TURNBULL, George Alexander (Lex)

Family Name:

Turnbull

Given Names:

George Alexander (Lex)

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

2 August 1913.

Death-date:Unknown.

Marital Status:

Single.

Age Range:

29-30

Location:

NSW, Elwood

Occupation:

Secondary School Teacher

Primary Motivation:

Conscientious Objector – Religious Pacifism

Reason for Court Appearance:

[1] Refusal to take the oath of enlistment
[2] Appeal.

Court Name and Location:

[1] Police Court, Newtown, NSW
[2] Appeal Court, Queen’s Square, Sydney.

Court Hearing Date:

[1] 27 August 1942
[2] 25 September 1942.

Court Outcome:

[1] 6 months imprisonment; on bail pending outcome of appeal
[2] Appeal upheld. Conviction quashed.

Military Event:

World War II

Further Information:

Lex Turnbull was born on 2 August 1913. He was a member of a non-denominational Christian group. Because of his Christian beliefs, he objected to taking part in warfare, but he did not apply for exemption as a conscientious objector. When he was called up, he was a 29-year-old, married school teacher, employed at the Dulwich Hill State School NSW. He was President of the Peace Pledge Union of NSW, and a member of the COs Group.

Turnbull was convicted of refusing to take the oath of enlistment and sentenced to six months imprisonment. His brief time of two hours in prison was a humiliating experience. The process of being finger-printed and having his possessions taken away was degrading. The prison warders ‘treated you like a dog’ but their attitude changed when his bail was raised. His conviction was quashed on appeal. Turnbull did not experience any discrimination by his employer, the Department of Education, because of his stance as a conscientious objector. In school, he experienced ‘nothing but respect and co-operation’.

After the war, Turnbull was involved in further work for peace. He rejected the term ‘pacifist’, seeing it as being negative, whereas ‘peacemaker’ was much more positive. His post-war work included organizing parcels of supplies for famine victims in Europe. He recalled that they even needed string to knit babies’ booties.

Confirmatory Sources:

The Peacemaker, 1 December 1943; 15 April 1944; Lex Turnbull, interviewed by B. Oliver, 1 October 1995.