History From Below Network (International) Conference

The international History From Below network is a diverse community of historytellers, historical agitators, artists, independent archivists, history groups, political archaeologists etc. It was founded 2012 in Barcelona to reflect a growing worldwide movement of historical activism and public interest in radical history, and to build an alternative, non-academic resource for the production and transmission of oppositional forms of history. As radical history becomes increasingly popular, more and more activists – from squatters and footballers to curators and birdwatchers – are making the transition to historians, merging past struggles, new technology and street culture to build new and surprising narratives.

You can view their website here: http://radical.history-from-below.net/

Bristol Radical History Group (BRHG) are hosting the 2014 meeting of the international History From Below (HFB) network and would like to invite you to attend. This is the format of the HFB weekend meetings:

History From Below Network Conference 2014, Bristol, UK

Date: Saturday November 1st - Sunday November 2nd 2014

Venues:   Saturday: Hydra Bookshop, 34 Old Market St, Bristol, BS2 0EZ (see http://www.hydrabooks.org/)
                 Sunday: Friends Meeting House, Champion Square, Bristol BS2 9DB (just round the corner from the Hydra Bookshop)

Draft Programme

Saturday November 1st: History From Below network meeting (Hydra Bookshop)

11.00pm - 5.00pm This will be open to delegates from HFB groups and groups who may want to join the network. Agenda to follow.

Sunday November 2nd: History From Below: Remembering the Real World War 1 (public day)

We are putting a call out to all HFB groups for presentations/performances concerning some aspect of history of the WW1 period (1914-1921) to be delivered to a public audience on Sunday. They can be as short as 5mins or as long as 30mins and can involve PPT, video, audio, graphics etc. This is an exciting opportunity for us and the public to derive an international angle to the history of WW1. Please could you supply to BRHG a title and short abstract (maximum of 100 words) so we can add to the publicity.

So far we have...
Jean Jaurès (1914-2014) (Mario van Driessche, Ghent, Belgium)
Boden 1917: Why did you shoot your own officer? (Peter Box, Sweden)
‘Pistolerismo’: Barcelona during WW1 (Mariano Maturana, Barcelona, Spain)
The Christmas Truces 1914-15: Miracle, myth or mass mutiny? (Roger Ball, Bristol, UK)
Resistance to World War 1 in East London (David Rosenberg, London, UK)
No Glory in War Manchester - Alternative Ways of Marking the World War I Centenary (Ian Gwinn, Manchester, UK)

Travel Arrangements
Hydra Bookshop (Sat) and the Friends Meeting House (Sun) are both in central Bristol, five mins walk from each other and ten minutes walk from the Central Bus/Coach Station and Bristol Temple Meads train station.

Accommodation
We have limited private accommodation, so please let us know if you need help with this as soon as you can. BRHG can also help with finding cheap accommodation.

Contacts
Please let BRHG know if you are coming to the conference and how many of your group will be participating. Any queries should be addressed to BRHG (brh@brh.org.uk).



BRHG are combining the weekend conference with a week or so of events in Bristol in early November entitled Remembering the Real World War 1 which will include history talks, films, gigs and other events. Full details of these events are here (and here):

Three weeks of talks, films and art uncovering hidden histories of resistance to the ‘Great War’ in Bristol and beyond. From deserters, conchies and pacifists to rebel miners, radical trade unionists and reds. Featuring Adam Hochschild, Sheila Rowbotham, Gee Vaucher and Dominic Rai. Full details including times & venues can be found by following the links to our website. For more information email rememberingrealww1@gmail.com. 

Thursday 23^rd October – internationally renowned author & historian Adam Hochschild* talks about ‘1914-1918: The War within the War’. 

Tuesday 28th October – the Campaign Against the Arms Trade’s Arming All Sides project presents ‘World War One: Arming All Sides‘.

Thursday 30th October – explore Bristol’s cultural links to WW1 through the eyes of asylum seekers and refugees in ‘Echoes of the ‘Great War’: Imperialism, displacement and migration‘. Full details here.

Sunday 2^nd November – delegates to the international History From Below Network conference will present ‘Hidden histories of World War One‘ from across the globe. Also Gee Vaucher of CRASS will be discussing her anti-war art which wil be on display.

