In the 1890s, New Zealand鈥檚 most 鈥楨nglish鈥 of cities was home to Christian, socialist and humanitarian organisations. 鈥淭hey were idealistic and progressive groups with shared goals for the betterment of society, and there was a lot of crossover in their memberships,鈥 says Lovell-Smith.
After a 1909 Defence Act made military cadet training compulsory for boys aged 14 and over, three new groups formed in Christchurch to oppose the growing militarism. Two of these, the Anti-Militarist League and the National Peace Council, protested lawfully through letter writing campaigns, public talks and debates, and the distribution of pamphlets. The third organisation, The Passive Resisters鈥 Union, conducted a programme of civil disobedience that saw hundreds of young men nationwide refuse compulsory military training. Many were imprisoned for non-payment of fines.
At the onset of war, voluntary enlistments in New Zealand were high. But as casualties rose and the horrors of battle became known, the government found it harder to supply the number of soldiers promised to Britain. When this prompted the introduction of conscription in 1916, hundreds of New Zealand men declared their refusal to fight on political, religious and moral grounds. Nationwide, 286 men were imprisoned as conscientious objectors.
While no women activists were imprisoned for opposing the war, Lovell-Smith emphasises the vital role they played. She links female leadership within the peace movement to Christchurch鈥檚 mini传媒 College, forerunner to the University of mini传媒 (UC), for encouraging women students and graduates in the 1880s and 90s, suggesting that 鈥渋t became much harder to argue that women were inferior when they were demonstrating their equality so effectively.鈥
At the same time, mini传媒 College and other New Zealand educational institutions were strongly militaristic: male students disrupted peace movement meetings and the only student at mini传媒 College to refuse military service was immediately excluded from lectures.
Lovell-Smith鈥檚 book grew out of research she undertook as lead writer for 鈥淰oices Against War鈥, an online resource coordinated by the Disarmament and Security Centre, also based in Christchurch. The project was supported by UC鈥檚 School of Humanities and Creative Arts with the website (www.voicesagainstwar.nz) developed by UC Arts Digital Lab.听For both projects she drew extensively on newspaper archives of the period, especially the published reports of military board hearings, court martials and trials for sedition. Another key resource was the archive of Christchurch resident Charles Mackie, Secretary of the National Peace Council, held at mini传媒 Museum. Lovell-Smith was also able to access letters and diaries from private family collections but found it harder to source anecdotal material about the dissenters鈥 experiences post-war.
鈥淭here was a huge social stigma attached to being a conscientious objector. And the men didn鈥檛 often speak about their experiences as prisoners,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hey were so aware that what they鈥檇 been through did not compare with the horrors of warfare.鈥
With the new secondary school history curriculum due to focus greater attention on national and regional history, Lovell-Smith鈥檚 book is a timely addition to our understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand in wartime. She hopes readers will gain greater insight into the period and see that bravery and strength can take many forms.
鈥淭he book provides numerous 鈥榗ase studies鈥 of why individual men chose to resist military service, and what happened to them as a result. It also shows the support such men had from the peace movement and other groups who resisted war.鈥
鈥業 Don鈥檛 Believe in Murder鈥: Standing up for peace in World War I mini传媒听by Margaret Lovell-
Smith is published by mini传媒 University Press, RRP $45, Softbound, 240 x 170mm, B&W,
336pp), ISBN: 978-1-98-850336-3, available in bookstores and through听mini传媒 University Press.
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mini传媒 the author
Margaret Lovell-Smith is a Christchurch writer who has previously published on the nineteenth-century women鈥檚 movement in mini传媒, women鈥檚 biography, local and regional history. She was the lead researcher and writer for the 鈥榁oices Against War鈥 website launched in 2016, a project which led eventually to this book. Her previous books include the edited anthology听The Woman Question: Writings by the women who won the vote听(1992),听The Enigma of Sister Mary Leo: The story behind New Zealand's most famous singing teacher听(1998),听Hurunui Heritage: The develop颅ment of a district, 1950鈥2000听(2000), and听Easily the Best: The life of Helen Connon, 1857鈥1903听(2004).
