LEESON, Albert

Family Name:

Leeson

Given Names:

Albert

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

Unknown

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Married

Age:

Unknown

Location:

NSW, Lismore

Occupation:

Farmer

Primary Motivation:

Conscientious Objector- Religious Pacifism

Reason for Court Appearance:

[1] Application for conditional exemption as a conscientious objector
[2] Refusal to take the oath of enlistment

Court Name and Location:

[1] Magistrate’s Court, Lismore, NSW
[2] Magistrate’s Court, Lismore, NSW

Court Hearing Date:

[1] 23 June 1942
[2] 27 September 1942

Court Outcome:

[1] Ordered to perform non-combatant service.
[2] 6 months imprisonment with hard labour.

Military Event:

World War II 1939-1945

Further Information:

Albert Leeson was a dairy farmer at Lismore. He belonged to the Christadelphian Ecclesia, which opposed involvement in war or military activities. In 1942, he applied for conditional exemption from military service, stating that he was prepared to do civil work to assist the war effort. On 23 June 1942, the magistrate at Lismore rejected Leeson’s application and ordered him to perform non-combatant military service. When he was called up, Leeson refused to take the oath or affirmation of military service. He appeared in court at Lismore on this charge and was sentenced to six months imprisonment on the same day. Leeson was married with three young children. His wife, who had accompanied him to court, could not even drive herself and her children back to the farm. Nor could she milk the Leeson’s dairy herd of 25 cows. When she asked what she should do, Mrs Leeson was told to turn the cows out on the road, an action that would have caused the cows suffering as well as being wasteful in a time of national stringency. Leeson’s lawyers, Francis and Francis, who were also acting for two other Christadelphian farmers, Ronald Window and Edmund Denford, argued that they all worked in a protected industry and, if they hadn’t applied to be exempted as conscientious objectors, their work would have exempted them from military service. They argued that the farmers were victims of the Manpower Officer’s bias against Christadelphians. Nevertheless, Leeson was forced to serve six months in prison. The fate of his family, or the milking herd is unknown.

Confirmatory Sources:

Attorney-General’s Department, NAA (ACT) A472, W10521, Item ID 101303, Title: Albert Leeson & 2 others – Prosecution under N.S. (conscientious objectors) Regs; Attorney-General’s Department, NAA: NAA (ACT), A1608, AA45/1/12, Item ID 206503. Title: Conscientious Objectors – General representations.