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CHARLES AUGUSTUS ATTWELL (1878-1956?)
Charles was born in the 2nd quarter of 1878, the son of Charles – a Butcher – and Sarah Attwell. On the 1881 Census the family is living at 215 High Street, Deptford and there are four children so far: Sarah J. b. 1877, Charles b. 1879 (sic – though his birth date elsewhere is given as earlier), Louis b. 1881 and Florence b. 1880.
By the time of the 1891 Census the family has moved to Beaconsfield Road, Lower Leyton, West Ham. Charles senior is no longer mentioned and is never present again on subsequent censuses. Sarah continues to describe herself as married and not a widow, so one wonders if the parents split up or if the father just worked away from home? Further children have been born: Edith, James b. 1882 and Florence b. 1887. Could this Florence be a second child with that name? Did the first Florence b. 1880 die?
On the 1901 Census they have moved again and are now at 31 Malvern Road, Hackney. Again there is no sign of Charles senior. Sarah now describes herself as ‘Head’ and ‘married’. Apart from her, only Charles, Louis and Edith are at home. Charles Jnr. is a clerk to a Felt Hat Manufacturers.
In 1911 the family is at 58 Springfield Road, Tottenham. Sarah is 62 and is again ‘Head’. Of her children only Charles and Edith are still at home. Also living in the house are Eleanor Walker, aunt, aged 82 b. 1829 and Eleanor Walker, cousin, aged 24 b.1887 (it seems unlikely that these two are mother and daughter in view of the ages) and Robert Milburn, a half brother, aged 51 b. 1860. On this Census Sarah has written that she and Charles had 10 children born alive, of whom 3 had died.
When conscription comes in Charles wants to apply for exemption from military service on the grounds that he is Christian and a member of the International Bible Students (later Jehovah’s Witnesses) and still living in Springfield Road, so he writes to the Tottenham Urban District Town Clerk as early at 7th February 1916 asking how he goes about this.
His completed an application form which shows him applying for absolute exemption under the conscience clause only. His employers at this time are Tanners and Leather Merchants – Charles is a clerk.
At the hearing on 28th February 1916 Tottenham Military Service Tribunal found “his conscientious objection substantiated and accordingly issued at certificate of exemption from combatant duties.
This does not meet Charles’ requirement for absolute exemption so on 1st March he writes an appeal form to the Middlesex Appeal Tribunal. Charles quotes various Biblical texts and says he “walks in the steps of Jesus, who I believe is entirely opposed to war and I consequently cannot undertake Military Service in any capacity.” And: “I am standing before a Higher Tribunal than that of man, before whom you yourselves must later stand.”
At his Middlesex Tribunal hearing on 18th March he is supported by a letter from the Board of Elders of London Tabernacle stating that Charles “is a highly respected member of the London Class of Associated Bible Students….he has been in touch with this class for 6 years and is at present acting in the capacity of Deacon, having been elected to that office by the congregation.”
The hearing seems to have been adjourned without a decision because Charles is heard by them again on 6th April, when they turn his appeal down. On the same day Charles completes a Notice of Appeal to Central Tribunal form. He makes the central argument that he had proved that he had a conscientious objection to the satisfaction of Tottenham and Middlesex Tribunals. “I appeal against your decision, upholding the judgment of the local tribunal of exemption from combatant service only, which does not fairly meet my case. I proved to their satisfaction that my case was a genuine one”. He goes on to explain why, because of his religious beliefs, only absolute exemption will do. He also now adds a claim on grounds of hardship – he and his sister support 4 aged relatives including their mother. However, he is refused permission to appeal to Central Tribunal.
In late April Charles writes a long letter to the Middlesex Tribunal returning his exemption certificate and asking for a “retrial of my case”. He tells them he cannot report to the military authorities “on Saturday as ordered”. He is willing to do work of national importance. He hadn’t mentioned hardship before because he thought that the Act provided for “total exemption on the grounds of conscientious objection.” But two days later Middlesex reply: “it is not within the province of the Appeal Tribunal to take any further action in connection with your appeal.”
The next we hear of Charles is through the Pearce Register. He has been given exemption to do work of National Importance, which he carries out between 30th May 1916 and 27th September 1917. He worked at the City of London Asylum for nine months until April 1917 and then left to work in a Controlled Establishment.
We do not know what happened to Charles after September 1917 except that it is possible he died aged 78 in Sittingbourne during the last quarter of 1956.
IWM/PR
NA/MH47
Jennifer Bell
Haringey First World War Peace Forum 
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