Conscription Tribunal

[YorkieWar]

Hi all,

 

I'm looking for further details of tribunals for the Ripon District, but am struggling for information - can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

I've found some details on the online catalogue at the North Yorkshire Archives, but am struggling for details on the Ripon District (all seem to be old North Riding only). The reference I'm looking for will be around 11th May 1915 (the date of a local newspaper reference) and refer to a blacksmith's apprentice (I believe Thomas Bellerby, but not names in the article) from Bishop Monkton - it appears his employer appealed against him being conscripted.  

 

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. 

[tootrock]

Surely Tribunals did not commence until after the introduction of conscription, so would not have occurred in May 1915.

 

Martin

[YorkieWar]

Absolutely - a typo, I meant 1916

 

(Of course, "I wondered who'd be the first to spot that one"...)

[rolt968]

In theory and mainly in practice the records of Military Service Tribunals were destroyed after WW1 with the exception samples of sample county appeals tribunals - the next level up - Middlesex (for England) at the National Archives, and Midlothian (for Scotland) at National Records of Scotland.

 

However oddments have been kept unofficially. The material at North Yorkshire Archives is probably that. After that the best sources are the local newspapers.

 

Roger M

[Magnumbellum]

To be precise, In 1921, by order of the Ministry of Health, as successor of the Local Government Board, all case papers of Military Service Tribunals, save those of Middlesex Appeal Tribunal in England and Lothian and Peebles in Scotland, were to be destroyed, the excepted ones being preserved in the respective National Archives.

 

In fact, records have survived in some places, to be found in County Record Offices or Local Archives, but this does not apply to the Ripon area. In many places the Minute books of local Tribunals, which carry references to a small proportion of cases have survived in Local Archives; indexes to such Minute books have not normally been made.

 

Trawls of local newspapers are normally the best source.

[MitchamHistorian]

I've been trawling through the military service tribunals for Mitcham, Surrey, using microfilms at the local studies centre. Appeals were heard at the county level, and these were also reported. Initially names of people and companies were reported, then it was decided not to publish them. It looks like this was a decision by the town tribunal itself, not nationally, but is worth bearing in mind. Fortunately they resumed naming names. 

 

My own interest has been in the industries at the time, and these tribunals are a great resource. For example an incandescent mantle factory appealed for one of its staff. The employer said that their business had enormously increased and they now employed 500 people, as before the war these mantles were imported from Germany.

 

I've just done a search on the British Newspaper Archive for 'Ripon Rural Tribunal', in 1916, and it returned 221 hits. This requires a subscription though. See http://tidd.ly/262423cc

 

[Magnumbellum]

5 hours ago, MitchamHistorian said:

I've been trawling through the military service tribunals for Mitcham, Surrey, using microfilms at the local studies centre. Appeals were heard at the county level, and these were also reported. Initially names of people and companies were reported, then it was decided not to publish them. It looks like this was a decision by the town tribunal itself, not nationally, but is worth bearing in mind. Fortunately they resumed naming names. 

 

 

There has been discussion previously on GWF regarding newspapers' policies on publishing names of applicants to Military Service Tribunals. Tribunals were open to the press and public, and there was no legal restriction on publication of names, The fact that some newspapers, in some areas, for some of the time, chose not to publish names was clearly a local editorial or proprietorial decision. No-one so far has discovered any public explanation of the policy, nor does there appear at the time to have been any public discussion or criticism of the policy.

 

The only apparent purpose served was to frustrate/annoy future researchers.

Edited 13 October , 2016 by Magnumbellum
Correction of typo

[MitchamHistorian]

From the Mitcham & Tooting Mercury, Friday 10th March, 1916

PUBLICATION OF NAMES.

 

Mr. A. Mizen, at this point, asked if it would not be wise for the Tribunal to adopt the policy of the Mayor of Lambeth, and have the names left out of the reports of the cases appearing in the Press. 

 

The Chairman — The Press have acted with good discretion in these cases. 

 

Mr. Mount — Where there are cases of a very painful character, the Press ought to be asked not to mention it. 

 

The Chairman was sure the reports which have so far appeared had deleted such matters. 

 

Dr. Love said the Press representatives had given fair consideration to these matters. Quite apart from what had been stated, was there any necessity to give the person's names?

 

It was decided to request the Press not to publish names of further appellants.

 

The Chairman asked the Press if they would take that as an instruction. 

 

A Press Representative — We will take it as a suggestion.

[YorkieWar]

Thanks for your help all. A shame that the records seem to have been destroyed, but I've got the local newspaper report and can piece together a story from there.  

[John_Hartley]

On 13/10/2016 at 17:53, Magnumbellum said:

 

The only apparent purpose served was to frustrate/annoy future researchers.

The Stockport newspapers put a slightly different spin on this. Yes, they publish details of the case, including names. But it is rare for the tribunal's decision to be published.

 

I can only assume that the tribunal made its decision at subsequent date, notifying the applicant directly, rather than announcing the decision in public.

[Martin Bennitt]

There's a piece in the latest History Today about the work of the Tribunals in Derby:

 

http://www.historytoday.com/rebecca-pyne-edwards-banks/court-conscripts

 

Cheers Martin B