Oldham Historical Research Group - World War 1, 1914-1918, Conscientious Objection

Oldham Historical Research Group

'THE GREAT WAR', 'THE WAR TO END WAR', 'WORLD WAR 1'
'What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
- Only the monstrous anger of the guns.'
from 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' by Wilfred Owen

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION IN WW1

LOCAL CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS IDENTIFIED

* The search for newspaper reports on conscientious objectors is ongoing.
* Most Tribunals, as far as we can tell, were reported in both papers, sometimes with a slight difference in detail.
* Many would accept a final tribunal decision and enlist in the army or go to non-combatanat service, if offered.
* A number accepted finding an occupation in 'Work of National Importance', not to be confused with 'Reserved Occupations'
* A significant number would remain as COs for the duration of the war, serving one or more sentences in Prison,
or going from prison to one of the 'Work Centres', lasting well into 1919
(These internal links open in a new window.)

SOME STATISTICS .pdf files ... each opening in a new tab
Surname Index of Local C.Os.	Index of C.Os. by Oldham C.B. Ward in Which Lived	Index of C.Os. by Local District in Which Lived

A ...B ... C ... D ... E ... F ... G ... H ... I ... J ... K ... L ... M ... N ... O ... P ... Q ... R ... S ... T ... U ... V ... W ... X ... Y ... Z.

