A Brighton Round Up

[MichaelBully]

Appreciate all the information that Graham has supplied and also Magnus Bellum's help. This thread shows how GWF can help to generate debate and research into related subjects that seem to be neglected elsewhere and fascinating to note that it was studying local papers that got me posting about this topic.

Hope to get some more checking of local papers done this week and will particularly look out for further instances of 'round ups'.

[MichaelBully]

Found another account of a Brighton 'Round Up'- I think that the actual 'Round Up'/ Raid was on 7th September 1916.

Recruiting "Raid"

Musician before Brighton Bench

A "raid" was made by the military authorities, under Major Fleetwood Buss, on the Palace Pier this week. The result was that two men from the orchestra appeared at Brighton yesterday, charged with not reporting under the Militar Service Act.In both cases, however, there were undeniably extenuating circumstacnes, both men having evidently continued their civil occupation under a misunderstanding.

Percy Hollingsworth, 35, said he was a time expired soldier, and had served 12 years in the Yeomanry. He thought, therefore he was exempt.

The Chef constable (Sir William Gentla) pointed out that all time-expired men, if under age, had been made liable under the new Act.

considering his excellent chracter, defendant was handed over to the military, but no fine was imposed.

Percy Wellstead, 40, said he reported himself at Brighton, and was told to report in London. He was simply waiting for papers from town as direct.

Major Fleetwoord Buss said defendant had no exemption card, and was unattested.

The magistrates thought that there had been a misunderstanding andin order that defendant might be examined, the case was adjourned for a week.

Brighton Gazette 9th September 1916

[MichaelBully]

Further comment from The Brighton Gazette re. Round- Ups

Rounding Up Shirkers

The military campaign now proceeding in London for the rounding-up of men who have avaded the Service Act is not coming out quite as was expected. A calculation made of a succession of reaids which have taken place since 23rd August shews that only 20 of possible eligible have been found out of a total of 655 men who were detained. Of course, if these figures were to represent the average of men apparently under 41 moving about London, they would shew a rather serious state of things; the three per cent would mean a big difference to the forces. but the raids were made at selected gatherings and in selected arears, and the expectation of the authorities seems to have been that much larger results would be obtained.

Brighton Gazette 9th September 1916

[Magnumbellum]

These two reports again show journalistic slap-dashery. The reports make no mention of police involvement, yet the only way that men could have been brought before Brighton Magistrates' Court, as mentioned in log 27, was by the civilian police arresting them and bringing before the court.

The same report, however, usefully illustrates the benefit of the Magistrates' Court acting as an intermediary, because the court, as in this case, was able to exercise discretion as to whether to impose a fine, or to adjourn a case for further enquiries. Very occasionally such discretion was shown in the case of a conscientious objector.

[MichaelBully]

Welcome your input once again MB. Thanks. I would add that how unsuccessful the Round-Ups seem to be in meeting their objectives. Also the 'Round Up Shirkers' article indicates that Round-Ups were happening in London-though would like to have details of such incidents that had taken place there..

[Perth Digger]

I've just come across this thread. I wonder if officers in charge of round-ups had been made temporary JPs, or were already JPs if they lived in the area (as might be the case if they were local recruiting officers)? That would have given them civil as well as military authority.

[Magnumbellum]

There is no evidence that any such officers were ever made JPs.

In any case, even if any had been made a JP, that would not have given him authority to act without due process, i.e. a proper hearing before an open court. A JP who happens to witness a crime has no more authority in the matter than an ordinary citizen. It is still his responsibility to call for the police for arrest and appropriate investigation; and when the matter comes to court, the JP would have to exclude himself from adjudicating in the case, although he could properly be called as a witness.

[Perth Digger]

Maybe my thinking is a bit muddled here, but I wasn't suggesting that an officer JP could hand out summary justice. I was thinking of the old Riot Act, where a JP could, once the Act had been read, order the military to act. Anyone arrested would still be brought before a civil court. I suppose my point is that there were circumstances where the civil power could use the military for security purposes, whether or not there was a police presence. I am not suggesting that the Riot Act powers were being used in these circumstances, as clearly they were not (I'm not sure when the Act was repealed or became defunct), merely that civil-military relations were not clear-cut.

Just for interest, Major Fleetwood George William Buss was born about 1866 and in both the 1901 and 1911 censuses described himself as a quantity surveyor, living in Wembley. But his MIC has the address of 4 Verulam Buildings, Grey's Inn, which perhaps suggests that he had some connection with the civil law. His military position was Royal Fusiliers (TFR) - Territorial Reserve?

[Magnumbellum]

The whole point of the principle of the military being called to the aid of the civil power, to use the classic terminology, is that the military are used to aid the civil power, not to replace it. In other words the principle is to come to the assistance of the police, not to act instead of them.

The classic use, moreover, is necessarily in the case of a major disturbance. In the cases cited by Michael Bully there was clearly no civil disturbance.

There is no need to hypothesise tortuous legal byways to get round the fact that the law required the civil police to arrest men suspected of desertion by non-reporting for initial duty, and the press was clearly lazy in failing to report the facts.

[MichaelBully]

Indeed MB-eloquently stated. All I can add is that I stumbled on reports of the 'Round Ups' by looking at local papers. I have reproduced at face value what the newspapers were reporting.I am on the look out for more information as this issue seems to have been very neglected by researchers. So far all that I have read suggests that the 'Round Ups' were conducted at times when the public seemed most relaxed as it were, not at times of any civic disturbances.