Thomas Fauley Thompson

Oldham Tribunal 8 March 1916
Reported Oldham Chronicle 11 March 1916

There was a crowd of sympathising friends and relatives with the young conscientious objectors at the evening sitting of the Tribunal. They heard the discussion and at times applauded their side and at the last, in reply to Captain Almond's bluff summing-up of the position of the conscientious objector, and his straight question as to what they would do had England been Belgium and Belgium England, began a little debate , stopped by the Mayor.

Thomas F Thompson, 43 Coppice-street, an apprentice moulder, was the first to take his stand against war as the possessor of a conscience. He had always had an objection against taking life. He was not a member of any religious body and did not attend church or chapel. He objected to non-combatant service, objecting to have anything to do with the military.

Councillor Frith: What work are you doing?
- I am on munitions.
Councillor Frith: You have no objection to making munitions?
- I have an objection to taking any military oath.
Councillor Schofield: That is not an answer to the question.
Councillor Frith: Do you object to making munitions?
- No.
Councillor Frith: I suppose you know that making munitions is helping to prosecute this war?
- No, I sold my labour in the same market before the war as I do now.
Councillor Frith: Does that make any difference?
Captain Almond: You can't reconcile the two statements. You are working for a controlled firm or you are doing something to help in this war by making tools and engines of destructon and yet you don't want to fight or take non-combatant service. I don't see that you are a conscientious objector.
Thompson: You are expressing your conscience, not mine. I am economically forced to do it. I am forced to help some way or another.
Councillor Frith: Then you are not a conscientious objector. If I had a conscientious objection such as you say you have, I would not lift my little finger to do anything.
Councillor Schofield: Are you a member of the No Conscription Fellowship?
- Yes, I have the great pleasure to be a member.
Councillor Schofield: How strange it is that we have ten. Twelve or twenty men, all giving the same formula as if they had learned a lesson at school.

Thompson was placed in the non-combatant section.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manchester Appeals Tribunal 30 March 1916
Reported Oldham Chronicle 1 April 1916

The South-east Lancashire Appeal Tribunal sitting at the Town Hall Manchester on Thursday afternoon heard appeals made by a number of young men of Oldham …

… Thomas F Thompson, apprentice moulder of 43 Coppice-street gave as his reasons for desiring absolute exemption from service (1) he held human life sacred, (2) his conscience asked for freedom so that he might have the opportunity to be just, merciful and righteous (The Chairman: Very hard lines on the other fellows!), (3) because war was in direct opposition to his ideals, which aimed at a universal brotherhood and a universal peace.
Chairman: If you could bring that about you would be a very great benefactor.

Thompson said that the Oldham Tribunal had judged his case in bulk instead of judging it by merit. One member told him that he had no conscience. Their decision was contrary to his conscience.
Chairman: Why not go into non-combatant service?
- If we got without the cause (that is fighting) instead of patching up the system (that is, helping the sick and wounded) we should do better.
The Chairman: The cause is here now. We are in the hole, you know.

Thompson, who is 19 years of age, was sent to non-combatant service.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oldham Magistrates 19 June 1916
Reported Oldham Chronicle 24 June 1916

Thomas F Thompson (19) who lodged at the Antelope Inn, Manchester-street, another of the Oldham young men who have refused to accept military service on conscientious grounds and have pleaded their cause before the Oldham Tribunal and the Appeals Tribunal at Manchester, was brought before the borough justices on Monday morning. He had been arrested by PC Hinchliffe, for he was warned to report himself at the Swan Hotel on May 29th and failed to do so.

Asked if he desired to say anything, Thompson said: "I am a conscientious objector and for that reason I appeared before the Oldham Tribunal.
Chairman (Mr Mullin): And they declined to give you exemption.
Chief Constable: He was put in the non-combatant class.
Thompson added that the members of the Oldham Tribunal were of the opinion that it was beyond their powers to grant complete exemption. He had then appealed to the Appeals Tribunal. The chairman quite agreed that he had a sincere conscientious objection and he had said that a committee was being formed to meet such cases. But the speaker had not been approached under the Pelham Committee's scheme.
Mr Hesketh Booth: Have you applied to the Pelham Committee to hear your case?
- No I have not.
Mr Booth: I am afraid of you have not done that, the magistrates can do nothing for you. You should have taken steps to go before the Pelham Committee.
Thompson: But who is to stand all this expense? I have had to lose my work to go before two tribunals. I don't see why all this was necessary.
Chairman (Mr Mullin): We cannot help that; we shall have to hand you over to Sergeant Major Bailey to deal with.
Mr Booth: The magistrates have no option in the matter,

Thompson was handed over to the charge of Sergeant Major Bailey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The WO 363 records for Thomas Fauley Thompson survive (held at The National Archives, available online via Find My Past):

19 June 1916 Enlisted at Ashton under Lyne Barracks
Service number 1502 5 ft 4 ins 8 sts 3 lbs
Born in Droylsden 1897
Father Thomas F. Thompson, 2 Henthorn Street, Oldham
21 June 1916 Posted to Kinmel Camp refused to obey an order (refused to fall in)
29 June 1916 Court Martial - 2 years with hard labour in Liverpool Prison
1 November 1916 Accepted work under the Home Office Scheme
12 November 1916 Posted to Wakefield Work Centre

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He has an entry on the Pearce List HERE.
The Pearce List of over 17500 WW1 Conscientious Objectors can be found on the Imperial War Museum's website HERE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Born Droylsden, 24 March 1897
Died Oldham,18 June 1960

1911 census
Not found

1939 register
Cemetery House, Chadderton Cemetery
With wife Clarice and two children
Occ: Cemetery registrar and superintendent

Contributed by Dorothy Bintley