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Chapter 6: Letters 1915

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2017

Extract

I am quite hoping, darling, to reach York tomorrow evening at 6.30. We have had an interesting Ambulance Committee and decided to go ahead with a hospital for Typhoid cases of which there are at present in Dunkirk over 4000, receiving hardly any medical attendance.

All the reports of the work being done are excellent and the PM amongst others is anxious the Friends should undertake the work.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 2002

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References

1 Council for the Study of International Relations, series of local study groups set up in 1915, based on the Adult Schools, to discuss the origins of the war and principles for a future peace.

2 Hansard, 5th series, 1915, LXIX, 12211224, 12361238Google Scholar for A.S.R.'s speeches in the HofC debate on rising prices. He called for an extension of the wage board system.

3 Bonar Law had been a partner in the merchants William Jacks & Co., and his bro., John Law, was still a partner. In August 1914 the firm had supplied about 7,500 tons of iron ore to Krupps and two other German firms, at least six days after the first proclamation against trading with the enemy. John Law was not prosecuted but two other partners were imprisoned in June 1915.

4 Zeppelin raids on British towns had begun in January 1915.

5 Peace Cttee, a cttee of YM set up in 1888; A.S.R. and T.E. Harvey had joined the cttee 7 August 1914.

6 John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), philosopher and economist; Lib. MP Westminster 1865–1868; author of On Liberty (1859).Google Scholar

7 Constance Jones (d. 1922), philosopher; Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge 1903–1916.

8 The Times, 5 03 1915Google Scholar carried an article by Stanley Washburn, its special correspondent in Russia. He claimed that due to the ban on the sale of vodka he had not seen a drunk soldier for six months.

9 John Alfred Ransome (1873–1920), Quaker gas stove manufacturer from Warrington; active in the Adult School movement.

10 Edith J. Wilson and her husband, Alexander Cowan Wilson (1866–1955), son of H.J. Wilson; retd civil engineer; converted to Quakerism 1899.

11 Edmund Russell Brayshaw (1879–1965), bro. of Edith Wilson and A.N. and Shipley Brayshaw, and partner in the engineering firm Shipley set up in Stockport; leading Uberai in Wilmslow.

12 Yorkshire Gazette, 20 03 1915Google Scholar reported A.S.R.'s speech at Old Priory Adult School, York on 14 March 1915. Its subject was ‘The tasks of democracy’, most prominent of which was the need to institute popular control of foreign policy.

13 Joseph Bevan Braithwaite, Jr (1855–1934), Quaker stockbroker and businessman; Hon. Treasurer NASU 1899–1907; bro. of W.C. Braithwaite.

14 George Henry Emmott (1855 1916), Quaker. Prof, of law Univ. of Liverpool 1896–1916; m. Elizabeth (nee Braithwaite) (1858–1946), sister of J.B. Braithwaite, Jr and W.C. Braithwaite.

15 George Edward Thompson (1845–1924), Quaker from Birkenhead and noted amateur photographer.

16 Frances Thompson (1840–1926), sister of George Thompson, with whom she lived; prominent Quaker, active in peace and temperance movements and Pres. Mount School Old Scholars' Association 1891–1918.

17 Miss Dismore, presumably a local medium. Frances Thompson was a friend of the physicist Sir Oliver Lodge, a leading figure in the Society for Psychical Research. Joseph Rowntree also shared an interest in spritualism.

18 Kenneth Edward Towler Wilkinson (1871–1955), A.S.R.'s solicitor; prominent Lib. on York council, where he represented Walmgate from 1906; m. Marion (nee Rowntree) (1881–1966) from the Scarborough branch of the family.

19 Charles Edward Hodgson (1877–1938), Quaker; Master at Bootham 1907–1920, Warden of Swarthmore settlement, Leeds 1920–1927, Bursar at Bootham and the Mount 1927–1938.

20 Leslie B. Maxwell, Adjutant FAU 1914–1915, Officer Commanding 1915–1917, when he resumed his medical studies.

21 Watson, A.S.R.'s chauffeur.

22 William George Stewart Adams (1874–1966), Gladstone Prof, of Political Theory and Institutions at Oxford Univ. 1912–1933, Warden of All Souls 1933–1945; member of Lloyd George's wartime Secretariat.

23 Taube, German monoplane.

24 Sacre Coeur Hospital at Ypres, hospital run by the FAU until its evacuation on 23 April 1915 after continuous shelling.

25 Mansion House, York, official residence of York's Ld Mayor; in 1914–1915 this office was held by J.B. Morrell.

26 Alfred James Cudworth (1857–1926), Birmingham Quaker; accountant and auditor to Rowntree & Co.

27 Edward Backhouse (1876–1922), Darlington Quaker and banker; retd 1916 and devoted himself to peace causes; ‘Peace by Negotiation’ cand. Stockton-on-Tees 1917, and prospective Lab. cand. Bedford 1922; killed climbing in the Alps.