Tuesday 4^th November – hear Sheila Rowbotham talk about Alice Wheeldon who was framed and imprisoned for opposing the war and June Hannam talk about Bristol women who campaigned against the war in ‘Women Resisting the Great War‘.

Wednesday 5^th November – come down to the Central Reference Library for ‘Opening the Archives: Resistance to World War One in Bristol‘. See primary sources relating to resistance and reaction during World War One. 

Thursday 6^th November – hear the story of Alfred Jefferies, the Bristolian shot for desertion in November 1916, and how people in Bristol organised and campaigned against the war in ‘Deserters, Conchies and Reds: Bristolian Families in the Great War‘. 

Saturday 8^th November– historian Kevin Morgan discusses trades union opposition to the war and Ian Wright explains how divergent attitudes to the war effected the Forest of Dean Miners’ Association in ‘Trade Unions and Resistance to the Great War‘. 

Wednesday November 12^th – following on from David Olusoga‘s recent documentary, writer-director Dominic Rai brings to life the experiences of Indian soldiers in Flanders, popularised in the acclaimed novel Across the Black Waters by Mulk Raj Anand in ‘The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire‘. 

* also appearing at  TUC Library at London Metropolitan University lunchtime talk:

To End All Wars: The Story of the First World War. A talk by Adam Hochschild

London Metropolitan University

Friday, 24 October 2014 from 13:00 to 14:00 (BST)

London, United Kingdom

Our Friends in the North and the Real WWI

No Glory in War- Manchester

A day school for activists, researchers and people interested in alternative WW1 histories

Saturday 15 November at Manchester Metropolitan University (Business School)

The event will offer a space for activists, researchers and historians to explore alternative and global narratives, how we can use lessons from the past to build resistance to wars in our time and develop ideas for activism.

Further details, including booking information online at:

http://www.hssr.mmu.ac.uk/mcrh/2014/10/15/wwidayschool/

http://noglorydayschool.eventbrite.co.uk/    New flyer

[previously poseted as: ] World War I Day School
Saturday 15th November 2014, 10.30am-4.30pm
Manchester Metropolitan University
Leaflet 

This day school will develop a creative and inclusive space for activists, researchers and anyone else interested to explore different narratives of WW1, share our knowledge, views and ideas, take part in debate, and plan events for the next four years.

We will create a timeline of events, individual stories and family reminiscences during the day which we will use to stimulate planning activity to create a timeline for activism 2014- 2018.

Professor Karen Hunt, Keele University, will speak about Food and Austerity, workshops include research on conscientious objectors and other WW1 themes, building an anti-war movement today, making handbills – lessons from the past, and ways of getting our messages across. There will be space to discuss these and other topics you are interested in and to express your artistic side by contributing to the No Glory in War Manchester banner we will be making through the day.

Booking details online at http://noglorydayschool.eventbrite.co.uk
This event is kindly supported by the Manchester Centre for Regional History at Manchester Metropolitan University and the Working Class Movement Library.

http://noglorymanchester.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/dayschool/

World War I: Those Who Refused to Fight –  15 October 2014, 7pm at Friends Meeting House, Manchester.

Ali Ronan will give a talk on the No Conscription Fellowship Maintenance Committee 1916-1918 which was instigated by a group of Quakers in S Manchester. Barry Mills will talk on John Graham and the Quaker response in Manchester to the outbreak of World War I. 

Further details at http://www.manchesterquakers.org.uk/node/480 

http://noglorymanchester.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/friends/

On Saturday 1st November the Wakefield Socialist History Group will be holding a meeting at the Red Shed, Vicarage Street, Wakefield from 1 to 4pm with the title, WW1: From World War to World Revolution.  The speakers are Stephen Wood and Dave Sherry.

<< World War One, Tony Saunois (2014) writes, ended "one historical era, opened another and reshaped international and class relations."  In particular it "acted as the midwife to the greatest event in human history: the Russian Revolution."  Workers revolution also swept Germany.  A Soviet republic was declared in Bavaria and briefly in Hungary.  There we also military/naval mutinies and mass strikes in Britain. >>

Ashton under Lyne
The Mary Quaile Club are holding a Hannah Mitchell Day on Saturday 18 October. Hannah was an active Socialist, suffragette and peace campaigner as well as a councillor in Manchester in the 1920s. There will be talks on her life and politics, readings and songs.
It will take place in Topaz Cafe, 216 Katherine Street, Ashton under Lyne OL6 7AS, starting at 10.30am. The entrance is £6 (£4 waged) which includes lunch. Places are limited and may be booked in advance by emailing maryquaileclub@gmail.com.

