Harry lived at 40 Garthorne Road, Forest Hill together with his wife Grace Gwendoline nee Spicer and his two daughters nine year old Mildred Grace and six year old Margaret Pearl. Harry and Grace had married in the Wesleyan Church in Camberwell on 28 November 1906.

He was 38 in 1916, was employed by the International Tract Society and he was a Seventh-day Adventist.

Conscientious Objection during the First World War:
Harry was the first married conscientious objector to appear before the Lewisham Tribunal. In his written claim he stated that he was opposed to war believing it to be contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ and that as a member of the Seventh-day Adventists he kept the Sabbath from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. The tribunal chairman, Mr Mead said that they could not take into account his keeping of the Sabbath and Harry again confirmed his opposition to war on grounds of conscience. He provided a certificate showing he was a baptised member of the church and said that twelve years previously he had relinquished his business position because it interfered with his observance of the Sabbath. The Chairman Mr Mead, referring yet again to his belief that Britain was engaged in a just war, said that he too objected to war, but unprovoked war is contrary to Christ’s teachings and the German’s were guilty of this.

Harry expressed a willingness to undertake farm work, care of the sick and wounded and store supplies. His father who was present confirmed that Harry had resigned his position as a traveler in canned goods, work he had undertaken together with him, because it interfered with his observance. He also said that he felt Harry had grounds enough for exemption because two of his brothers had volunteered and he also had a wife and two children to take care of, although he opposed him in his claim of conscientious objection. At this point Harry is reported as saying “I felt that the conscientious objection must come first”

He was granted a non-combatant certificate and his father then accused the Tribunal of prejudice because he was a conscientious objector, to which Mr Mead replied that they had come to the conclusion that Harry's was an honest and honorable objection.

War Service:
He was conscripted into the Non-Combatant Corps 7 Eastern Company on 22 August 1916 and at some point he was transferred to the 4 Southern at Lewes. He was disciplined because on Saturday 9 September 1916 he was absent from parade and had refused to obey and order and again that on Wednesday 12 December 1916 when on active service he refused to obey a lawful order. Although his record does not say what the order was, in December 1916 a number of NCC men were disciplined for refusing to handle munitions. Then on 5 January 1917 he was sentenced to 14 days hard labour in Lewis County Prison for refusing to obey orders on the Sabbath (see A Century of Adventism in the British Isles p.17 link below). His army records are very faint and difficult to read, and he may have been released from prison to the Army Reserve under the Home Office scheme, although his military service records also show that he was demobbed from the NCC on January 10 1919 which might suggest the army became more accommodating of his desire to observe the Sabbath.

Source 007