Consciencious Objectors

This only relates to Chailey in as much when, several years ago on one of many visits to the National Newspaper Library at Colindale and trawling through old journals for information on Chailey during the First World War, I came across this snippet on consciencious objectors. I post it here now, for no other reason other than it's an interesting piece and also provides me with a great excuse to re-publish the Gilson cartoon above.

East Sussex News, Friday July 13th 1917

CONSCIENCIOUS OBJECTORS DUCKED
A party of consciencious objectors who had been sent to work in the New Forest had a hostile reception on arriving at Brockenhurst. Numbering about 60 they split into two parties… the former were pelted with clods of turf, booed and hustled out of the village, principally by civilians. The other party came in for rather rougher treatment. Two of their number were ducked in the stream at Balmer Lawn and their luggage which was on a lorry, was pitched into the river. Clods of earth were hurled at them. After a time they made their escape…

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Francis George Pettet

It's always great to find out additional information about Chailey's men and women, and the final release of records from the WO 363 series on-line via Ancestry has opened up the archive for people like me who live too far away from Kew.

Francis George Pettet appears as F Pettit and then F G Pettet in Chailey's parish magazine. Only two pages of his service record survive, but I've updated his page on the main Chailey 1914-1918 site.

11th November 2009

Remembering today, the men and women of Chailey who served their King and Country during two world wars, and remembering in particular, those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

WW1 Service Records O-Z

Not before time, Ancestry has released the remaining 'Burnt Documents' and these are now searchable - after a struggle - on the Ancestry site. It's a pity, having waited so long for these, that Ancestry seems to have completely messed up the search function. Type the first name and surname in the relevant boxes and you'll just as likely get no results. Type the same names in the keywords boxes and the results appear.

Similarly, it's no use typing in the regiment (in the regiment box) and the name (in the keywords box) at the same time. That will also get you no results. Type the names first, wait for the results, and then narrow down by regiment. The information is there, it's just that Ancestry has messed up the search.

In any event, apart from finding my great grandfather's service records, I've also had a quick look at some of Chailey's men and found records for the following:

John Peckham
Francis George Pettet
Albert Still

There may be others, but in the meantime, I'll be updating these men's pages as and when.