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