Surname (Brothers * )	Forename/s	Year of Birth	Address at Tribunal or in Army Records if given (1916 - 1918) In red from 1911 Census	Oldham Chronicle Entry	Oldham Standard Entry	Pearce CO List IWM¹	WO 363 Records at TNA²
Albinson	William	1887	38 Mallalieu Street, Royton, Oldham	20/3/1916 21/04/1916 5/7/1916 7/9/1916 15/11/1916		HERE
Amey *	John	1893	8 Trinity Street, Oldham	01/04/1916	11/03/1916	HERE	Found
Amey *	Samuel	1888	83 Burlington Avenue, Oldham	01/4/1916: 29/4/1916	11/03/1916	HERE	Found
Ashton	Clarence	1893	45 Canal Street, Bottoms, Hollinwood, Oldham		18/03/1916
Ashton	James W.	c1900		16/03/1918
Aston	David	1877	Milford-avenue, Oldham	8 July 1916
Bailey	Matthew	1887	Bristol Street, Oldham	16/09/1916
Bamford	Frank	1893	124 Brompton Street, Oldham	11 /03/1916 01/4/1916		HERE
Bardsley	Miles	1890	25 Buckley Street, Oldham		18/03/1916
Barlow	Buckley Harrison	1888	69 Napier Street West, Oldham		05/04/1917
Bayley	Leonard	1893	89 Brewerton Road, Oldham	01/4/1916: 29/4/1916	11/03/1916	HERE
Berry	Thomas	c1877	Moorside, Oldham	06/01/1917
Blackshaw	Squire	1885	21 Oxford Street, Shaw, Oldham	08/03/1916		HERE
Bowden	F [Francis?]	c1895	Oldham?			HERE
Bradbury	Samuel	1899	13 Pitt Street, Oldham	01/04/1916 28/08/ 1916	11/03/1916	HERE
Bradley	Walter Middleton	1890	41 Hulton Street, Failsworth	18/03/1916
Bradley	William	1880	67 Mayfield Road, Oldham	08/7/1916: 29/7/1916
Branwood / Bramold (?)	Frank	1881	12 Marlborough Street, Oldham	09/03/1917	11/03/1916
Brierley	Henry	1895	7 Brompton Street, Oldham	01/4/1916: 29/4/1916	11/03/1916	HERE	Found
Brierley	James	1899	14 Old Edge Lane, Royton, Oldham	12/04/1917 12/05/1917 01/06/1917		HERE
Broadbent	T.		Oldham			HERE
Buckley	Herbert	1885	57, Savoy Street, Oldham	08/071916 14/02/1918 16/03/1918
Buckley	James Cyril	1886	Sharples Hall Street, Oldham	01/04/1916	10/03/1916
Burns	William Edward	c1883	688 Oldham Road, Failsworth		22/03/1916	HERE
Butterworth	Ernest	1881	14, Pool Street, Oldham	08/07/1916
Butterworth	John	c1898	19, Roman Road, Failsworth	18/3/1916; 08/4/1916		HERE
Casson	David	1891	65 Napier-street East, Oldham	18/3/1916;
Charlesworth	Alfred	1895	248 Copsterhill Road, Oldham	11/03/1916: 01/4/1916 19/04/1916 11/01/1917 22/05/1918		HERE	Found
Charlton	A.	c1900		03/08/1918
Charnock	Job	1877	3, Widdop Street	08/7/1916	28/09/1916
Cockcroft	William	1893	23 Churchill Street, Oldham	11 /03/1916 01/4/1916 29/4/1916		HERE
Collinge	Harvey	1884	41 Wood-street, Middleton Junction.	08/07/1916	07/12/1916
Collins	Albert	1893	6 Back Busk Street, Chadderton	15/02/1917
Crossley	William E		Suthers Street, Middleton		24/03/1916
Davies	Philip Taliesin	c1895	Queen's College, Oxford			HERE	Found
Davies	Sidney	c1887	52 Milne-street, Chadderton		08/07/1916
Davoll	Albert Whittaker	c1896	45 Robinson Street, Chadderton, Oldham	14/03/1916 06/5/1916: 27/5/1916	18/03/1916	HERE	Found
Dewhurst *	Ervin	1879	179 Minor Street, Failsworth	08/7/1916; 29/7/1916
Dewhurst *	Harold	1885	25 Seymour Street, Hollinwood, Oldham	08/7/1916; 29/7/1916
Doodson wrongly, as 'Dootson'	Arthur Thomas	1891	Manor Road, Shaw, Oldham	08/3/1916; 03/6/1916		HERE as 'Dootson'
Dove	Thomas Edward	1881	63 Villa Road, Oldham	09/12/1916
Dunstan & as Donstan	Ernest Charles	1890	247 Henshaw Street, Oldham	01/04/1916	10/03/1916	HERE & HERE
English	Joseph			11/03/1916
Entwistle	Granville	1892	59 Norfolk Street, Oldham	15/02/1917
Fallas	Vincent	1895	Nab End Farm, Dobcross, Saddleworth, Yorkshire			HERE	Found
Farmer	Charles	c1879	Stevenson Street, Failsworth	19/05/1916 08/7/1916 29/07/1916			Found
