HC Deb 21 January 1918 vol 101 c673
73 Mr. THOMAS RICHARDSON

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War (1) whether R. D. Gray, a New Zealand soldier, conscientious objector, recently taken to France, a member of a religious sect, the Testimony of Jesus, whose tenets forbid participation in war, has been returned to this country or is he still in France; (2) whether a New Zealand soldier named Private H. Patton, No. 53863, has recently been sentenced in France to twenty-eight days' field punishment No. 1 for refusing to parade; and whether Private H. Patton has disobeyed military orders in New Zealand, England, and France on the grounds that he has a conscientious objection to military service; (3) whether Alexander Baxter, William Little, Daniel Maguire, Garth C. Ballantyne, L. J. Kirwan, H. Patton, T. P. Harland, and Mark Briggs, New Zealand soldiers, conscientious objectors, were taken to France from Sling Camp, Salisbury, about three months ago; whether they have refused to obey military orders in New Zealand, England, and France on the grounds that they claimed to have a conscientious objection to military service; and will he give particulars of all sentences passed on any of these men while in France?

Mr. MACPHERSON

There are no records in the War Office of the men to whom my hon. Friend refers. I can add nothing on the subject generally to the answers already given on the 31st October to my hon. Friend the Member for West Leeds and to my hon. Friend himself on the 26th November.