World War I Tuesday ‘Not Such a Lovely War’ Talks and Discussions at Friends Meeting House, Silverwell Street, Bolton, 7.30 – 9pm

14 October: Early One Morning – Les Smith, the playwright

21 October: The Power of forgiveness: What can experiences in Rwanda teach us about the aftermath of World War One?- Margaret Johnston

28 October: World War 1 Poetry of Isaac Rosenberg – Dr Jon Glover

4 November: Responses to World War 1 by Quakers and Other Opponents of War in Bolton and Manchester – Barry Mills

11 November: Women Against World War 1 in Manchester and Bolton – Ali Ronan

18 November: New Thoughts on British War Resisters – Cyril Pearce (Cyril has detailed database of 17,000 British WW1 COs )

25 November: Experiences and Beliefs of Alfred Evans, World War 1 CO threatened with Execution – Malcolm Pittock (his nephew)

Organised by Bolton Quakers and all welcome

http://noglorymanchester.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/lovelywar/

Independent Working Class Education Seminar in Leeds

UPDATE and programme

Independent Working Class Education

Leeds Day School 

10am - 4pm, Saturday 1 November

Swarthmore Centre, 2-7 Woodhouse Square,

Leeds LS3 1AD

To book: email  iwceducation@yahoo.co.uk  

 Programme

10.00   Welcome + presentation of the draft IWCE manifesto

10.30   Panel on public provision: WEA and university adult education - Jol Miskin, Dick Taylor

11.15   Radical theatre and cultural empowerment - Ron Rose and Mick Martin

12.00   Panel: Independent educational initiatives - Reinhard Huss (Café Economique),

            Ed Carlisle (Leeds Summat), Brian Flynn (Enough Waiting), Alasdair Beal (Café Scientifique)

12.45   Lunch break (food available in the Swarthmore cafe)

1.30     IWCE when researching and discovering Nineteenth Century Liverpool -

            Dave Douglass

2.15     Enlightened publics: popular educatio_nMovements in Europe - Tom Steele  

3.00     Migration and adult education - John Grayson

3.45     IWCE manifesto feedback

4.00     close   Cost:    £5 (for room hire) Pay On Day. Food available.

Directions:  see http://www.swarthmore.org.uk/find-us

If you are coming by train, catch the City Bus from the station to Park Lane College. Get off at the Clarendon Wing stop in Woodhouse Square. Swarthmore Centre is round the corner. There's free parking in the car park of Joseph's Well, Hanover Walk, an office building just next door to the centre.

May we invite you to the next IWCE?

Leeds, 1 November 2014

10.00 am - 4.00 pm

Venue: Ellen Heaton Room, The Swarthmore Centre,

2-7 Woodhouse Square, Leeds LS3 1AD

 (http://www.swarthmore.org.uk/)

To book a place: email Keith Venables

iwceducation@yahoo.co.uk

Provisional programme:

The main focus of this IWCE meeting will be on assessing the present state of adult education in all its forms.  

Sessions / talks are planned on

·        local authority and university provision

·        the WEA and trade union provision

·        independent community initiatives such as the ‘café’ movement (Leeds panel)

·        the history of popular education Movements in Europe (Tom Steele)

 Also includes sessions on:

·        the draft IWCE Network Manifesto

·        theatre and / in education  (Ron Rose)

Cost: £5.00 includes Refreshments. Pay on the day.

The Swarthmore Centre is close to Leeds city centre, 10 minutes’ walk from the station (or 5 minutes on the frequent circular City Bus).

RaHN “Resistance to World War One” meeting 10th Sept 2014

Notes from the meeting

Once again there was a good turnout with good contributions from all.

Nick Heath: Resistance to World War One

Nick has been studying this history in detail, which is far from easy as almost all the records of hearings of Conscientious Objectors (COs) were burned. His sources have been newspapers (socialist, anarchist, local, national) and books including:

Ken Weller - “'Don't be a soldier!' The radical anti-war movement in north London 1914-1918”

John Quail’s - “The Slow Burning Fuse: The Lost History of the British Anarchists” –

(both of which are due to be republished soon.)

and “Comrades in Conscience: The Story of an English Community's Opposition to the Great War” by Cyril Pearce (recently republished).