Farmer	John	1879	220 Manchester Road, Werneth, Oldham	08/7/1916 18/07/1916 27/07/1916	03/03/1917	HERE	Found
Fitton	Charles Edward	1879	52 Bamford Street, Chadderton, Oldham	11/11/1916 09/12/1916
Fletcher	John	1893	105 Robinson Street, Chadderton, Oldham	14/03/1916 06/05/1916	18/03/1916	HERE
Gadsby *	Fred	1895	249 Denton Lane, Chadderton, Oldham	14/3/1916 06/05/1916 27/05/1916	18/03/1916	HERE
Gadsby *	Harry	1900	249 Denton Lane, Chadderton, Oldham			HERE
Garrison	Frank George	1891	Bridgewater Street, Oldham	08/07/1916; 29/07/1916
Gatsby (almost certainly 'Gadsby')	Fred		240 Denton Lane, Chadderton, Oldham (almost certainly transcription error)			HERE
* Geatley	Albert	1897	9, Hawthorne Road, Hollins, Oldham	11/03/1916 01/04/1916
* Geatley	Walter	c1895	9, Hawthorne Road, Hollins, Oldham	11 /03/1916 01/04/1916
Greaves *	Haydn	1888	1 Leach Street, Royton, Oldham	20/03/1916 21/04/1916		HERE	Found
Greaves *	Hubert	1890	1 Leach Street, Royton, Oldham	20/03/1916 21/04/1916		HERE	Found
Greaves *	Addison Stanley	1896	1 Leach Street, Royton, Oldham	20/03/1916 21/04/1916		HERE	Found
Green	John	1893	24 Under Lane, Hollinwood, Oldham	14/03/1916	18/03/1916	HERE	Found
Greenall	James Herbert	1894	57 Hartley Street, Oldham	11/03/1916 01/4/1916		HERE
Greenwood	Harold G.		Oldham	01/04/1916
Greenwood	Lees	1891	5 Ceylon Street, Oldham	11/03/1916 01/04/1916	07/06/1917	HERE	Found
Greenwood	Robert	1899	206 Rochdale Road, Middleton		26/01/1917 16/02/1917
Hamlet	Samuel	1884	111 Higher Wood Street, Middleton		24/03/1916	HERE	Found
Hammond *	Jesse	c1890	30 Hale Lane, Failsworth	18/3/1916; 08/04/16		HERE	Found
Hammond *	John	c1887	30 Hale Lane, Failsworth	18/3/1916; 08/04/16		HERE	Found
Hargreaves	F		Oldham? (or Droylsden)			HERE
Harris	Herbert	1890	Frome Street, Oldham	10/03/1916
Harrison	Marriott Herbert	1889	32 Churchill Street East, Oldham	11/03/1916		HERE	Found
Haslam *	Frederick	1897	437 Oldham Road, Middleton			HERE
Haslam *	William Crossley	1895	Phyllis Street, Middleton,	24/03/1916 21/04/1916
Hatton	William Henry	1892	13 Montgomery Street, Hollinwood, Oldham	08/07/1916
Herbert	Taylor		Oldham			HERE
Hewitt	Arthur			11/03/1916
Hey	Albert	1900	Sholver Hey Farm, Moorside, Oldham	03/05/1918 20/05/1918	18/04/1918	HERE
Heyes	William	1888	18 Ripon Street, Oldham	27/7/1917; 11/8/1917
Hill *	Ernest	1896	217 Horsedge Street, Oldham	01/4/1916: 29/4/1916 24/06/1916 23/07/1917	11/03/1916	HERE
Hill *	James	1891	217 Horsedge Street, Oldham	01/4/1916: 29/4/1916	10/03/1916	HERE	Found
Hill *	Joseph	1887	217 Horsedge Street, Oldham	11/03/1916
Hill	Robert	1891	17 Birchenlea Street, Hollinwood, Oldham			HERE
Holland	John	1889	53 Joshua Lane, Middleton Junction	24/03/1916
Hollis	Stephen	1892	17 Falcon Street, Oldham	11/03/1916			Found
Hoyle	Frank	1897	21 Norbury Street, Oldham	11/03/1916		HERE	Found
Hunter	Frederick	1889	8 Fulham Street, Oldham	20/09/1916	20 /09/1916	HERE	Found
Jagger	James	1900	3 Spencer Street, Hollinwood, Oldham			HERE
Johnson	William	c1893	70 Wrigley Head, Failsworth	08/04/1916		HERE	Found
Kean	Edgar	c1897	9 Top Street, Middleton		21/03/1916	HERE	Found
Kenyon	Wilfred	1890	17 Morton Street, Middleton	21/04/1916	21/03/1916	HERE	Found
Lawton	Harry		36, Malton Street	08/07/1916	28/09/1916
Lees	George Thomas	1895	12 Hereford Street, Oldham	01/4/1916: 29/4/1916; 07/7/1917	11/03/1916	HERE	Found
Lees	Ernest	1892	29 Fielding Street, Oldham	24/03/1917	05 /04/1917
Longley *	Cyrus	1889	Lower Stones, Delph, Saddleworth		13/10/1916	HERE	Found
