BENNETT, William Henry

Family Name:

Bennett

Given Names:

William Henry

Gender:

Male

Birth-Date:

Circa 1870

Death-Date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Married

Age:

Circa 40-45 years old

Location:

NSW, Dulwich Hill

Occupation:

Labourer, Railways

Primary Motivation:

Conscientious objector, opposition to conscription

Reason for Court Appearance:

[1] Failure to ensure his son was registered for compulsory military training

[2] Failure to ensure his son was registered for compulsory military training

Court Name and Location:

[1] Unknown, Sydney

[2] Unknown, Sydney

Court Hearing Date:

[1] 1912- early 913

[2] November 1913

Court Outcome:

[1] Convicted and fined £5, imprisoned for refusal to pay fine

[2] Convicted and fined £2, imprisoned for refusal to pay the fine

Military Event:

Boy Conscription 1911-1929

Further Information:

William Bennett was from Sydney, New South Wales (NSW). He was a labourer in the Interlocking Department of the NSW Railways. He refused to allow his 16-year-old son, Arthur, to be, compelled against his will to become a soldier. Arthur was a shop assistant. His son performed no drills. He stated he had a conscientious objection. William was twice prosecuted. On the first occasion he was imprisoned for a couple of days after he refused to pay the fine of £5. Mrs Bennett settled the matter by taking it in her own hands and paid the fine. The second occasion was in November 1913 when William was convicted and fined £2. He was imprisoned again after he refused to pay a fine.

The DA was amended to allow the area officer to register a boy conscript without the approval of his parents. This was a gazetted on 2 June 1913. Maybe the amendment was not applied retrospectively for William.

Confirmatory Sources:

John Barret, Australians and “Boy Conscription”1911-1915: Falling In, Hale and Iremonger, Sydney, 1979, p.175.

Bobbie Oliver, Peacemongers: Conscientious objectors to military service in Australia 1911-1945, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 1997, pp. 24-25.