WOOLCOTT, Ray

Family Name:

Woolcott

Given Names:

Ray

Gender:

Male

Birth-Date:

Unknown, possibly 1936

Death-Date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age:

18 years old

Location:

QLD

Occupation:

Unknown

Primary Motivation:

Conscientious Objector, religious

Reason for Court Appearance:

Application for total exemption from military duties as a conscientious objector

Court Name and Location:

Magistrates Court, Queensland

Court Hearing Date:

1954

Court Outcome:

Granted exemption from combatant military duties only

Military Event:

National Service 1951-1959

Further Information:

Ray Woolcott was from Queensland and a member of the Christian Assemblies. Based on his religious 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. Ray did not appeal the decision. He obviously did not comply with the training as he was present in Holsworthy Military Prison in New South Wales in June 1954 when Vivienne Abraham from the Federal Pacifist Council of Australia visited the conscientious objectors in Holsworthy during June and October 1954. He had to serve at least 176 days in detention which was equal to the military training time under the NSA. Vivienne reported that the conscious objectors were well-treated at Holsworthy.

Confirmatory Sources:

Bobbie Oliver, Hell No! We Won’t Go! Resistance to Conscription in Post War Australia, Interventions, Melbourne, 2022, p.238.

Peacemaker, September/October 1954, p.2.