A Tottenham Quaker's War: Fred Murfin, Conscientious Objector

If I’m not able to convince tribunals that I’m a sincere conscientious objector to all militarism by my words, then it must be by my preparedness to accept any penalties which may be forced upon me. I cannot compromise on this matter.

These words are the written testimony of Fred Murfin, a 28 yr old Tottenham Quaker, who lived at 47 Summerhill Road, Tottenham. The story of his war shows how conscientious objectors resisted all attempts to make them soldiers, even when threatened with execution and punished with prison.

When conscription was introduced to Britain in 1916 through the Military Service Bill, Fred was amongst forty men who were arrested and shipped to France in May 1916, as the government and army attempted to break the No Conscription Fellowship (NCF) movement, later known as "Conscientious Objectors".

Fred went before the Tribunal at Tottenham Town Hall on 23rd March, after the Military Service Act took effect. From March 2nd 1916, all single men were deemed to have enlisted. Tribunals were set up to rule on who could be exempted from conscription. Although many men went before the tribunals, most pleaded that they were doing work of national importance or that their conscription would cause hardship. Those considered to be genuine COs were granted non-combatant status, but, for some COs, this was not enough - a total exemption was asked for but very few of these were ever granted. Fred was granted non-combatant status, refused to accept this and went to appeal at the Guildhall Tribunal which confirmed his non-combatant status. Fred refused to accept this status. He was now considered a deserter and awaited arrest. Charged as a deserter by the Magistrates court, he were found guilty and fined. Finally, under escort, Fred and other Quakers were taken to Mill Hill Recruiting Station.

What follows next in Fred’s account is a master class in passive resistance from refusing to submit to a medical to refusing to walk to the ship to France (one of them was carried there). Anything they were asked to do was seen as a military order, their response was, “We shall refuse to obey all military orders on conscientious grounds”.

Fred and the other COs shipped to France were sentenced to death since they were now refusing to fight in a war zone, although, as the NCF got publicity for what was going on at the front, these sentences were commuted to 10 years imprisonment. Immense physical and mental pressure were placed upon the COs - seventy three men died after being arrested, the first ten whilst still in prison, about forty suffered mental breakdowns.

Many COs accepted work of national importance or ambulance work, but Fred and his fellow Tottenham Quakers were resolute that they would do nothing at all to help the war effort, not even stitch mailbags for the Navy while they were in prison.

Fred wrote down his experiences in 1965 and these were published as Prisoners for Peace by the Society of Friends. It is an absorbing read: the first part details his experiences at the hands of the military and the second part his experience of prison.

In truth, no one tells this story better than he does, you can read it here [pdf].

I must be finally guided by my conscientious convictions in this matter believing I am responsible for my own actions and that I must one day answer for these actions

Yours sincerely

F.J Murfin

Sources:

• Working Class Movement Library online
• The National Archives - Middlesex Appeal Tribunal records Case No. 488
• SWQuakers.org

As a postscript to this story:

Fred was released from prison in 1919 and came to live in Tottenham where he became involved in the Friends Adult School and joined the Society of Friends.

He contributed to the "Appeal for Famine Victims in Europe" by giving an overcoat. In one of the coat pockets he put a note of his address. After some months a brief note arrived signed by "Willi Plaffe", expressing thanks for the warm coat and a desire to correspond in English as he wished to learn the language. This correspondence continued for many years with breaks due to Nazi influence and World War II, but in 1960 Willi came to England and travelled to meet his friend Fred Murfin, by then retired and living in Cornwall.

Fred died in 1972.

Source: Tottenham Quakers