Frank Rodgers

Oldham Tribunal 6 March 1916
Reported Oldham Chronicle 11 March 1916

Several claims for exemption from service under the Military Service Act on conscientious grounds were heard on Monday before the Oldham Tribunal, the Mayor presiding …

… Frank Rodgers who lives at 123 Crompton-street, a clerk and accountant employed under the Insurance Act, claimed exemption against military service, combatant or non-combatant. In his letter he referred to his work at church and Sunday school to promote and foster the spirit of universal brotherhood. War was nor merely ethically wrong but was also essentially antagonistic to the ideals he had in view and contrary to the spirit and ideals of Christ. He could not admit the right of any man to judge the conscience of another. The evidence he had adduced was intended as evidence of his sincerity.

Councillor Frith: Have you any objection to going into non-combatant service?
- By non-combatant you mean one thing and I understand another. All military service to me in combatant.
Councillor Frith asked if he objected to attempting to save life?
He replied that he understood that 90 per cent of the wounded men whose lives were saved went back to the ranks. "I object that all this service is a part of the military machine and I object to being part of the military machine," he said.

Councillor Smith remarked that he saw the appellant did not object to taking service under the Government.
Councillor Schofield added that the applicant was, in a sense, helping to build up men of good physique and they would go to the war.
Applicant: I must submit that is purely accidental and has no connection with the war. I cannot be called to account for the work I am doing at present.
Councillor Frith asked what he would do if the navy was defeated and England invaded,
- If and when that arose, I would act as my conscience dictated.
Mr Jackson said he was depending on the might of the British navy.
Applicant said later that if the country was invaded he would refuse to take part in military service.

The man was put to a non-combatant section.

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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 for total exemption from service made by a number of young men of Oldham, conscientious objectors, who had been sent to non-combatant service in most cases by the Oldham Tribunal and in a few cases to combatant service …

… Frank Rodgers, clerk in the employ of the Oldham Insurance Committee, appealed for absolute exemption from service, combatant or non-combatant. He had been, he wrote, closely associated with Henshaw-street Primitive Methodist church and schools and his work, as he conceived it, was to help to foster the spirit of international brotherhood. War was ethically wrong and essentially antagonistic to the ideals he had in view. He could not admit the right of any man to judge the conscience of another. He pointed out that the Oldham Tribunal appeared to be unaware that in prescribed circumstances absolute exemption could be granted. It would be uncharitable to say that the members had wilfully ignored that right. His argument, he said, might appear to the Appeal Court to be even ridiculous but he wished to respectfully remind them tht it was not essential that he convert the tribunal to his way of thinking but to prove that, in fact, he was a conscientious objector.

The Oldham Tribunal had thought that sending him to non-combatant service would meet the case.
Rodgers: I believe the tribunal were under the impression that they could not grant an absolute exemption. Evidently they were labouring as a body under a misapprehension.
Chairman: What objection have you to non-combatant service?
- I have a conscientious objection. It is not a debatable point. I cannot exhibit my conscience.
The Chairman referred to, but refrained from quoting Mr Roosevelt's remarks on the exhibition of conscience and asked again for the objection to non-combatant service?
- It would be dishonourable. To accept it would be a subterfuge.

Chairman: You are asked to go and help in the hospital?
- If I go I am helping in the war. I am assisting to get men better to fight again.
Chairman: They might not fight again, you know. I know young fellows of 23 and 26 think they know a great deal better than anybody else but that is not our position. What real objection have you to non-combatant service?
- I object to it on the ground that it is helping in the war quite as much as if I was a combatant.
Chairman: If you went into hospital it would open your eyes and let you see a little bit of the world. That would be the greatest help to a lot of these young fellows.

Rodgers was sent to non-combatant service and left, after protesting against a sotto-voce remark by the Labour representative.

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Oldham Police Court 19 April 1916
Reported Oldham Chronicle 19 April 1916

Two conscientious objectors named Frank Rodgers (25 years) 123 Crompton-street, Oldham and Alfred Charlesworth (20 years) 248 Copsterhill-road, Oldham were charged at the Oldham Police Court to-day (Wednesday) with having failed to present themselves at the Swan Hotel on Tuesday morning under the Military Service Act. The Chief Constable pointed out that the magistrates were bound to impose a penalty of not less than 40s and not more than £25.

In answer to the clerk (Mr Hesketh Booth) Rodgers, who until a few weeks ago was the deputy clerk to the Oldham Insurance Committee, said he did not propose to make any answer to the charge at present.
Mr Booth: Then you do not admit it?
- I don't wish to prejudice the case by making any statement.
Don't you admit you are an army absentee?
- I don't admit anything at the moment but I want legal assistance.
Sergeant-major Bailey said he was going to notify the military authorities at Ashton in order to get an escort.
Mr Booth: In the meantime who is going to look after him?
- I wish him to be handed over to the police.
Mr Booth: I don't think the police have any right to detain him.
- I have no accommodation for him at the Swan Hotel.
Mr Booth: The War Office ought to make arrangements according to the instructions on the warrant.

Rodgers again said he wanted legal assistance before he made any statement.
Mr Derbyshire (Magistrate): Why didn't you ask for legal assistance before to-day?
- I was unaware I could have it.
In answer to Mr Booth he said he had appealed against the tribunal's decision to place him in non combatant service, but without success.
Mr Booth told him that the magistrates could not interfere with what the tribunal had done.
The Chairman (Mr Houghton) asked Sergeant-major Bailey whether he would be prepared to see Rodgers conveyed to the proper quarters in the event of the magistrates deciding to hand him over and Sergeant-major Bailey replied in the affirmative.

He was fined 40s and handed over to the care of Sergeant-major Bailey.

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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 Oldham, 18 April 1890
Died Conwy, 21 May 1984

1911 census
225 Horsedge Street, Oldham
Single with parents and siblings
Occ: Law clerk

1939 register
7 Bleak Hill Road, Whiston, Lancashire
With wife Elsie and possibly two children (1 redacted)
Lecturer in commerce

Contributed by Dorothy Bintley