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MEN WHO SAID NO | ROAD TO CONSCRIPTION | OBJECTION | PRISONS | SENTENCED TO DEATH | TRIBUNALS | WIDER CONTEXT |
THOMAS FRANK BREEZE 1887 -  

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Unlike many other Conscientious Objectors Thomas Breeze was not conscripted in 1916. He was 30 and married with one child, making him exempt from the first few groups of Conscripts. Instead, he was first heard by a Tribunal in early 1917, and argued his case as a CO from Quaker principles. The Streatham Tribunal may have turned him down or passed him to do work that Thomas found unacceptable - most likely Exemption from Combatant Service Only, as by May 1917, he had been sent to the Army. On the 5th of May, Thomas was charged with disobeying military orders and was court martialled, sentenced to one years hard labour in Wormwood Scrubs. This began the first of Thomas's three prison sentences. As an Absolutist Conscientious Objector, he rejected any compromise with the military machine and, instead of taking up the Home Office Scheme, willingly stayed in prison, with brief periods in October 1917 and March 1919 of freedom between Courts Martial. Thomas was finally released in April 1919 under what was known as the "two year rule". The two year rule called for the discharge from the army and release from prison of all Conscientious Objectors who had served multiple sentences in prison and more than two years. His release was one of thousands made in April 1919, as with the Peace Treaty in discussion, the army maintained since the Armistice in November 1918 was gradually stood down.

 

 

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CO DATA

Born: 1887
Died:
Address: 18 Kingswood Road, Clapham, London
Tribunal: Central
Prison: Wormwood Scrubs, Canterbury, Barlinnie
HO Scheme:
CO Work:
Occupation: Printer

Motivation: Quaker
[2]
ABSOLUTIST

 






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