Nick mentioned that resistance to the war in the UK was not confined to the 16,000 registered conscientious objectors but also included many people who applied for this status but were rejected. CO’s were from different backgrounds – working class, intellectuals and merchants. They included various beliefs such as socialists, anarchists, Quakers and other religious groups.

Nick feels that the official commemorations of the 1914-1918 war have become a celebration of sacrifice and justification for wars happening now. “In some ways World War One never ended”. We now face wars across the world and the tempo of warfare is hotting up.

Prior to 1914 anarchists and socialists had said that they would call for a general strike if war broke out, but this did not happen in most cases – a capitulation. Only a minority of these groups actually opposed the war on internationalist principles.

Indeed, suffragettes Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst became patriotic from 1914 onwards and were involved with starting the “white feather” campaign to shame men into enlisting. (Sylvia Pankhurst and other suffragettes remained opposed to the war).

Aspiring conscientious objectors were not treated well and faced very biased tribunals. The court in Newcastle was seen as being particularly biased - tribunals there were met with protests, including an occupation.

Other networks of resistance operated alongside support for COs. Draft dodgers and war resisters went on the run (some hid in the Scottish highlands, others escaped to America.)

Branches of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in Scotland, London and especially Liverpool helped to smuggle out resisters.

There was also resistance on Clydeside through industrial activity.

Mass opposition soared in 1916 after a great deal of slaughter and the introduction of conscription. The circulation of anarchist newspapers shot up, their popularity bringing police raids and other forms of state repression. The “Voice of Labour” newspaper was shut down, only to be replaced with a new publication titled “Satire”.

George Davison (who had become wealthy through setting up Kodak) established 8 or 9 anarchist “Workers Forum” groups in Wales which sheltered people opposed to the war.

The Communist Club in Stockport distributed anti-war literature and also harboured deserters. It was also raided, its members imprisoned and badly beaten in some cases. (See article by Nick here.

There were some ironies in the UK state pursuing anarchists and socialists from overseas who had settled here. For example German anarchists who had been targeted by the secret service for protesting against the Kaiser when he visited London were then also rounded up with other German nationals and put in internment camps such as those in Alexandra Palace and the Isle of Man (where some of them died).

Towards the end of the war there were mutinies in the British Army, for example the West Indian Regiment (see article in the “Against War” issue of The Anarchist Federation’s “Resistance” free-sheet). Additionally there were revolutions in Russia, Germany Hungary and some parts of Ireland.

Nick finished up by saying that he felt it was our duty as people interested in radical history to dig deep into these hidden stories of resistance. If we don’t, who will?

Jennifer Bell: "We will not fight! - Conscientious objectors in North London"

Jennifer has done a great deal of research into COs in Hornsey, mainly via archive copies of The Hornsey Journal. Many of the CO tribunals are reported in detail, but unfortunately no names are given.

There is a register of 16,000 COs but Jennifer thinks there may have been up to 20,000 people who actually objected.

She gave the example of 3 brothers, all of whom applied to be COs but only one had that status granted. The other two were harassed, sent to the front and killed.

Jennifer has found 150 names of objectors from Hornsey alone. The tribunal there was particularly biased against COs. It was chaired by Alderman Edwin Sloper, and featured some subservient councillors, lay members from a middle class area of the borough and a representative of “labour” (i.e. the working class, not the Labour Party) who is not quoted as having said anything. Oh and a representative from the Army.

The “conscience clause” in the law referred simply to one’s conscience generally, but the Hornsey tribunal only accepted religious conscience, rejecting any political or non-religious objectors.

A letter from a trade unionist to the Hornsey Journal stated that he was “astounded by the treatment of the objectors” and felt that the proceedings were “unfair and unjust”.

A Mr Simper, a Christadelphian (lots of whom seemed to be COs – further research needed?) stated that the Hornsey tribunal was the only one he had attended “where I have received coarse abuse”.

The geographical area of the modern borough of Haringey was home to almost 300 COs, which is higher than you would expect – the area was not particularly industrial (so not many trade unionists). Indeed most of the Hornsey COs were lower middle class / white collar workers.

