In the First (and the Second) World War a small number of persons refused from motives of conscience to undertake military service when ordered to do so. Many were adherents to various “left wing” organisations, such as the British Socialist Party, the Independent Labour Party or Socialist Labour Party. The view that capitalism causes war was not held exclusively by the Socialist Party of Great Britain. Other parties said much the same and similarly to the Socialist Party called for the international solidarity of the working class. However, when the war broke out in 1914 nationalism proved a stronger force than socialism.
By accepting the policy of the German Government as fundamentally its own, the role of the enormous organisation of the German Social Democrats as an independent factor in world history sank to insignificance and became no more than that of a cog in the German war machine. They sought their theoretical and political justification in Marxism for Marx and Engels had during their lifetime advocated the use of war as a defensive measure against autocratic and reactionary regimes. While the rising capitalist class were struggling to establish limited democratic rights Marx nd Engels were in favour of a general war against Russia - the mainstay of European political reaction. Even as late as 1891 Engels wrote that the worker’s movement had to maintain its position by force of arms “...nor only against the internal but against the external foe. If Russia is victorious we shall be crushed. Therefore if Russia begins war - go for her! Go for the Russians and their allies, whoever they may be...”
Within the Socialist Party, the outbreak of war in 1914 led to the disruption of branches and the scattering of its membership. In March 1916 The Military Service Act forced most of the younger male members to either join the armed forces or face severe legal penalties. The EC passed a resolution declaring that any member voluntarily joining the armed forces would be required to resign from party membership. As a result, several members, forced by domestic or other pressures, resigned from the SPGB in order to enlist. Most members refused to take up arms resulting in a few sentenced to prison from 1916 until the end of the war. Several members formed 'the flying corps', so called because they remained on the run from the authorities, relying upon the help of other socialists and their own wits in order to survive.
The resignation of members who joined the armed forces, the loss of contact with socialists in prison or on the run, and the family and work pressures upon older members and women resulted in a dramatic fall in official SPGB membership. In 1914 the membership was 484 with a voting membership of 261. In January 1919 there were approximately eighty members. This increased to one hundred and twenty in 1920 and one hundred and ninety seven at the beginning of 1921. So, seventeen years after the formation of the SPGB its membership was only fifty greater than it had been in June 1904.
An anti-war campaign, as such, is, from the working class standpoint, absurd. Just as the class struggle cannot be abolished except by abolishing classes, so it is impossible for capitalist nations to get rid of the grim spectre of war, for capitalism presupposes economic conflicts which must finally be fought out with the aid of the armed forces of the State. Nor can democracy, in itself, solve a single problem of the working class. Democracy is a weapon, potentially invaluable, it is true, but like every other weapon, it can be used either for self-preservation, or for self-destruction. Democracy for the working class can only be consolidated and extended to the extent that the working class adopts a socialist standpoint. To renounce socialism so that democracy may be defended, means ultimately the renunciation of both socialism and democracy.
The No-Conscription Fellowship listed 1,191 ‘socialist’ objectors it had particulars for. However it is possible that the NCF list failed to include the dozen or so objectors from the Socialist Party as it distanced itself from that organisation refusing to have anything to do with “...yet another element of confusion...introduced to divert the attention of the workers from the true service of humanity.” While the Socialist worthy of the name “...has the deepest conscientious objection in its most real sense to laying waste the earth and murdering men...given the occasion to do so usefully in the furtherance of the real interests of humanity he would count the sacrifice of his own life as justified.” This point of view is implicit in the Declaration of Principles (Principle 6) which implies the readiness to use force where necessary. Although the Socialist Party contains a number of “pacifists” in the sense that they are reluctant to use force even to defend the achievement of Socialism, the Party itself is not pacifist. It does not recognise an overriding moral or religious objection to the use of force in all cases.
None ever won their case. At least, eight members were jailed during WW I. There may have been more but the relevant EC minutes are missing. Two or three fled abroad (Baritz and Kohn.)
Our Party archivist has managed to uncover some details of members during the war.
