SEARLE, John Wesley

Family Name:

Searle

Given Names:

John Wesley

Gender:

Male

Birth-Date:

Unknown, possibly 1936

Death-Date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, single

Age:

18 Years old

Location:

NSW, New Lambton

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:

Court of Petty Sessions, Newcastle

Court Hearing Date:

30 December 1954

Court Outcome:

Granted exemption from combatant military duties only

Military Event:

National Service 1951-1959

Further Information:

John Searle was from New Lampton, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales. He was a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) by religion. However, he explained that he was from a SDA Reformed Church that was opposed to all forms of military duties. The regular SDA usually condoned members participation in non combatant duties. Accordingly, he applied for total exemption from military duties as a conscientious objector under the National Service Act 1951 (NSA). His hearing was at the Newcastle Court of Petty Sessions on 30 December 1954, before Magistrate W McAndrew. John agreed with Mr Braund, Legal Counsel for the Department of Labour and National Service, that if an aggressor nation attacked Australia and caused some of its people to die the Lord’s judgement would be that the aggressors should be put to death, However, he himself would not feel prepared to put them to death. He also agreed the National Service Training was only for service in Australia and that any action required would be only against invaders of this country. The magistrate said, he could not see that Searle’s conscientious beliefs could prevent him from engaging in non-combatant service even though the beliefs might not allow active participation in naval or military or airforce duties. The magistrate ordered that John be registered for non-combatant duties. Mr Braund assured the court that John would be assigned to the Army Medical Corps.

Confirmatory Sources:

Peacemaker, March 1955, p.2. Bobbie Oliver, Hell No! We Won’t Go! Resistance to Conscription in Post War Australia, Interventions, Melbourne, 2022, p.232.