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Copyright Janet Cameron, Family Album |
Desperate
men took desperate measures to escape further enforced conscription and get home to their loved ones.
Certain
crimes of the past seem to us today not to be crimes at all, for
example, the mutiny of the troops during and after the terrible
carnage of the First World War. Nor were mutinies confined to
Britain. German, Italian, French and Russian soldiers were shot in
large numbers as a result of refusing to fight, or walking off the
battlefields. Sixty British soldiers were shot for cowardice
and desertion during 1916. A year later, the number was 221, and in
1918, there were 676 executions. After 40,000 French troops had
withdrawn from fighting in 1917, the British Army bore the brunt of
the war, so it is hardly surprising the figures escalated as the war
drew to a close.
Grievances
and Harsh Discipline
Once
the Armistice was declared in November 1918, the soldiers wanted to
get home to their loved ones as quickly as possible. At his election,
with the intention of courting votes, Lloyd George had promised them
exactly that, but the military had other ideas. There was talk of men
being sent to fight the Bolsheviks in Russia, and although it was
promised that only volunteers would be enlisted, common knowledge
indicated that men were being conscripted unwillingly.
A
soldier in Shoreham in West Sussex, enraged by the treatment of one
of his comrades by an officer, walked out. It took the efforts of a
general to calm the men down. The soldiers stood their ground, and,
next day, 1,000 men were demobilised. A few weeks later, there were
disturbances at Dover and Folkestone. The Folkestone soldiers had
many grievances against the harsh discipline of their officers, as
well as poor living conditions in the camp and the fear of being sent
off to fight again. Soon, the harsh news that Folkestone soldiers
were to be sent back to France caused further agitation.
A
Desperate Protest Against Injustice by Folkestone Soldiers
The
men announced that, until their demands were taken seriously, no
military vessel would be permitted to leave from Folkestone for
France, and they followed this up by planting pickets around the
harbour. Men arriving back from the battlefields of France joined the
demonstrators in their protest.
The
men were surprisingly patient. Without undue force, they managed to
repel fusiliers armed with bayonets and ball cartridges sent to
discipline them. A procession of around 10,000 men set off to march
through Folkestone, with the support of the people. The soldiers
formed a union with officials of their own. Sir William
Robertson duly arrived from the War Office to hear their demands. He
allowed the men to elect demobilisation committees from their own
numbers.
Dover
Soldiers Support their Folkestone Comrades
Meanwhile,
4,000 Dover soldiers, equally disillusioned with the futility of
their situation and the harsh conditions at camp, stood firm in
support of the Folkestone soldiers. The Dover men held a meeting at
the harbour station to form a deputation, and they, too, decided to
march in procession, presenting themselves at the Town Hall to
confront the mayor. It is recorded that they were entertained with
some welcoming piano music, and invited to attend a film at a nearby
cinema.
The
politician, Horatio Bottomley, MP, was known as "the soldiers'
friend", and he helped to calm the situation. Ministry of Labour
officials rushed the paperwork so the men could be demobilised. The
Dover and Folkestone soldiers became role models for a number of
other troops, and the War Office was beside itself with the protests.
Before long, many other desperate soldiers were discharged and
allowed home to their families.
Source:
-
Dover Library Archives
- Dover - Murder and Crime, The History Press, Janet Cameron
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