Northampton in the Great War by Kevin Turton

Author:Kevin Turton [Turton, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, History, Military, World War I
ISBN: 9781473873629
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
Published: 2016-05-30T04:00:00+00:00

Zeppelin caught in the searchlights.

With fines ranging from around 10 shillings (50p) to one pound and the courts having the latitude to increase the level, it was to prove costly for some. But when the air-raid sirens sounded at 9pm on 31 January, as the first major Zeppelin raid of the war began, many realised the merit of total darkness. Across Northampton every street light was extinguished. Gas pressures were lowered, all trains were stopped, traffic on all roads brought to a halt and cinemas and theatres quickly closed. Unfortunately, the sound of engines high above the town also brought people out onto the streets, curiosity being the main reason for coming out on a cold night. For the sake of safety, police reacted by sending out an additional fifty special constables. According to Bette Davis, writing many years after the event:

There was nothing to be seen really. Just the noise and that was far off from where we were stood. But people were really excited. Course we had no idea about bombs and suchlike.

Twenty-four hours later they knew all too well. News reports circulated about the destruction that had caused the deaths of fifty-nine men, women and children across the east coast, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, along with 101 wounded after 300 bombs were dropped. Dimming the lights after that probably seemed a small price to pay for safety.

Bombing, of course, would become more frequent in parts of the country as the war progressed, and like many other aspects of this war, people would grow more used to it. By March, fear of it had already begun to fade into the background. More newsworthy by far was the growing number of what were often termed ‘conscientious objectors’ appearing before the appeals tribunal held at Northampton’s County Hall. At this stage of the war the term conscientious objector, widely used by the local press, did have a slightly different connotation than it would have later. In March 1916, the term tended to always be applied to a serving soldier who had enlisted then refused to take up arms. These men faced a court-martial, often held at the church institute in Kingsthorpe. Civilians, often classified under the same heading, were generally individuals who had joined the Derby Scheme at the end of 1915, but then wanted to opt out as the army called them into service. These men were brought before an appeals tribunal to argue their case against enlistment. Generally, this was on the grounds of performing work of national importance or, through family hardship. This began to change after the Conscription Act had become law in late March. The Act included a conscience clause whereby any man who had a conscientious objection to bearing arms could be freed from military service. So the panel that sat in judgement from that time onward had a different intent from its predecessor. These panels, made up largely of businessmen, retired military officers, civil servants and always one serving army officer, were hugely patriotic with, of course, one remit – fill the depleted ranks with more men.

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