Family Name:
Wendt
Given Names:
Donald Herbert
Gender:
Male
Birth-Date:
Unknown, possibly 1935
Death-Date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age:
18-19 years old
Location:
QLD
Occupation:
Unknown
Primary Motivation:
Conscientious Objector, religious
Reason for Court Appearance:
[1] Application for total exemption from military duties as a conscientious objector
[2] Appeal against exemption from combatant military duties only
[3] Refusal to obey army orders
Court Name and Location:
[1] Magistrates Court, Queensland
[2] Supreme Court of Queensland, Brisbane
[3] Unknown, Unknown
Court Hearing Date:
[1] 1953 possibly
[2] 9 June 953
[3] Early 1954 probably
Court Outcome:
[1] Granted exemption from combatant duties only
[2] Appeal was dismissed
[3] Sent to Holsworthy Military Prison
Military Event:
National Service 1951-1959
Further Information:
Don Wendt was from Queensland and was a member of the Christian Assemblies. Based on his Christian beliefs he applied for total exemption from military duties under the National Service Act 1951 (NSA) as a conscientious objector. The magistrate granted him exemption from combatant military duties only. Don appealed the decision, and it was heard by Judge Stanley of the Supreme Court of Queensland, in Brisbane on 9 June 1953. His appeal was dismissed. He obeyed the call-up notice and presented himself to the army but refused army orders, specifically to wear the uniform and take the oath of allegiance. He was summoned to a court and sent to Holsworthy Military Prison in New South Wales. He had to serve at least 176 days in detention which was equal to the time of military training required under the NSA. Vivienne Abraham of the Federal Pacifist Council of Australia visited the conscientious objectors in Holsworthy during June and October 1954.She reported that they were generally well-treated in Holsworthy. Don was in Holsworthy when she visited in June.
Confirmatory Sources:
Bobbie Oliver, Hell No! We Won’t Go! Resistance to Conscription in Post War Australia, Interventions, Melbourne, 2022, p.237.
Peacemaker, September/ October 1954, p.2.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 