MOURITZ, Douglas

Family Name:

Mouritz

Given Names:

Douglas

Gender:

Male

Birth-Date:

Unknown, possibly 1937

Death-Date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age:

18 -19 years old

Location:

NSW, Bondi Junction

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 application dismissed

Court Name and Location:

[1] Unknown, NSW

[2] Court of Quarter Sessions, Sydney

Court Hearing Date:

[1] Early 1955

[2] 5 May 1955

Court Outcome:

[1] Application was dismissed

[2] Appeal was dismissed

Military Event:

National Service 1951-1959

Further Information:

Douglas Mouritz was from Bondi Junction in New South Wales who claimed he was a Jehovah’s Witness. Based on his religious beliefs he applied for total exemption from military duties as a conscientious objector under the National Service Act 1951. His application was dismissed by the magistrate. He appealed against this decision. He appeared on 5 May 1955 at the Court of Quarter Sessions in Sydney before Judge Clegg. The appeal was dismissed. It is unknown why the Judge so ruled. Usually, a Jehovah’s Witness was at least granted exemption from combatant military duties.

Confirmatory Sources:

Peacemaker, June 1955, p.2; August 1955, p.2.

Bobbie Oliver, Hell No! We Won’t Go! Resistance to Conscription in postwar Australia, Interventions, Melbourne, 2022, p.228.