28 Herbert Dennis (1881–1966), Headmaster Ayton School, Yorkshire (a Quaker school) 1913–1940.

29 Friends' War Victims' Relief Cttee.

30 Hugh Theodore Crosfield (1883–1944), Quaker tea merchant; m. 1911 M.K.R.'s sister Helen Grace Harvey (Nell) (1882–1944).

31 Irene Noel (d. 1956), daughter of Frank Noel, large landowner on the Greek island of Euboea; worked for the FAU; m. June 1915 Philip Baker.

32 Edmund Wright Brooks (1834–1928), prominent Quaker and cement manufacturer; Lib. cand. Essex SE 1892; member of Friends' War Victims' Relief Cttee.

33 Anna Ruth Fry (1878–1962), Sec. Friends' War Victims' Relief Cttee; daughter of Sir Edward Fry and sister of Roger and Joan Fry.

34 Henry Bell (d. 1935), Dir. Lloyds Bank; later prominent on many government financial cttees.

35 Emergency Cttee for the Assistance of Germans, Austrians, Hungarians and Turks in Distress.

36 Arthur James Grant (1862–1948), Prof, of History Univ. of Leeds 1897–1927.

37 John Ramsay Bryce Muir (1872–1941), Prof, of Modern History at Univs of Liverpool 1906–1913 and Manchester 1913–1921; Lib. MP Rochdale 1923–1924; Chmn Nat. Lib. Federation 1931–1933, Pres. 1933–1936.

38 Henry Clay (1883–1954), economist; WEA tutor 1907–1917; worked with A.S.R. on establishing Whitley Council in the pottery industry; Prof. Manchester Univ. 1921–1930, Economic Advisor to Bank of England 1930–1944, Warden of Nuffield College, Oxford 1944–1949; kt. 1946.

39 On 20 April 1915 Doyd George had introduced a 3rd amending bill to the Defence of the Realm Act, giving the govt greater powers to regulate the drink trade.

40 Alfred Rowntree (1869–1956), cousin of A.S.R.'s from the Scarborough branch of the family; dairy farmer in Wensleydale.

41 Daily Sketch, 1 06 1915Google Scholar announced the wedding of Philip Baker and Irene Noel and claimed ‘It is entirely due to her and to Mr P.J. Baker with the help of efficient officers, that the unit has been able to accomplish such excellent work as a voluntary unit’.

42 Joel Cadbury (1838–1916), button manufacturer in Birmingham and cousin of George Cadbury. Maria Cadbury (nee Hotham) (1841–1928), sister of A.S.R.'s mother. A.S.R. lived with his uncle and aunt in 1875–1878 after the early death of his mother.

43 Lloyd George's speech in the debate on the Munitions of War Supply Bill, defining the powers of the new Min. of Munitions. He argued subcontracting had failed and the Min. intended to deal directly with businesses. See Hansard, 5th series, 1915, LXXII, 11831206.Google Scholar

44 Cecil Bisshopp Harmsworth (1869–1948), Lib. MP Droitwich 1906–January 1910, Luton 1911–1922; US Home Office February–May 1915, US Foreign Office 1919–1922; cr. Ld Harmsworth 1939; one of Ld Northclifie's younger brothers.

45 J. Raymond Little, Hon. Sec. FAU 1914–1919. Dr Humphrey Nockolds (d. 1964), Principal Medical Officer FAU 1914–1919. Geoffrey Winthrop Young (1876–1958), member FAU Cttee and Officer in Charge of Field Stations 1914–1915, Anglo-Italian Ambulance Unit 1915–1919; s. of Sir George Young Bt.; poet and mountaineer who joined the FAU after working as a war correspondent.

46 P.J. Baker's resignation as Officer Commanding the FAU was announced at the cttee meeting of 1 July 1915. His brother, Allan R. Baker, also resigned from the FAU in protest at PJ. Baker's treatment.

47 National Registration Bill was introduced on 29 June 1915. It set up a register of all British citizens aged 15–65 and could either be seen as a prelude to, or a substitute for, conscription.

48 The Friends' Service Cttee was set up by YM in May 1915 to ‘strengthen the Peace testimony among Friends of military age’.

49 A.S.R. was speaking at the Council meeting of the Midland Adult School Union.

50 The fourth United Summer School of the Social Service Unions of various churches was being held at Swanwick, Derbyshire.

51 Fellowship of Reconciliation, interdenominational Christian body set up in December 1914 to promote pacifism. Its first conference was at Swanwick on 5–12 July 1915.

52 Meeting for Sufferings on 2 July 1915 had urged Quakers to put themselves on the national register of manpower proposed in the Registration Bill, but to state they would not accept military service.

53 Wilfred Francis Southall (1864–1953), Birmingham Quaker; chemist.

54 Walter Priestman (1855–1920), Quaker worsted spinner from Horton, Lancashire.

55 Vere Street, London headquarters of the FAU 1915–1916.

56 The debate was on the National Registration Bill. See Hansard, 5th series, 1915, LXXIII, 433443Google Scholar for J.H. Whitehouse's amendment to remove women from the bill.

