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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Tickettyboo on Wednesday 10 April 19 12:41 BST (UK)
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I have his service record from the NZ archives Archway site.
https://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=20802319&digital=yes
This is what I 'think' I know:
1916-1917 was listed in the NZ Army Reserve Roll, occupation Fisherman, address c/o Mr Oxenham, Island Bay
Service Record:
Original Attestation 13 April 1917, at Wellington
(? at this stage he was not yet actually posted/serving ?)
Posted 05 Feb 1918 to 'Details' ( ?Unit/Corps/Regt ?)
(presumably because his number came up in the conscription ballot? There is a form in his record marked Ballot, but I have no idea what the abbreviations mean)
I don't think he even reported for duty as soon after that he seems to have gone missing and the authorities were looking for him.
(Newspaper report reveals that he went back to Island Bay and hid out in Mr Oxenham's shed. Unsurprisingly, as that was his address on the attestation, it was the first place the authorities looked and he was arrested. - Mr Oxenham was fined five pounds for harbouring him)
He was brought back 'under escort' and signed another attestation form dated (? 7th ?) Feb 1918.
Then he was court martialled for 'disobeying a lawful command given by his superior officer' (no details as to when or what), and sentenced on 16th Feb 1918, to 2 years hard labour.
A few hours of searching round the web later, I can see that after the war a "religious advisory board" was set up to decide if men imprisoned as they claimed to be conscientious objectors on religious grounds, had bona fide reasons to their claim.
(Would a claim of being a Conscientious Objector be classed as disobeying a lawful command?)
John William Pottinger is named in their report of 20th March 1919 as one of the men whose claim was upheld (though I don't know if that meant he was released) His entry on the list says he was sentenced 16/2/18 and was due to be released 17/8/19.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/files/documents/cos/religious-advisory-board.pdf
If anyone has time to look at the service record and tell me if I have any of the above right (or can enlighten me further) I'd appreciate it.
Boo
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I think you have it pretty much right.
Gone into Reserve in 1917 & called up for duty Feb. 1918 & ordered to report to (Base) Details which would have been the ASC transit/training/supply Depot.
Failed to turn up & a warrant would then have been issued for his arrest.
On return to his Base he would have been made to attest in order for him to be tried under Military law.
Difficult to see how he could be a bona fide conscientious objector as he had 4 years previous service in the Gordon Highlanders.
He could have gone before a tribunal while in Reserve & stated his case at that time but didn't.
Had he have remained in the UK he couldn't have been called up as he was "time served".
Perhaps he felt aggrieved.
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Thank you jim1, kind of you to take the time to look.
Pleased I got it more or less right.
I too wondered about the time he served in the Gordon Highlanders Volunteers on Shetland but I would have thought the religious advisory board would have considered that (if they had access to that information).
All these years later, and with no personal knowledge of the man, all I can do is try to understand what the records say and add that info into his details on our tree.
thanks again
Boo