The Unenthusiastic

[Hobilar]

Not every young man was enthusiastic about being called up for military service during the Great War. Their reasons for being made exempt from service were not, however always received with understanding or sympathy by the recruiting officers.

One employer of a man engaged in the painting of artistic signs for business houses asked that the man might be made exempt as he was indispensable to the business. The Chairman of the Ministry Board hearing the plea asked whether the nation would suffer if a shopkeeper had merely to put up a painted board in place of this artistically executed sign. The applicant replied that the loss of this man would mean that he would have to close the department which would mean the loss of employment to four girls and an apprentice who were employed there.

To this the Chairman simply replied that those others would be better employed making munitions or clothing, and denied the application.

[Emac44]

And early during World War One. If some one didn't volunteer or was seen as reluctant. A mysterious envelope would appear in the mail. A bundle of white chicken feathers or just the one white chicken feather. It was just wasn't the officialdom Hobilar. A referendum was held in Australia to bring in conscription during World War One. Referendum was defeated. And if memory serves me right it was defeated twice