57 Sarah Clark (1877–1973), American Quaker; wife of Roger Clark of Street.

58 Edward Bonvile Fox (1886–1944), Quaker merchant from the West Country; Commandant of the FAU unit in York. In 1915 Rowntree & Co. offered the War Office the use of part of their Haxby Rd works in York as a war hospital. In June 1915 the War Office asked the FAU to staff the new hospital and some forty volunteers started training at St Mary's Educational Settlement (also a Rowntree foundation).

59 Italian Unit, the Anglo-Italian Ambulance Unit, a new volunteer ambulance body, headed by G.M. Trevelyan, which intended to serve on the Italian Front. Baker was its second in command and sixteen of the sixty-six initial members were Quakers.

60 Harold Wright (1883–1934), Lib. journalist and one of Norman Angell's chief lieutenants; Asst Ed. Nation 19231930Google Scholar, Ed. 1930–1931.

61 John Clifford (1836–1923), leading Baptist preacher.

62 Revd Charles Carlyle Bell (1868–1954), Canon Residentiary of York Minster 1914–1953.

63 Dr G. Muir, Medical Officer in charge of the Haxby Rd hospital.

64 Aide Civile Belge, a joint cttee of the FAU and Belgian relief organizations.

65 Countess Louise d'Ursel, Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen of the Belgians and cttee member of Aide Civile Belge.

66 Robert Wilfred Crosland (1876–1961), relation of A.S.R.'s through his stepmother. Long career in adult education and social work; Sub-warden St Mary's Educational Settlement, York 1909–1925.

67 Roger Henry Soltau (1887–1953), historian and political scientist; Lecturer Bristol Univ., 1911–1915; converted to Quakerism 1915 and served with FAU 1915–1919, then returned to lecturing, holding posts at Univ. of Leeds, London School of Economics, Univ. of Wales and American Univ. of Beirut; m. 1912 Irene Constance (nee Whelpton).

68 Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850–1916), Sirdar of Egyptian Army 1892–1899, Chief of Staff in South Africa 1899–1900, Commander-in-Chief 1900–1902, Commander-in-Chief in India 1902–1909, Agent and Consul-Gen, in Egypt 1911–1914, Sec. of State for War 1914–1916; cr. Ld Kitchener 1898, Vt 1902, Earl 1914.

69 The Budget of 21 September 1915 — the first presented by Reginald McKenna, who had succeeded Lloyd George as Chanc. of the Exchequer on 25 May 1915.

70 John Henry Whitley (1866–1935), Lib. MP Halifax 1900–1928; Lib. whip 1907–1910; Dep. Chmn Ways and Means 1910–1911, Dep. Speaker and Chmn Ways and Means 1911–1921; Speaker 1921–1928.

71 The whips of the three major parties had agreed in August 1914 that the candidate of the party holding a seat would not be opposed in any by-election.

72 Hansard, 5th series, 1915, LXXV, 503529Google Scholar for Asquith's speech on conscription. While defending the voluntary system he did not completely rule out conscription, though he called it ‘a contingency which I do not think is ever likely to arise’.

73 Carson had resigned office on 12 October to protest at the government's failure to aid Serbia against German attack. His resignation speech severely criticized the government and called for the creation of a War Cabinet; Hansard, 5th series, 1915, LXXV, 529537.Google Scholar

74 Edward George Villiers Stanley (1865–1948), Con. MP Westhoughton 1892–1906; Junior Ld of Treasury 1895–1900, Fin. Sec. to War Office 1900–1903, Postmaster-Gen. 1903–1905, Dir.-Gen. of Recruiting 1915–1916, US War Office 1916, Sec. of State for War 1916–1918, 1922–1924, Amb. to France 1918–1920; succ. as lyth Earl of Derby 1908.

75 Sir George Newman saw Derby at the War Office. He indicated he would exempt the whole FAU from conscription.

76 Walter Messer (d. 1915), s. of Dr Andrew Messer; Walter's brother, A.I. Messer, was also in the FAU.

77 Revd Richard Roberts (1874–1945), Presbyterian minister and Gen. Sec. FOR 1914–1915.

78 Derby Recruiting Scheme. Lord Derby had announced on 19 October 1915 that all men aged 19–41 would be asked to ‘attest’ their willingness to serve in the Army if called. In his speech to the Commons on 2 November 1915 Asquith had promised that married men would not be conscripted until all unmarried men had been called on to enlist.

79 Sir Arthur Lawley (1860–1932), aristocratic soldier; Administrator Matabeleland 1897–1901, Gov. W. Australia 1901–1902, Lt-Gov. Transvaal 1902–1905, Gov. Madras 1906–1911. At this time Commissioner of the Joint War Cttee of the British Red Cross and the Order of St John of Jerusalem; KCMG 1901; succ. his brother as 6th and last Ld Wenlock 1931.

80 Seebohm Rowntree was appointed Dir. of the Welfare Dept of the Ministry of Munitions 3 January 1916.

81 T.E. Harvey called for any scheme of conscription to provide COs with the opportunity to serve in a non-combatant role; Hansard, 5th series, 1915, LXXVII, 268270.Google Scholar