Smith Moss Slater

Oldham Tribunal 3 July 1916
Reported Oldham Chronicle 8 July 1916

Smith M. Slater, secretary and manager of the firm Smith Slater Ltd., makers of draught excluders, wrote that he held war to be an unchristian and morally unjustifiable way of dealing with disputes between nations; it was barbarous and futile. There was no other way of ending it than by those who utterly disbelieved in it and loathed it refusing to take any part in it, regardless of consequences. The loathsome train of moral and social evils which followed in the train of war were such as utterly to condemn it in his view as one who believed in the teaching of Jesus. He had no hatred towards Germans nor the men of any other nationality. He could not promise to implicitly obey the orders of the King or any of his officers, for that would be making himself a mere machine.

An appeal for the man's exemption was put in by Mrs. Slater, his mother, and in part the owner of the business, on the ground that he was indispensable to it.

Appellant wrote in the course of answers to the questions put to all the conscientious objectors that he objected to non-combatant service because he would add to the efficiency of the army, an organisation of which the primary objective was the killing of human beings. The fact that he would not have to do the actual killing would not affect his culpability. He did not think the absence of an army and navy would deprive the British people of any privilege worth having. He was quite prepared to stand the consequences of disarmament. But he had a desire to serve his country in any way not connected with war.

A letter was read from Mr Ernest Lee, who wrote that he had no hesitation in stating his firm conviction that Mr. Slater was a bona-fide conscientious objector. He held so strongly views utterly opposed to those of the appellant that he would not have written the letter had he any doubt whatever as to Mr. Slater's sincerity.

Mr. Isaac Crabtree wrote: I have pleasure in stating that I have known Mr. Slater about 14 years. During that period, I can confidently state, he has been firmly opposed to all forms of war and; although I very much disagree with his views, I believe he has a real conscientious objection to military service.

Appellant said that he wished the Tribunal to consider both grounds of appeal.

Councillor Schofield asked him if he had ever preached before the war that ambulance work was wrong and suggested that this part of the conscientious objectors' case was an 'extra' brought out since the war.

Appellant's reply was that before the war they discussed war in general terms only; there was no question then of getting into details. He would object to helping a man wounded in the war to return to the fighting line. If war was wrong the whole thing was wrong.

Councillor Schofield : You pay rates and taxes, don't you?
- Yes.
Councillor Schofield : Therefore you are helping in the war.

In the course of further talk the appellant said that he had been asked to quote for the making of munition boxes, but did not quote.

The Tribunal resolved to disallow the appeal on conscience grounds, and to meet the appeal on the business side by granting temporary exemption to October 1st.

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A week’s Peace Mission was organised in Oldham starting with a rally near the Market Hall on Monday August 6th 1917. A large crowd gathered, augmented by servicemen from the New Zealand Field Artillery who were billeted in Chadderton Park. The crowd became restive and, emboldened by the New Zealanders, a riot developed in which Smith Moss Slater, one of the organisers, was injured. The event was reported in the Oldham Chronicle and the Oldham Standard. You can read more HERE.

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* Pearce List says he was named as secretary of the Oldham branch of the No-Conscription Fellowship in a publication dated 27 May 1916

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Born Oldham, 22 January 1877
Died Morecambe, 9 February 1953

1911 census :
30 Harper Street, Oldham
with wife Bessie and son Leonard aged 2 years
Occ, Manager draught excluder works

1939 register :
39 Twemlow Parade, Morecambe
with wife Bessie and son Leonard
Occ. Company director

Contributed by Dorothy Bintley