Memoir and papers of Arthur Maxwell Sanders (1885-1961)

From: Letter in the Attic

Includes a memoir of his time as a Conscientious Objector during WW1; tribunal papers dating from 1917; artefacts made in prison and three books on the subject of conscription and Socialism. Full contribution consists of the following:

• Three sets of handwritten notes.

• Original notes for the memoir (Beryl Libin believes he wrote these while in prison)

• Two typed versions of the original memoir, one typed by Lady Allen of Hurtwood and one typed by Beryl Libin. Neither are completed versions of the original manuscript.

• Documents relating to the fine imposed on Arthur Sanders in 1944, which was paid by his daughter Beryl Libin.

• Two copies of the newspaper “The Trubunal” from 1917. One dated 22/11/1917 includes a letter from AMS to do with an attempt on his part to grow vegetables in Maidstone prison. The other (25/1/1917) seems to have been kept because of an article about Roderick Clark.

• Letter from Florence Sanders (née Bennett) on 1 February (1917?) to her brother Jim and sister Bessie. This letter was written shortly after Arthur was taken to prison. The year is uncertain but must be after May 1916 when conscription for married men was introduced.

• A set of souvenirs from his time in prison. Includes a tin knife with a WD arrow pressed into the hilt (so not made by AMS?), two embroidered hessian tags on a metal D ring recording two periods of imprisonment. A brass palm thimble used for binding Hessian and coconut matting. Two samples of doormats made in prison.

• Four books/pamphlets. A Souvenir of the work of the No-Conscription Fellowship. The Chairmen of the NCF at the time of publication was Clifford Allen who became Lord Allen. A paperback book entitled “The Case for Socialism by Fred Henderson. A Pamphlet entitled “The Peril of Conscription” by J. Bruce Glasier. Another pamphlet called “A New Catechism of Socialism” by E. Belfort Bax and H. Quelch.

Creator

Sanders, Arthur Maxwell and others

Date of creation

1914-1944

Extent

Typewritten versions of the memoir as well as some handwritten notes, books and pamphlets, two letters and some artefacts from prison life.

Access

Open

License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)

Reference number

LIA/24

Background information

Arthur Sanders (1885-1961) was a Conscientious Objector in both World Wars. He was born in Bookham, Surrey and by 1911 was living in Chester Terrace, Brighton. By the start of the Great War, he had moved to 36 Sandgate Road, Brighton. He worked as a landscape gardener. In early 1917 he was sent to Wormwood Scrubs, west London as a Conscientious Objector to do hard labour for four months. After being conscripted into a non-combatant unit (and refusing to cooperate) he served two further terms of imprisonment at Maidstone Prison, Kent. He appears to have negotiated his release from prison in early 1919. He wrote a memoir about his experiences after the war called 'My Experiences as a Conscientious Objector to War, 1914-1919.' Between the wars, AMS joined the Peace Pledge Union and became Secretary of the Brighton branch of the National Federation of Old Age Pensioners during which time he campaigned for an increase in pensions. At the outbreak of the Second World War AMS was called up to serve in the Home Guard. He objected to being a Fire Warden in a street other than his own as the occupants were out drinking when he felt they should have been at home. The fine that was issued to him for not doing his duty was paid by his daughter. Failure to pay this fine would almost certainly have resulted in another spell in prison. Arthur Sanders continued to live at 36, Sandgate Road, Brighton and worked for the National Association of Old Age Pensioners until his death in 1961.

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Memoir and papers of Arthur Maxwell Sanders (1885-1961)

Tin knife used by Arthur Sanders during his imprisonment as a conscientious objector