Banks, Jimmy SW London branch, joined 1916, CO in WW1
Casey, Bill SP of Australia, seaman, union activist, IWW song writer , CO in WW1
Clarke, Charlie Nottingham member, CO in WW1
Cullen, Mick SP of Ireland- founder member, joined SPGB 1914, CO in WW1
Ford, Ted Edgware branch, joined 1905 & 18,, CO in WW1
Gratton, Harry Dagenham, joined c. 1910, CO in WW1 (deserted),
Hardcastle, Edgar "Hardy", joined 1920, CO in WW1
Iles, Billy London & Liverpool, joined 1911, EC, writer, speaker, CO in WW1
Kohn, A London member, joined 1908, writer & speaker, GS, CO in WW1
McHaffie, WE , "Mac", East London branch, joined 1914, writer, CO in WW1
McKone, Ernie Harringay branch, joined c. 1918, CO in WW1 (deserted)
Mitchell, Alf West Ham branch, joined 1912, CO in WW1
West, Tom Hackney branch, joined 1924, ex-CP, CO in WW1
Malcolm E joined as a member and died at Ypres
Thompson, Walter, Hackney joined armed forces in 1917 (conscripted)
Triggs, WG Tooting already member of armed force at outbreak , resigned from party 21/10/1914, died at sea
Suddery Arthur, Tottenham, possibly in armed forces
Griggs, WG , Tottenham, served in armed forces, resigned but rejoined after the war
Two other unverified joined up and resigned.
One member, Comrade Haydn, a member of Battersea branch as its secretary reported was “delicate and fragile” and had suffered economic hardship but had “at last succeeded in getting a decent job in the Stock Exchange ”. He had a wife and child to support and if thrown out of work would be likely to have great difficulty in obtaining another job on account of his health. His employer had issued a notice stating that employees would be put on half pay because of the state of business but that provision would be made for dependants of employees who volunteered to join the Territorials. This would, of course, “encourage” the men to take up military service, their absence being made up by hiring women at a lower rate of pay. Such volunteers would be given preference when “normal” business returned. In addition it was suggested that those not volunteering would not get their jobs back after the war. Haydn felt compelled to “volunteer” and the branch thought that in the circumstances, resignation from the Party was not required and the EC concurred.
Tooting branch submitted the case of one of their branch members, Comrade Strasmere, to the EC for a ruling. He had enlisted “to follow trade he was in”. A substantial minority on the EC were not in favour of the resolution: “The Tooting Branch be informed that in view of the fact that Com. Strasmere whilst unemployed having signed on in the army as engineer the E.C. see no reason with their present information for Strasmere leaving the Party. After a considerable discussion ...Resolution carried 5-4."
In considering the case of a member named Phillips the EC seem to have taken into account the fact that, according to a letter they received, the member had joined “...on account of future economic interests” as he was now receiving technical training he would otherwise not have got and this would enable him to “qualify for a better position after the war.The EC appears to have been dissatisfied with the letter received as a rather tetchy resolution was carried: “That Battersea Branch be asked to inform Comrade Phillips that the EC consider his letter extremely unsatisfactory...and that he be asked if he has any further information to give. A further letter appears to have been received by the EC (though not recorded in the minutes) as they moved an amended resolution “That unless Phillips joined the army from economic necessity Battersea branch be informed that in the opinion of the EC Com Phillips is not fit for membership of a Socialist Party."
The interesting thing to note here that in dealing with the Phillips case the EC simply passed an “opinion” as to the members standing rather than the more serious decision that the member had, according to the rules, taken an “action detrimental to the interests of the Party”. This would have involved his suspension from any Party activity other than that relating to the matter in hand until Delegate meeting or Conference had adjudicated on it. (The EC has no power to expel members).
The EC did endeavour to ensure that the Party abided by the DORA and desisted from sending propaganda material likely to cause disaffection within the armed forces to protect itself from the State
Addendum
Conscientious Objectors in the period up to 31 December 1918 numbered only 5,720 cases of whom 1,969 were exempted from combat service, 2,425 were refused exemption and 1,234 were classified as “men who had not applied on the grounds of conscience” (i.e. the “politicals”). In the Second World War 62,301 applied for exemption. 2,937 (4.7%) were granted complete exemption, 17,231 (27.7%) were registered as having to do non-combatant service, and 23,638 (37.9%) were offered civilian work “of national importance”.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
The Working Class Lost the First World War'
8.00pm Tuesday 5th August
Chiswick Town Hall,
Heathfield Terrace,
London W4 4JN
'The Left and the First World War'
3.00pm Sunday 17th August
Socialist Party Head Office
52 Clapham High St,
London SW4 7UN
EXHIBITION
'The Socialist Party of Great Britain and the First World War'
Socialist Party Head Office
52 Clapham High St,
London SW4 7UN
Open to the public from Monday 4th August to Sunday 10th August at Head Office and also all other Saturdays and Sundays throughout August.
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