John Anderson was born in 1898, and lived in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland. His father had established an engineering business in 1870, and a family legend has it that John began work there at the age of 8, though as compulsory schooling up to the age of 12 had begun by the time John was 8, the legend probably meant some kind of work outside school hours until John left school around 13.

John was a socialist, but the Coatbridge Military Service Tribunal would not accept that as sufficient ground for conscientious objection, particularly when he mentioned that he was an atheist, and he was called-up into the Machine Gun Corps (then the most efficiently automated form of death-dealing), Training Battalion, at Rugely Staffordshire. John disobeyed orders, such as to put on a uniform, leading to a court-martial on 5 November 1918, and a sentence of one year imprisonment with hard labour, commuted to three months. He served the sentence in Wormwood Scrubs Prison, London, and whilst there was interviewed  on 19 December 1918 by the Central Tribunal, sitting in the prison. He was offered admission to the Home Office Scheme, but refused it.

After completing his sentence he was returned to the Army, again disobeyed, underwent a second court-martial, again served in Wormwood Scrubs. There is a record that on 9 May 1918 he asked to see the Quaker Chaplain, but was refused permission because he was not registered as a Quaker in the prison records. In fact, Quaker chaplains (experienced members of the Society of Friends designated for visiting prisons to befriend and advise Quaker prisoners) were always willing to similarly befriend and advise other COs, without any attempt at proselytising, and there was no objective reason why such a contact should have been disallowed.

No more is known about John Anderson’s experience, but it may be assumed that he was finally released not later than August 1919.

You may be interested in Objectors & Resisters: Opposition to Conscription and War in Scotland 1914-18