Cecil Davies

"Conchie No. 1"

Cecil Davies appeared on the front page of The Daily Express on 3 May, 1939  alongside the headline 

"'CONCHIE' No. 1

'I won't fight

I won't do ARP work'"

Britain was not at war at the time, but the National Training Act had introduced partial conscription. Davies was ostensibly the first conscientious objector to appear before a tribunal in London claiming exemption on grounds of conscience. He was granted unconditional exemption.

Davies became a lightning rod for the debate about conscientious objection. Many letter appeared in letters to the editor around the country, and Davies himself received dozens of personal letters. He was hounded to the extent he had to move home.

About Cecil

He was a 21  year-old  English student at University College London. He was a member of the Peace Pledge Union and founded the UCL Pacifist Society. He attained an Education Certificate by 1940 and taught "unbilletable" evacuee children during the war.

At his 1940 tribunal, the judge commented that he understood religious conscientious objectors, but Davies was practising "arm chair philosophy", but ultimately ascribed to him honest convictions." He was again granted exemption.

After the war, went on to a career in theatre and teaching.

Account by Cecil's son

The following was a piece to 'speak' at a Quaker Area Meeting "Five Minute Find-out".

Now - last Sunday, at Wilmslow Meeting, it had been arranged that were to make white poppies, for the art installation called -“Collateral Damage”, in London. I’d wondered how on earth I was going to out of this – leave for a fictitious appointment? or do the teas?

In fact I decided to join in – and to make a very, very simple felt poppy (as you can see) with a label which reads –“Cecil Davies, Conscientious Objector, WW2”

Last Sunday was 26th August 2018 and Cecil, who was my father, was born on 26th August 1918 – so, coincidentally, 100 years to that day.

So, I’ve started at the end - let’s now go to the beginning:-

Cecil was born in Penzance to strict, Welsh, teetotal, Methodist parents. As a teenager, before the second world war, he was summoned by the chief constable, who forbid him from distributing Peace Pledge Union leaflets door to door in Penzance - these warned of the softening up of the population for war. As my father said – “I didn’t stop doing it, in fact I made sure I put one in his front door”.

Not surprisingly he registered as a conscientious objector at 19 when at London University. Like many similar young men at the time, he didn’t have it easy – but his naivety got him in an awful mess. Another student had been approached by The Daily Express for a story on COs, but they wanted someone in the first wave – so his friend introduced them to Cecil. It went very downhill – taken to a pub & plied with alcohol (which he was not used to having), and then taken to their offices to have a photo taken.

The photograph showed a debonair young man, blonde hair flopping over his forehead, cigarette in hand, posed in front of a grand mantelpiece – and, the next day – this photo took up the full front page of The Daily Express with the screaming headline “Britain’s Number one Conchie” .

Life was unbearable after that – revolting things were sent to Cecil, white feathers thrust into his hand and spat at and ultimately hounded out of his digs – he had to almost disappear for a while.

Yet he actually says “After I became known as a CO my parents had a much harder time then I did - they had a rotten time with neighbours and people in the church”. But his parents supported Methodist COs in Penzance whose businesses were ruined and who were even banned from teaching at Sunday School.

Although, early on, Cecil felt himself to be a Quaker, he determined NOT to join before his tribunal. He said “So, being young and proud, I didn’t want to be sheltered under the Quaker umbrella”.

In the book “We will not go to War” it says:- “Cecil Davies, the young student who had achieved notoriety as Conchie No 1, fared better in the hands of the Tribunal, than he had in the hands of the Press”. The judge was a former Quaker and recognised that this young man would have gone to prison rather than do alternative service or join the FAU – which Cecil felt was far too closely aligned to the military.

He was given unconditional discharge and joined Friends War Victims Relief Committee. He was sent to a camp near Plymouth – literally a camp in a field – for unbilletable children and youths. He said “The authorities had dumped all the delinquents they didn’t know what to do with along with the rather sensitive types – bedwetters and those with impetigo and scabies”.

BUT life dramatically changed, literally, when Cecil joined, the very newly formed band, of travelling actors – “The Adelphi Players”:

They were an extremely close knit group of pacifists - many of whom were Quakers, mostly 

For more about Cecil Davies, see :

 "We Will Not Go to War" Felicity Goodall pages 99, 102, 104, 117, 192, 212, 213, 234.

"A Question of Conscience" Felicity Goodall pages 86, 89-90, 100, 166, 182-3, 199.