Joseph Widdop

Oldham Tribunal 5 July 1916
Reported Oldham Chronicle 6 July 1916
Reported Oldham Chronicle 8 July 1916

The Oldham Tribunal on Wednesday afternoon considered and dealt with several claims for absolute exemption from service sent in by local men on the ground of a conscientious objection against any form of war service …

… Joseph Widdop, of 37 Wren-street, Oldham, a tinplate worker and gas-meter repairer employed by Messrs J and J Braddock, wrote that he was against all forms of war from a moral standpoint and pointed out that he was already doing work of national importance, at which he was skilled.
He was asked if he would decline to do war work. He replied that he did not think so, not with his present firm.

Councillor Frith: Don't you know that you have been doing war work?
- Not to my knowledge.

The appellant was granted exemption as being in a reserved occupation.

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Born Keighley, 12 May 1883
Died Oldham, 16 April 1959

1911 census
142 Radcliffe Street, Oldham
Single, a boarder with the family of Joseph Schulz, a German national
Occ: Sheet metal worker

1939 register
540 Lees Road, Oldham
With wife Alice, no children listed
Occ: Sheet metal & brass (retired)

Contributed by Dorothy Bintley