§ 18. Mr. TREVELYANasked the Secretary of State for War whether J. F. Hinton, of 28, Braithwaite Road, Fulham, was a conscientious objector to military service, and was called to the Colours on 1184 the 16th September; whether his calling-up notice was subsequently altered to the 1st September; whether he was arrested on the latter date and has since appeared before the Central Tribunal and has been deemed not genuine, and been placed in the Non-Combatant Corps; and whether inquiries will be made both as regards the irregularity of the calling-up notice and whether Hinton can be given work under the Home Office scheme?
§ Mr. FORSTERJ. F. Hinton was called upon to report for service on the 8th July, but lodged an application for exemption with the Woolwich Tribunal. On the 21st August, the recruiting officer received notice that the case had been dismissed by the tribunal. Hinton's application having been thus disposed of, he became liable for immediate service, but the recruiting officer, intending to grant him a period of grace, issued a notice requiring him to report on the 13th September. It was then reported that Hinton was stating publicly that he would have to be fetched before he joined, and as it appeared that he might seek to escape during the period of grace, the recruiting officer issued another notice calling him up for service on the 30th August. Hinton failed to comply with this notice, and was arrested by the police on the 1st September. He was taken before the West London Police Court as an absentee, fined the sum of 40s., and ordered to be handed over to the military authorities. As the Central Tribunal has considered his; case and decided that he is not a man to whom would properly be given work of national importance under the Home Office Committee, it is not proposed to take any further action in the matter.