14 December 2014

Religious Objectors in World War One New Zealand



Religious Objectors in World War One New Zealand






While looking through online New Zealand newspaper articles on family members on the website Paperspast to see what I could find. I came across an interesting article about one family member Herbert Milverton who in 1917 had declared that he was a religious objector as he was a Christadelphian. I found this to be interesting as I found several other articles throughout 1917 that began in February and went on until August. I knew I would have to do some research about the objectors in New Zealand, but first I will include the time line of events before explaining about New Zealand having compulsory service during WW1.

The Evening Post, 13 Feb 1917
 Wellington Recruitment district (No.5)
Under the list of people who had been called up from the 4th ballot to fill vacancies in the 27th and 28th Reinforcements.
Milverton, HC. Gardener, 25 Jessie St.

The Evening Post, 13 March 1917
Religious Objections
Herbert was now before the Wellington Military Service board where he was refusing to serve in the military under religious grounds. He stated that he was a Christiadelpian and had been for the last 12 years. His appeal was dismissed and was suggested that Herbert to be given a non-combatant duty.




Dominion, 23 August 1917.
Sessions Resumed
Herbert Charles Milverton of Te Aro, a religious objector had his appeal allowed at the Third Wellington Military Service Board.


Feilding Star, 24 August 1917
Herbert a Christadelphian and another agreed to sign a statutory declaration and their appeals were allowed.



During World War One in New Zealand compulsory military service was passed on 1st August 1916 as the Military Service Act as the government wanted to guarantee the supply of reinforcements. There had been the National Registration Act of 1st October 1915 that provided a register of men between the ages of 17 and 60. The 1916 Act would be used by the government to ensure ‘shirkers’ would be hunted down and unable to avoid military service. The Act had similarities with its counterpart in the United Kingdom. After debate in parliament there was inclusion in the Bill allowing for religious objections when at first there were no grounds for conscientious objection. In 1917 new regulations allowed religious objectors to be taken out of military control and placed in non-combatant work on state farms controlled by the Agricultural Department.
Three religious groups were able to qualify as religious objectors and be exempt from service. These groups were The Society of Friends, The Christadelphians and The Seventh Day Adventist. They were sent to alternative service with the Department of Agriculture while others were treated more severely from goal sentences, deportation, compulsory front line service or non-combatant duties.

This information I gathered from several books in the National Army Museum in Waiouru and the staff there was helpful. I do believe there would be more information in the future on Herbert Milverton other than him being listed as being in the First Reserves in WW1, but I have not found a service record. I am guessing that he ended up on a farm though I do not have any ideas about the sort of conditions he would have received. There might be another blog about this at a later date, but for now this amount of information would provide a basic insight into New Zealand at war. There are other stories of Objectors being forcibly sent overseas to serve and of their treatment when they had arrived. Some stories are very graphic and people did write about their experiences.


Sources:
Pugsley, Christopher On the fringe of Hell: New Zealanders and military discipline in the First World War, pp. 224 – 225.

Holland, H.E. 1868 - 1933 Armageddon or Calvary: The Conscientious objectors of New Zealand and the process of their conversion, p. 244.

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3171, 23 August 1917, Page 4  

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 62, 13 March 1917 religious objections

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 38, 13 February 1917, Page 3

Further Reading




4 comments:

  1. This was my great-great-grandfather. So are you related to him?

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    1. Hi
      Herbert was my 2nd great grand uncle and brother to my 2nd great grandfather Percival of Palmerston North, New Zealand.

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    2. Wow that's pretty cool. Herbert was the oldest Milverton I knew about. Do you have some sort of family tree set out?

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    3. There were 8 kids all up. One lived in the US and the others lived in New Zealand and moved around. I have done a little bit.

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