The President's first "cover of the day" (4 May) - A Conscientious Objector

[Richard Berry]

My second formal display as President of our Society was on First World War Conscientious Objectors. Maybe not a subject that falls naturally as a topic for collecting under the forces postal history umbrella as they didn't like militarism!

One of the partial CO correspondences I have relates to an eminent philatelist who later in life signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP) - Sydney Robert Turner.

He spent over 800 days in detention during WW1 mostly in prison but also short spells in detention in army camps. He refused to put on an army uniform and was eventually court-martialled four times before the end of the War for refusing orders.

Shown is a cover sent when he was in detention at Hurdcott Camp awaiting his first court-martial in 1916. His brother Guy writes in the address "CO" (Conscientious Objector). It also has a three line cachet relating to his regiment.

Sydney was a man of great conviction but under the Military Service Act 1916 was conscripted as his conscientious objection wasn't recognised by the tribunals created to pronounce on such matters. He was therefore  subject to army rules and therefore a prime candidate for study under the heading of forces postal history.

So why have I shared this cover with you now - well just thought I'd get involved a little more visibly in the great initiative of "cover of the day". Well done to all who've partaken (so far!)... and keep well all.

[Chris Grimshaw]

Hi Richard

Great Item, Thank you for sharing with us all.

May use in the Journal if OK with you.

Chris

[Tony Walker]

I did not see Richard's display on Conscientious Objectors (CO's) in WWI, so this post may be repetitive.  I have an idea I might have put it in the Journal a while back, but it follows neatly to Richard's post so maybe worth a repeat if so :

The ship on the postcard scanned here is the GER (Great Eastern Railway) Mail Boat, SS Invicta, which took the first contingent of  CO's to Dunkirk from Dover on Friday 31 October 1914.  They were known as the Friends Ambulance Unit (FAU) of the British Red Cross and consisted of Quakers (pacifists) and CO's all of whom had received elementary medical training (10 days) and instruction in military matters. 

The postcard was sent from the Invicta on Wednesday 29 October 1914 on the voyage BEFORE that of the FAU contingent, and erroneously states in the message 'This is the boat we came over on, on Monday.  It was torpedoed on the Wednesday'.  The confusion probably arose due to :

On the voyage to Dunkirk the Invicta came across the cruiser HMS Hermes, sinking from two torpedoes fired by U27.  Colin Rowntree (from the famous family?) an orderly with the FAU was on board Invicta and recorded this in his diary ;

The crew were being taken off by small boats from destroyers, about 5 in number, which cruised around in curves to avoid torpedoes ....  We lowered boats to pick up survivors ... but were told to return to ship almost at once as all men taken off'. 

Colin Rowntree and his colleagues finally arrived in Dunkirk at 5.30pm and were soon tending wounded men lying in two goods sheds, 300 - 400 in each he recorded in his diary, with only one doctor in attendance.  The smell of the wounded who's dressings were largely septic, the injured and the dying was overpowering he wrote.

CWR Newinson, an artist before the war would not have passed a medical, so had volunteered for the Quaker-run FAU and was one of the group with Colin Rowntree.  He painted 'Le Patrie' scanned here, which captures the appalling conditions they found in the railway sheds.

                                        ***********************

I'm not sure just how interesting members might be in these details, but a significant fact was the FAU functioned without clearance to do so by whatever authorities there were.  The FAU was to be run on strict military lines and fit tactfully with the Army Medical Corps. and local French authorities.  In this respect there are echoes of Florence Nightingale in the Crimea

Tony

[Richard Berry]

[i]Chris[/i] - yes feel free to use it - let me know if you want further information on Turner.

[i]Anybody else[/i] - happy to put up some more CO covers if wanted (or even an FAU offering: Tony, thank you for your interesting contribution)

[Michael Dobbs]

Don't forget there is a write up of Richard's display on our website, with some illustrations - go here:

[url=http://www.forcespostalhistorysociety.org.uk/society/meetings-archive/2019/12-january-2019.html]http://www.forcespostalhistorysociety.org.uk/society/meetings-archive/2019/12-january-2019.html[/url]

Mike  :)