Frederick Haslam

No report of a Tribunal has been found in the local papers for Frederick Haslam.

6 June 1917 The Home Office requested information on the circumstances of the mother of convicted conscientious objector Frederick Haslam who will require poor relief if a separation allowance is not paid.
[Oldham Guardians' Minutes, Oldham Local Studies and Archives PUO/1/59]

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He has an entry on the Pearce List HERE
The Pearce List of over 17500 WW1 Conscientious Objectors can be found on the Imperial War Museum's website HERE

6 March 1917 Court Martial at Bury Depot, Lancashire Fusiliers. 6 months with hard labour in Wormwood Scrubs

12 May 1917 Accepted work under the Home Office Scheme. Records show that he spent time at Dartmoor and Wakefield Work Centres and on construction work at Llyn y Fan Fach reservoir.

Whilst at Wakefield Work Centre he attended an Adult School run by Wakefield Quakers. He signed the Wakefield Cocoa Petition (page 4)

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After the war he emigrated to Canada to join his parents and siblings who had gone earlier. He became a prominent member of the Society of Friends. A 12 page appreciation of his life was written by Dorothy Muma and published in the Canadian Quaker History Journal No 66 2001 HERE [external link with picture of Fred Haslam on p23]

The following information is taken from the article:

He was sent to Wormwood Scrubs in March 1917 and after time in restricted confinement worked as a cleaner and in the mailbag department.
In June 1917 he was transferred to Wakefield Work Centre where he became a regular attender at the Quaker Adult School and Worship Meetings.
He was transferred to Dartmoor Work Centre and continued his association with the Quakers.
From Dartmoor he was transferred to the Welsh reservoir [Llyn y Fan Fach] where he worked under harsh winter conditions.
He was released by the army in April 1919.

He applied for overseas work with the Friends and spent 18 months with the Relief Mission in Vienna, in charge of 21 food depots and serving as a cashier.

His experiences as a conscientious objector and in Vienna had a powerful impact on the rest of his life and he became a prominent and well-known member of the Canadian Society of Friends.

At the outbreak of World War 2 Fred spent much of his time counselling and assisting young people who were taking a pacifist stance. He petitioned the Canadian Government to accept that there were those of no religious affiliation or who were members of churches without a specific peace testimony. In 1941 it was agreed that all conscientious objections must be heard.

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Born Middleton , 26 May 1897
Died Toronto, 16 October 1979

1911 census
437 Oldham Road, Middleton
Single with parents and 4 siblings
Occ. Office boy

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His older brother William Crossley Haslam was also a conscientious objector.

Contributed by Dorothy Bintley