Tribunals and Conscription in the UK

[Petroc]

Dear all,

Given the number of queries posted on the Forum regarding the organisation, operation and function of Tribunals in Britain during the conscription period, I thought the following (by no means complete) list of sources might be of interest;

Copies of Circulars detailing the Regulations for Tribunals under the Military Service Act, issued by the Local Government Board, 1916. (National Archives, Kew, MT 23/584).

Adams, R.J.Q, 'The May Coalition and the Coming of Conscription, 1915-1916', Journal of British Studies, Vol. 25, No. 3, (July 1986), pp. 243-263

Ashley-Smith, Peter, ‘Kineton and the Military Tribunal, 1915-1918’, Warwickshire History, Summer 2005, pp. 15-24.

Beckett, Ian, ‘The Real Unknown Army; British Conscripts, 1916-1919’ in Becker, Jean-Jaques & Audoin-Rouzeau, Stephane, (eds.), Les Societes Europeennes et la Guerre de 1914-1918, Publications de l’Universite de Nanterre, Nanterre, 1990, pp. 339-355.

Beckett, Ian F.W, ‘Aspects of a Nation in Arms; Britain’s Voluntary Training Corps in the Great War’, Revue Internationale d’Historie Militaire, Vol.63, (1985), pp. 27-39.

Grieves, K.R., ‘Military Tribunal Papers; The Case of Leek Local Tribunal in the First World War’, Archives, Vol.XVI, No.70, (1983), pp. 145-150

Slocombe, Ivor, ‘Recruitment Into the Armed Forces During the First World War; The Work of the Military Tribunals in Wiltshire’, The Local Historian, Vol. 30, No. 2, (2000), pp. 105-123.

Spinks, Philip, ‘The War Courts; The Stratford-upon-Avon Borough Tribunal 1916-1918’, The Local Historian, Vol.32, No.4, (2002), pp. 210-217.

https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/14600/BattenR.pdf?sequence=1

Regards,

Andy

[Terry_Reeves]

See also John Rae's "Conscience and Politics" arguably the best work on the subject of conscientious objection in WW1. It covers tribunals in some detail.

TR

[Magnumbellum]

Ashley-Smith, Peter, ‘Kineton and the Military Tribunal, 1915-1918’, Warwickshire History, Summer 2005, pp. 15-24.

Grieves, K.R., ‘Military Tribunal Papers; The Case of Leek Local Tribunal in the First World War’, Archives, Vol.XVI, No.70, (1983), pp. 145-150

Slocombe, Ivor, ‘Recruitment Into the Armed Forces During the First World War; The Work of the Military Tribunals in Wiltshire’, The Local Historian, Vol. 30, No. 2, (2000), pp. 105-123.

The authors and publishers of the above-listed articles ought to know better. There were no "Military Tribunals" in WW1. The official designation of Local Tribunals was Military Service Tribunals, as designated under the Military Service Act, not any pretentious "Military Act".

A Military Tribunal is one set up and staffed by the military, as, for example, the notorious tribunals currently sitting in the USA, supposedly adjudicating upon Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Military Service Tribunals in Britain in WW1 had much to answer for, but it does not help useful discussion to imply that they actually set up and run by the military.

Military Service Tribunals in all furure references, please.

[Petroc]

Oh for goodness sake, please don't knock the fact that the terminology in some of the titles might be less than precise; 'should know better' is a rather insulting comment to direct at the publishers of what, in more than a few cases, are local or limited-circulation journals, which are not necessarily totally Great War focussed