| Description | The Enlistment Committee was set up by Warwickshire North Monthly Meeting in December 1914 to consider how the Society of Friends should act towards its members who had enlisted in the war effort. The committee consisted of W.A. Albright, Harrison Barrow, A. Baratt Brown, Geraldine S. Cadbury, A.J. Cudworth, William Littleboy, Marian Priestman, Gilbert Southall and Henry Ll[oyd] Wilson.
The aims of the Committee were to compile a complete list of Friends who had enlisted; to inform enlisted Friends that they were compiling this list while also sending them a message of love and support from Friends; to assess all cases of enlisters who resigned their membership from the Society and make recommendations to the Monthly Meeting on what actions should be taken; to remain in contact as far as possible with all enlisted Friends by writing to them 'in a spirit of sympathy and friendship'; and to report fully to the Monthly Meeting on all cases of enlisted Friends at the appropriate time.
The clerks of the Preparative Meetings were asked to send names of anyone enlisted in their meeting to the clerk of the committee. Members of the committee were then assigned to write to each individual enlisted to share points of view regarding participation in the war, conscientious objection and faith, as well as support to those enlisted or undertaking other war work. They also sent out letters in December 1915 with Christmas greetings and messages of love and support.
In early 1919, the committee carefully assessed the Society's relationship with those who had enlisted and it recommended to the Warwickshire Monthly Meeting that it take no disciplinary action towards enlisted members, and instead advised that enlisted members should be welcomed back, with the recognition that such members had enlisted because they felt it was their duty to do so. The recommendations were accepted by the Monthly Meeting on 11th February 1919.
After the end of the war, the committee was able to report to the Monthly Meeting in January 1919 statistics concerning those who had enlisted: 55 Friends had joined the army, navy or air force, including 10 who had joined the medical service. Of these, 8 were killed in action, 1 died of disease while on active service and there were at least 4 wounded and 1 Friend who was a prisoner of war in Germany.
Friends who enlisted included Egbert Cadbury, Alan Lloyd, Ronald Lloyd, Eric Lloyd, Howard Southall, Richard Barrow. |