Longley *	John	1892	Lower Stones, Delph, Saddleworth		13/10/1916	HERE	Found
Lord	Harold	1888	16 Godson Street, Shaw, Oldham	08/03/1916		HERE
Makin	William	1884	78 Green Lane, Oldham	13/04/1918
Mallalieu	Fred	1892	1 Balfour street, Oldham	11/3/1916; 01/4/1916; 06/5/1916		HERE	Found
Manchester	Ross	1889	Rush Hill, Dobcross, Saddleworth, Oldham			HERE	Found
Mansley *	Arthur	1887	402 Huddersfield Road, Oldham	10/03/1916
Mansley *	Renton	1886	340 Greenacres Road, Oldham	10/03/1916 01/11/1917 09/03/1918			Found
Marland	Arthur	1892	20 Union-street, Royton, Oldham	20/03/1916 21/04/1916
Marner	Tom	1883	89 Cambridge-street.		7/12/ 1916
Mather	Thomas	c1895	98a Denton Lane, Chadderton, Oldham		18/03/1916
Mearns	George	1883	119 Brewerton Road, Oldham	11/03/1916
Mellor	Bethel	1894	Berry Street, Greenfield, Saddleworth, Oldham			HERE
Mellor	Henry		34 Trevor Street, Oldham	14/03/1916
Midwood	Ashton	1881	25 Thomas Street, Lees	15/02/1917
Minikin	Albert	1887	Long Street, Middleton		24/03/1916
Mitchell	George	1891	6 Heywood Street, Failsworth	15/02/1917
Mullin	William		108 King Street, Oldham	11/03/1916
Muskett	Albert	1898	1 Long Street, Midddleton	24/03/1916 21/04/1916		HERE
Newton	Squire	1881	Bolton Street, Oldham	08/07/1916
Ogden	Harold	1886	5, Green lane, Oldham	08/07/1916
Palmer	Harry	1890	370 Huddersfield Road, Oldham	01/4/1916; 29/4/1916		HERE	Found
Parker	Fred	1886	43, London Road	08/07/1916
Parker *	Alfred	1899	252 Copsterhill Road, Oldham	24/03/1917	05/04/1917 18/04/1917; 06/06/1917	HERE	Found
Parker *	John	1897	252 Copsterhill Road, Oldham	01/04/1916 07/06/1916	11/03/1916	HERE	Found
Parker *	William	c1893	252 Copsterhill Road, Oldham		11/11/1916	HERE
Pearce	Thomas Douglas	1877	110, Clarksfield Road, Oldham	08/07/1916		HERE
Perrin	William [Willoughby]	1893	122 Oldham Road, Failsworth	18/3/1916; 08/4/1916 26/05/1916 (M/c Evening News)		HERE
Platt	Harry		Turf Pit Lane, Moorside, Oldham	08/07/1916
Pollard	Ernest William		40 Derby Street, Oldham		11/03/1916
Pollitt	Walter	1883	35 Ashton Road East, Failsworth	18/3/1916; 08/4/1916
Powell	David		Edge-lane Farm, Royton, Oldham	20/03/1916 21/04/1916		HERE
Prescott	Cecil Frederick	1892	The Bungalow, Butterworth Street, Heyside, Oldham			HERE	Found
Rafferty	John		44a Godson Street, Oldham		11/03/1916
Reed	Fred	1881	20 Devon Street, Werneth, Oldham	08/7/1916; 27/7/1916; 12/8/1916
Robishaw	John	1883	719 Oldham-road, Bardsley, Ashton - under - Lyne	25/03/1916
Rodgers *	Charles	1879	44 Barker Street, Oldham	28/02/ 1917		HERE	Found
Rodgers *	Frank	c1890	44 Barker Street, Oldham	01/4/1916; 19/4/1916		HERE
Rodgers *	Fred	1885	Crompton Street, Oldham			HERE
Rothwell	James			15/02/1917
Rushworth	John	1886	Nadin-street, off Hollins-road, Oldham	06/07/1916 27/07/1916
Saunders	Ernest		506, Foxdenton Lane, Chadderton	15/02/1917	5/04/1917
Savory	Harvey	1891	21 Oldham Road, Shaw, Oldham	08/03/1916
Scaddon	William Nicholas	1878	147 Drury Lane, Hollinwood	08/07/1916
Schofield	Redfern	1880	Old Road, Failsworth,	18/05/1918 (M/c Evening News)		HERE	Found
Schofield	Reuben	1883	163 Ashton Road, Oldham	11/03/1916 01/04/1916		HERE	Found
Simister	Joseph	1889	85 Redgrave Street, Oldham		10/03/1916		Found
Slater	Smith Moss	1877	30 Harper Street, Oldham	06/7/1916; 08/7/1916; 07/8/1917	11/08/1917	HERE
Smith	Arthur		11 Glodwick	09/03/1916
Smith	Ralph Robert	1884	235 Park Street, Oldham	01/04/1916	11/03/1916
Spencer	Anthony	1886	38 Siddall Street, Oldham	08/7/1916; 29/7/1916
Sugden	Frank Edward	1889	206 Waterloo Street, Oldham	11/03/1916
