Back | Home
redline
MEN WHO SAID NO | ROAD TO CONSCRIPTION | OBJECTION | PRISONS | SENTENCED TO DEATH | TRIBUNALS | WIDER CONTEXT |
STEPHEN CLARK ALLONBY 1898 - 1990  

support

Stephen was two when his father died of TB in 1900, four months before his sister Dorothy was born. He was always "the man of the house" and a very strong personality. He helped his mother and aunts in a junk shop by delivering furniture on a hand cart. He left school early but attended night school to become a draughtsman. Sometime in his teens he joined the International Bible Students Association (IBSA later became Jehovah's Witness).

He was 18 on January 9th 1916 so was eligible to be called up when conscription became law in March 1916. He came before the Liverpool tribunal where his request for exemption was refused. When given orders to pick up a gun he refused and was then court-martialled and sent to prison for 112 days hard labour. The sergeant who gave him the order said that he wished he had the courage to stand up to the authorities and wished him luck. He was admitted to Wormwood Scrubs on 26th March 1917.

During his time in Wormwood Scrubs he spent some time cleaning the toilets but never spoke about anything more of his treatment there. He wrote to his Mother and Sister but some of the letter was censored.

He was sent to Wakefield Work Centre on the Home Office Scheme and then to the Knutsford Work Centre which meant he was closer to home in Liverpool. By 1918 he has an IBSA card so must have had some freedom to attend worship.
It is uncertain when he was discharged but by the early 20s he was a deacon preaching within the IBSA organisation. It was while preaching in Cheshire that he met the Acton family but at this time Kathleen was too young for him to notice! Neither of them could have known the significance of this first meeting. He went into business with 2 other COs, one his future brother in law John Philip Williams and the other Cyril Heasman. He found several sites for petrol stations and the company built them. During the mid 30s there was a falling out and they split up.

He found a site in Manchester and built his own garage. It was in the house behind this that David (1937) and Ruth (1947) were born. During this time both Stephen and Kathleen became involved with the Independent Labour party and held meetings in their house. Jomo Kenyatta attended on one occasion. When war broke out the garage hit hard times as they had loans to repay plus little or no income.

During the war they set up a toy shop in the showroom sourcing toys wherever they could. Much of their spare time was spent supporting COs who faced call up as Stephen had but as he was 41 and had a suspected heart condition he was not directly involved. Roy Norbury ( a knitting expert who was on TV in the early 50s) helped by making clothes for dolls. He was extremely short sighted and therefore not fit but he refused to register and thus didn't have an identity card or ration card.

David was evacuated to stay with his aunt and uncle near Wrexham. J P Williams was now a timber merchant and allowed a work camp to be set up in Myddle on ex forest land. COs worked clearing the tree roots to enable it to be returned to agriculture. Stephen and Kathleen spent as much time as they could supporting this. When the war ended Stephen decided that he would take the opportunity to get a degree. He did a preparation year at Ruskin College in Oxford and then took PPE at Keble College. While he was away Kathleen ran the garage and Ruth was born during the snow of 1947.

When he graduated he took up a lecturing post at the Cooperative College in Stanford-on-Soar near Loughborough. He worked there for 10 years and taught many of the future leaders of the emerging Independent countries of Africa.

By the mid 50s he also began selling caravans. This was truly a family business for the customers viewed at the weekends and everyone helped out. If Stephen, Kathleen and David were busy even Ruth (about 8) showed customers round! Eventually he left the college and "Times Caravans" became his full time job.

In 1965 he "semi retired" leaving David to run the business while he moved to Jersey. It was difficult for him to retire and he had daily phone calls with David keeping his finger on the pulse! Kathleen continued to "do" the books as she had done all through her married life and to give sound advice. Kathleen died in 1977 and in 1983 he married Sylvia Barton, an old friend from Manchester. He lived in Jersey till his death in 1990.

009

.

 

 

 

 

  Do you have more information or photos of STEPHEN CLARK ALLONBY? Let us know
 

redline
CO DATA

Born: 1898
Died: 1990
Address: 15 Breck Road, West Derby, Liverpool
Tribunal:
Prison: Wormwood Scrubs
HO Scheme:Wakefield, Knutsford [1]
CO Work:
Occupation:
NCF:
Motivation: IBSA
[2]
ABSOLUTIST

 






 
     
red line
address