17 - 6 months HL (With hard labour); CM (Court Martial) Inverness 29.6.17 - 1yr.HL (With hard labour); CM (Court Martial) Inverness 10.5.18 - 2yrs.HL (With hard labour)
Magistrates Court       Arrest reported 12.1.17
Magistrates Court comments  Absentee
Prison  Wormwood S.; Aberdeen CP (Civil Prison) 14.11.17 released 30.4.18; Died in prison
WO363           false
Sources            NCF (No-Conscription Fellowship) Souvenir; Cumbria RO(Carlisle)D/Mar/4/97; Not found in NA/WO363; NA/WO86/72/43, 73/146, 76/161, 82/55; NAS/HH21/66/18 Aberdeen Prison Nominal Register; NA/MH47/1 Central Tribunal Minutes; FH/SER/VOPC/Cases/2(3782) - brief entry

Record set       Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918
[NA = National Archives; NAS = National Archives of Scotland; FH = Friends' House]
===========================

In 1917 Angus McIntyre, from Portree, was 25 years old. His "motivation" is the unusual one of being a 'Covenanter' - compare the fierce inflexible Presbyterianism professed by Murdo Macleod of Lewis - who like Peter Campbell underwent multiple courts martial and prison terms, but evidently survived.

(Having been refused exemption, if he went to the local tribunal:-)
  • Court Martialled at Edinburgh 14.7.16 
  • sentenced to 9 months, Edinburgh civil prison (CP)
  • Court Martialled at Edinburgh 25.10.16, sentenced to 1 year.hard labour, Wormwood Scrubs
  • transferred to Wandsworth CP 2.2.17 to 20.4.17; sentence reduced
  • Court Martialled at Edinburgh 28.4.17 - 2 years.hard labour, commuted to 6 months
  • Court Martialled at Duddington 5.3.18  - 2 years.hard labour
  • Served time in Wandsworth Civil Prison as well as Edinburgh and the Scrubs
  • "By Jan.1919 had served 3 sentences and two years."
Angus McIntyre
Age     25
Birth year        1892
Year    1917
Address           -
Address 2        Portree - 1901
Local authority            5th or Skye County District
County            Invernessshire
Country           Scotland
Latitude          57.4
Longitude       -6.19
Ordnance Survey reference    NG480430
Absolutist        Yes
Motivation      'Covenanter'
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.1104 Class: B - unconvincing
War Service     3 (R) HL (With hard labour)I [?]; CM (Court Martial) Edinburgh 14.7.16 - 1yr.HL (With hard labour), com.to 9 months, Edinburgh CP (Civil Prison); CM (Court Martial) Edinburgh 25.10.16 - 1yr.HL (With hard labour), Wormwood S.; CM (Court Martial) Edinburgh 28.4.17 - 2yrs.HL (With hard labour) com.6 months; CM (Court Martial) Duddington 5.3.18 - 2yrs.HL (With hard labour)
Prison  Edinburgh CP (Civil Prison) 17.7.16; Wormwood S. transfer to Wandsworth CP (Civil Prison) 2.2.17 to 20.4.17 sentence reduced; By Jan.1919 had served 3 sentences and two years.
WO363           false
Sources            NA/WO86/71.38, 72/98, 76/8, 81/58; FH/FSC(1916/20)/SER3 - COIB Two Year Men; LMA/ACC/3444/P12/01/182 Wandsworth Nominal Register; 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;
Record set       Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918.


Wandsworth Prison (scene of a "mutiny" by COs)
1901 Census record for the Macintyre family (all born in Portree, Invernessshire, Scotland)
Malcolm          MacIntyre       Head   Married           Male    53        1848    Gamekeeper   
Margaret          MacIntyre       Wife    Married           Female 47        1854    -          
Archibald        MacIntyre       Son     Male    21        1880    Footman (Domestic)  
Peter    MacIntyre       Son      Male    14        1887    Scholar           
Maggie C        MacIntyre       Daughter      Female 11        1890    Scholar           
Angus W G     MacIntyre       Son      Male    9          1892    Scholar           
Marion MacIntyre      Daughter          Female 7          1894    Scholar  
      
===========================
Ronald McKenzie, a 31-year-old Headmaster in the south east of the island in 1916, was also a Presbyterian, but took a less hard line than Macintyre and Macleod, evidently accepting the decision that he should be granted Exemption from Combatant Service only, after attending his local Military Service Tribunal on 17.5.16. He therefore served in the Non-Combatant Corps from 16.10.16 until his demobilisation on 21.2.19.

1901 Census record for the McKenzie family in Sleat (all born in Sleat, Invernessshire, Scotland)
Alexander       McKenzie        Head   Married           Male    51        1850    Mason's Labourer
Marion McKenzie        Wife    Married           Female 52        1849    -           
Angus  McKenzie        Son      Single  Male    25        1876    General Labourer
Christina          McKenzie        Daughter         Single  Female 23        1878    General Serv (Domestic)         
John     McKenzie Senr           Son      Single  Male    20        1881    Fisherman
Ronald McKenzie        Son      Single  Male    16        1885    Scholar
John     McKenzie Junr            Son      -           Male    14        1887
Peter    McKenzie        Son      -           Male    11        1890    Scholar
Alexander       McKenzie        Grandson        -           Male    0          1901
[Note two siblings both called John, Senr. and Junr.]

In 1911 his mother was listed as the Head of the household. Ronald, the high achiever of the family, was a teacher, while two of his brothers were "Farm Servants", the other brother having no occupation given.


Ronald McKenzie
Marital status  Single
Occupation      Headmaster
Age     31.1
Birth year        1885
Year    1916
Address           Schoolhouse*
Address 2        Aird, Ardvasor [Ardvasar]
["Ardvasar is a village near the southern end of the Sleat peninsula, on the Isle of Skye in Scotland."]
Local authority            5th or Skye County District
County            Invernessshire
Country           Scotland
Latitude          -
Longitude       -
Ordnance Survey reference    -
Service number           3049
Motivation      Presbyterian
Military Service Tribunal        MST (Military Service Tribunal) (?) 17.5.16 - ECS (Exemption from Combatant Service)
War Service     NCC (Non-Combatant Corps) 16.10.16 Hamilton, (3 Scottish); Home: 16.10.16 - 21.2.19, Demob.
WO363           true
Notes   *Father/Demob.address - Drunfearn, Broadford, Skye
Sources            NA/WO363 - on line

Record set       Conscientious Objectors' Register 1914-1918