the men who said no
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CECIL VERNON PROCTOR 1878 - 1966  

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Cecil Vernon Proctor was the only son of Frederick Joseph and Emily Frances Proctor. Cecil's family were comfortably off, and Cyril himself was well educated, becoming involved in writing and acting. He married Amy Rudd in 1904.

Cecil and Amy both had successful careers as actors and playwrights, touring the UK and appearing abroad in comedies and dramas. Cecil became a manager, producer and director right up until 1916 when, with the introduction of the Military Service Act, he became eligible for conscription.

Cecil was brought before the South Mimms Tribunal in July 1916 to apply for exemption from military service on conscientious grounds.

He maintained " I have been a non-fighter all my life. and have refrained from killing even to eat, since January 13th 1913. "due to the fact that" the destruction of life is wrong under any circumstances". Cecil refused to join any branch of the military, including the Non-Combatant Corps, stating “I think no circumstances justify the taking of another’s life” and furthermore that “all branches of military service would be helping in the system of attaining ideals by force”.

Cecil’s statement that he could not accept non-combatant service was ignored by the South Mimms Rural Tribunal, and he was passed for Non-Combatant duties after a short hearing. The appearance of a Vegetarian Actor CO was considered unusual enough to get a long description in the local paper!

Cecil appealed to the Middlesex court at Westminster against the decision but this was also refused and he was handed to the military.
By 22 August he was at Mill Hill Barracks. Four months later, he was facing a Court martial. It would seem that Cecil had accepted, at least for a short time, some of the duties of the Non-Combatant Corps, but when ordered to load ammunition, he decided to remake his stand against war, stating: "'I refuse on conscientious grounds." or words to that effect'. COs around the country faced a similar situation to Cecil, and were tried and convicted on their refusal to obey an order - always, where officially recorded, accompanied by the phrase “or words to that effect”.

He was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment with hard labour, a fairly standard sentence for COs tried by court martial. By February he was in Wormwood Scrubs and the Central Tribunal heard his case. Cecil was judged to be a “genuine” CO and was passed as appropriate for the Home Office Scheme. Cecil would spend the majority of the rest of the war in Bury St Edmunds on the Home Office Scheme, before being transferred to Knutsford until his demobilisation.

It seems that Cecil, even while employed under the Home Office scheme, managed to keep up his acting career, playing a role in a Haymarket theatre production in August 1918.

After the war, Cecil and Amy continued working in theatre, performing in numerous plays throughout the 1920s.

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About the men who said NO

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CO DATA

Born: 1878
Died: 1966 December
Address: The Haven, South Mimms, Barnet
Tribunal: South Mimms
Prison: Wormwood Scrubs
HO Scheme:Bury St Edmunds, Knutsford [1]
CO Work:
Occupation: Author, Actor and Theatre Manager

 


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WIDER CONTEXT | more
ROAD TO CONSCRIPTION
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CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
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TRIBUNALS | more
SENTENCED TO DEATH | more
PRISONS | more
HOME OFFICE CENTRES | more

READ | more

ONLINE RESOURCES
Conscientious objection in WW1
Conscientious objection today
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