the men who said no
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WILFRED GEORGE BLIGH 1894 - 1989  

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Wilfred Bligh lived in Catford, Lewisham. Apprenticed to his father’s drapery business immediately after school, he was still working as a draper in 1916 when, with the introduction of Conscription, he became a conscientious objector.

His first Military Service Tribunal hearing was in Lewisham in early March 1916. His hearing was reported in the Lewisham Borough News on the 17th of March 1916, which stated: “he had a conscientious objection to war and believed that the present war would cease if the majority refused to have any part in it”. Wilfred was supported by letters describing him as a sincere and devoted young man who had been brought up with strong Christian beliefs in the Congregationalist tradition. These principles led him to believe in the universal brotherhood of man and had convinced him that he could not be involved in the destruction and injury of his fellow people.

WIlfred was offered a Non-Combatant role in the army by the Tribunal, but he rejected this as against his moral principles. Non-Combatant Service would mean joining the army, following orders and wearing a uniform, albeit without being forced to carry a weapon. For Wilfred, this was unacceptable and he clearly stated to the Tribunal that he would not undertake NCC work, finding it impossible, in his own words, to be part of “the machine” of warfare.

The Lewisham Tribunal ignored Wilfred’s protest and, like thousands of other COs around the country, he was not given the exemption from military service that he had applied for. Instead, he found himself conscripted into the 36th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers at Mill Hill Barracks. Transferred to Shoreham, on the 30th June 1916 he faced Court Martial for disobeying orders, most likely refusing to handle a weapon or put on uniform. At the time, several other COs were also at Mill Hill and Shoreham, held in the guardroom awaiting Military trials - Wilfred would have found himself in good, and sympathetic, company!

For disobeying orders, Wilfred was sentenced to one year’s hard labour, commuted to 112 days. This was a very typical sentence, which Wilfred served in Lewes prison, Sussex. Wilfred would serve very little of the sentence, as with the introduction of the Home Office Scheme (HoS) in mid 1916, his case was heard at the Central Tribunal, meeting in Wormwood Scrubs. The Central Tribunal judged him to be a convincing and genuine CO, and so Wilfred was referred to the HoS. The HoS was designed to allow the release of COs from prison into monitored work camps. Conditions in the camps were frequently terrible, and COs would be employed doing hard physical tasks with inadequate equipment, clothing and supplies. Wilfred would work under the Scheme for the remainder of the war, moving between Denton and Wakefield work Camps.

Throughout his wartime experiences, Wilfred remained positive and determined to resist militarism and the horrors of war. During his time on the Home Office scheme, he wrote poetry and drew small sketches that other COs collected in their autograph books.

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About the men who said NO

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CO DATA

Born: 1894
Died: 1988
Address:45 Broadfield Road, Catford
Tribunal:
Prison:Lewes, Wormwood Scrubs
HO Scheme:Denton and Wakefield [1]
CO Work: HOS
Occupation: Draper
NCF:Dulwich

Absolutist

 


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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

READ | more

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Conscientious objection in WW1
Conscientious objection today
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