Family Name:
Brittain (or Brittin)
Given Names:
Robert (Bob)
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
15 April 1952
Death-date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age:
20 years old
Location:
ACT, Acton
Occupation:
University Student
Primary Motivation:
Draft Resister, opposition to conscription
Reason for Court Appearance:
NA
Court Name and Location:
NA
Court Hearing Date:
NA
Court Outcome:
NA
Military Event:
National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972
Further Information:
Robert (Bob) Brittin was a 20-year-old from Acton, a suburb of Caberra. He was a student of the Australian National University (ANU). On 21 April 1972, Bob along with David Wright, Simon Cook and Nicholas Richardson, who were all students at the ANU declared themselves as draft resisters at a moratorium demonstration It was attended by about 500 people, mostly students and was addressed by staff of the ANU History Department. It indicated that he had failed to register in January 1972. On 3 May 1972 six men presented themselves to the Attorney-General, Senator Greenwood at a ANU Liberal Party meeting and called on him to arrest them as draft resisters. The list included Bob, who was at the meeting. On 15 May Commonwealth police served summonses on two draft resisters and indicated there were two more issued. The latter included one for Bob. All four were due in court on 2 June 1972. Bob continued his non-compliance with the National Service Act 1964 as he refused to attend the mandatory medical examination. On the 14 June 1972 he was a signatory to a letter sent to the newspaper Woroni. The letter read, We, the undersigned abhor the selective, unjust nature of the National Service Act, and consequently are forced to make our opposition to it public, thus tempting the same fate. This was a reference to 18 months jail for refusal to obey a call-up notice. The letter said, We urge all young men eligible to register for National Service to refuse to comply in any way with the provisions of the National Service Act and join us in contributing to its immediate repeal. It would appear that proceedings were not instigated against Robert before the National Service Act 1964 was suspended, and all proceedings under it, were dropped in early December 1972 by the incoming Whitlam Labor Government.
Confirmatory Sources:
Canberra Times, 22 April 1972, p.3; 4 May 1972, p. 1.
Woroni, 14 June 1972, p.3.
Tharunka, 18 October 1972, p.6.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 