Taylor *	James Henry	c1889	14, Nutter Street, Oldham [on 1901 census]	11/03/1916
Taylor *	Thomas	c1893	14, Nutter Street, Oldham [on 1901 census]	11/03/1916
Taylor *	William	c1883	14, Nutter Street, Oldham [on 1901 census]	11/03/1916
Taylor	Charles Henry	1892	5 Studley Street, Oldham	01/4/1916; 29/4/1916		HERE	Found
Taylor	Frank		Chadderton, Oldham	02/06/1917
Taylor	George William	1877	71 Green Street, Middleton	24/03/1916 21/04/1916 20/04/1918	21/03/1916	HERE	Found
Taylor	Gladstone	1877	163 Minor Street, Failsworth	08/7/1916; 29/7/1916
Taylor	Herbert Willott	1897	Ivydene, Sharon, Grasscroft, Saddleworth, Oldham			HERE
Thompson	Thomas Fauley	1897	43 Coppice-street	11/03/1916 01/4/1916; 24/6/1916	11/03/1916	HERE	Found
Tonge	Willie	1888	Stanley Road Council School, Chadderton	08/07/1916		HERE	Found
Turner	Samuel	1881	69 Coalshaw Green Road, Chadderton, Oldham	06/01/1917		HERE
Walton	David	c1885	34, Norfolk Street, Werneth, Oldham	08/07/1916		HERE
Watkinson	Daniel	1896	656 Middleton-road, Chadderton, Oldham	14/03/1916 27/05/1916		HERE (possible)
Watson	E		Oldham			HERE
Watson *	Robert Edwin Harris	1893	The Post Office, Greenfield, Saddleworth, Oldham			HERE
Watson *	William Gladstone	1898	The Post Office, Greenfield, Saddleworth, Oldham			HERE
Weeder	John	1875	Osborne Street, Oldham	08/07/1916
Whitehead	George Henry	1877	9, Morris Street, Oldham	08/07/1916	28/09/1916
Whitehead	Harry	1886	271 Henshaw Street, Oldham	10/03/1916	08/03/1917; 06/06/1917	HERE
Whitehead	Herbert	c1882	40 Yates Street, Oldham	7/10/1916
Whitehead [2]	Herbert	c1887	18 South Hill Street, Oldham	08/07/1916 23/08/1917		HERE
Whitehead	Joseph	1869	23 Widdop Street, Oldham			HERE
Whiteman	John	1888	Highfield Farm, Chadderton		05/04/1917
Widdell	Leonard	1888	10 Minton Street, Oldham	08/7/1916; 29/7/1916; 12/8/1916
Widdop	Joseph	1883	37, Wren Street, Oldham	06/07/1916
Winterbottom	Arthur	1890	Chamber Road, Oldham	04/7/1916; 27/7/1916; 11/8/1917 12/8/1916;	07/08/1917
Withnell	John Whittle	1883	21 Manor Road, Shaw, Oldham	04/08/1917 23/08/1917		HERE	Found
Wolstencroft	Harry	1876	190 Milnrow Road, Shaw		05/04/1917
Wolstenholme	William	c1888	19 Percival Street, Oldham	13/05/1916		HERE
Wood	Joseph	c1885	600 Huddersfield Road, Waterhead, Oldham			HERE
Wood	Percy	1893	74 Coppice Street, Oldham	01/04/1916
Wrather	Tom	1894	98 Dalton Street, Chadderton, Oldham	14/03/1916 06/05/1916		HERE
Data compiled by Dorothy Bintley The search for newspaper reports on conscientious objectors is ongoing. Most Tribunals were reported in both papers, sometimes with a slight difference in detail. ¹ You can find the names and further details of all known Conscientious Objectors on the Pearce List of over 17500 WW1 Conscientious Objectors - accessible at 'IWM - Lives of the First World War'. You will need to register but there is no charge to view the CO entries. ² TNA is The National Archives, in London, and the collection WO 363 consists of the Military Service Records of soldiers in WW1. They are also known as the 'Burnt Records' as over half of the collection was destroyed in a bombing raid during WW2. Those that remain (about 40%) are in a poor condition, water and fire damaged, but can still add a great deal to our understanding. They can be accessed at the National Archives or through subscription Family History sites such as 'Ancestry' and 'Find My Past', and frequently available to use in Public and Local Studies Libraries. More information at TNA HERE. Top of Page

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