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THE MEN WHO SAID NO | ROAD TO CONSCRIPTION | CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION | PRISONS | SENTENCED TO DEATH | TRIBUNALS | WIDER CONTEXT | INDEX
ALEXANDER STRATTON 1892 -  

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The stories of many First World War Conscientious Objectors are well known, with letters, interviews, records and official documents attesting to experiences showing a brave and principled stand against militarism. Other stories are less well known, but equally interesting, and can say much about the experience of what it meant to be a conscientious objector.

Alexander Stratton’s story as a CO is certainly one of the latter. Though little is known directly of Alexander’s situation and experiences during the war, letters exchanged between his brother-in-law, Alexander Hay of Kirkcaldy, and CO supporter Thomas Harvey tell an interesting story. Alexander was 24 when Conscription was introduced in 1916 under the Military Service Act, but at first had no intention of becoming a Conscientious Objector. In fact, in 1915 he had “attested”, volunteered to go into the army at a later - to be defined - date, essentially promising his services to the army as and when he was needed.

Most attested men were called up to the Army in the early months of 1916. It is possible that Alexander had either a domestic or occupational reason that his call up was delayed, but he was still a civilian by mid-late 1916 when, while working outside his home town of Aberdeen, he met Conscientious Objectors working at the infamous Dyce Quarry. By the account written in his brother-in-law’s letters, Alexander met COs at Dyce and discussed their position with them, becoming convinced that adopting resistance to war and militarism was the right thing to do. He then went on to appeal against his conscription at the Aberdeen Tribunal, but was turned down - the Tribunal convinced that his attestation prior to the introduction of Conscription was evidence that any objection he had was not deeply and consistently held.

No records have been found of Alexander’s consequent experiences. His story makes for slightly odd reading. If he had attested, and then changed his mind after meeting COs at Dyce, he would have remained a free man until late 1916, long after the vast majority of the attested men had been called into the army. Though by no means impossible, it could be that this story tells us more about the desire of the CO movement for this kind of “conversion-story” than the practicalities of it. COs and their supporters were bombarded with stories of “the CO come good”, men who had been forced into taking up arms through bravery, or direct threats, or being caught by German soldiers in France. Every man who “recanted” his objection was lauded in popular press - fictional or not - and celebrated. The story of an attested man changing his mind after meeting COs recurs around the country - a reversal of the popular myth, it shows the power and conviction of the pacifist argument. Whether true or not, stories such as this one speak to the self-perception of Conscientious Objectors, men with powerful and simple arguments that could, they hoped, convince the world, one person at a time.

 

 

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CO DATA

Born: 1892
Died:
Address: Aberdeen, Scotland
Tribunal: Aberdeen
Prison:
HO Scheme: [1]
CO Work: WNI
Occupation: Agricultural Worker

Motivation: Plymouth Brethren
[2]


 


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WIDER CONTEXT | more
ROAD TO CONSCRIPTION
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CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
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TRIBUNALS | more
SENTENCED TO DEATH | more
PRISONS | more
HOME OFFICE CENTRES | more

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ONLINE RESOURCES
Conscientious objection in WW1
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