Ernest Lees

Oldham Tribunal 21 March 1917
Reported Oldham Chronicle 24 March 1917

Ernest Lees (25 ) married, Class B1, lately employed as a rotary machine minder at the "Standard" Office, Oldham, came before the Oldham Tribunal on Wednesday and sought for exemption from military service on conscientious grounds. He also had a plea that he maintains his mother. He wrote that he applied for absolute exemption for he could not conscientiously undertake any military service, combatant or non combatant.

As a Socialist he believed in common unity between the peoples of all nations as distinct from Governments. The only way to prevent war was for citizens to refuse to engage in war whatever the pretext. He is a member of the Independent Labour Party.

In answer to the question of what sacrifice he was prepare to make for his views, he had written: "A working man's life is one sacrifice right to the end."

Capt. Almond (to Lees): Have you got any religion?
- No, I haven't. I used to go to the Presbyterians but have not done for eight or nine years.

Asked what his objection was to non-combatant service, he replied: Well I should just be helping the military in the same way as if belonging to the war.

Councillor Schofield asked if in the newspapers of the firm for which he had worked there was not advocacy of war and had he not helped to print that advocacy?
- Yes, if we are working at all nowadays we are helping the war in some way or other.

The man said that he was willing to take up farm work or something of that kind but not to work on munitions of war. He has a brother in the army.

He was sent to non-combatant service.

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Manchester Appeal Tribunal 4 April 1917
Reported Oldham Standard 5 April 1917

In the court over which Mr Holkin presided on Wednesday, the following cases were dealt with:

…. Ernest Lees, a conscientious objector who had been ordered to go for non-combatant service by the Oldham Tribunal, was ordered to report for combatant service on May 1st, the Appeal Tribunal hearing that the conscientious objection had not been made out.

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Born Oldham, 18 January 1892
Oldham, 17 January 1974

1911 census:
29 Fielding Street, Oldham
Single, age 19, with widowed mother and two younger brothers.
Occ. Printer's apprentice (Letterpress)

1939 Register :
11 Birch Avenue, Oldham
With wife Eda and daughter Annis
Occ. Jobbing printer

Contributed by Dorothy Bintley