One reason for this may have been the North London Herald League, based in Green Lanes. They held mass meetings in Finsbury Park against the war and also had rallies outside the Salisbury pub (re-enacted in August 2014 with links made to current anti-war movements).

The No Conscription Fellowship was also active in the area – assisted COs.

Hornsey also had strong non-conformist churches including the Presbyterians and Congregationists.

Hornsey objectors included quite a few “absolutists” who refused to take up even non-combatant roles in the war. The Walker brothers were five siblings from Stroud Green who applied for CO status. Charles Walker described the brutal conditions they faced at Chatham barracks where they were held before being moved to prison. Their violent abuse came from officers and NCOs rather than the ordinary soldiers who treated them with respect.

The Walkers were unaligned socialists but are listed as Quakers on the database of COs. Possibly this is because bureaucrats processing COs used “Quaker” as any easy (but inaccurate) shortcut term, or because COs themselves felt that they would be more successful if they claimed to be Quakers rather than political [which would have been correct - see comments above about the bias of the Hornsey tribunal].

Albert Samuel Inkpin, secretary of the British Socialist Party was another interesting objector. He had received a bloody nose for his strident anti-war views at a BSP meeting. Albert was exempted from serving in the war on medical grounds but appealed this as he wanted to be registered as a CO. He was refused, and appealed again!

Isaac and Jason Goss were also absolutists, who lived in the same road as the Walkers (suggesting that social networks played a part in building resistance to the war). The Goss brothers were Jewish converts to Quakerism. Isaac was exempted from war duty on the grounds of doing work of national importance, but also appealed. His case ended up being forgotten about by the powers that be, so he spent the remainder of the war at home. Joseph wasn’t as fortunate – he was arrested for desertion and sent to a work camp. He eventually served more than 2 years in prison (the supposed maximum).

Jennifer raised the issue of “sacrifice” as it is mentioned in the current commemorations. She feels there is a key distinction between self-sacrifice (for one’s own beliefs – as we have seen above) and being sacrificed.

Jennifer has many case studies of conscientious objectors from Hornsey and is currently considering what to do with them. One option would be a hard copy publication, but a blog is also being considered.

General Discussion

·         There was a scandal when it emerged that some absolutist objectors were being transported to France to be shot. (One of them threw a note from the train which was found by a railwayman and trade unionist – the subsequent furore ensured that they were not shot)

·         Some suggestion that aspiring COs in the north of England were forcibly conscripted and “disappeared”? Possibly, but the government was very wary of creating martyrs.

·         How do we commemorate people who objected to the war? An example was given of memorials at a train station to those who had fought. Can we make “counter plaques” for COs and other resisters?

·         Women's Peace Crusade – largely forgotten about now. By 1917/18 many men were dead or in prison so protest was led by women. 130 demonstrations held in 1917 alone, many of which were enormous but unrecorded.

·         It was suggested that the World War One commemorations are essentially an implicit celebration of the British Empire.

·         Provocations in the anti-war movement. The Ministry of Munitions (precursor to Special Branch) infiltrated the anti-war and peace movement. Alice Wheeldon a working class socialist and vegetarian was imprisoned for conspiracy to murder Prime Minister Lloyd George, but only because of the evidence and provocation of an infiltrator. She was eventually released early but became sick and died. It was noted that these tactics are still being used by spycops and provocateurs like Mark Kennedy (see previous meeting). Sheila Rowbotham has written a play about Alice Wheeldon (see “Further WW1 Happenings” entry on this blog)

·         Manchester No Conscription Fellowship networks – looked after the families of COs, including donations of money. Also published a journal, and provided prison support (visits, cakes, songs outside!).

·         In Hackney a CO's daughter was victimised by the Head-teacher at her school, who prevented her from going to her intended grammar school. The Quaker Head-teacher of Clapton School (now Clapton Girls) invited her to study there instead.

·        It was pointed that that if “World War One never ended” that resistance to it never ended either. Much of the peace movement and war resistance we have today has its roots in protests against WW1.

·         Had much research been done into Tottenham/Edmonton? Not much but Tottenham Quakers are doing some. Possibly just into Quakers though.

·         What can we learn from all this? COs did not stop the war. It was suggested that WW1 shows us that only the working class acting together to defend its own interests can. The 1917 revolution in Russia was given as an example of this. “As long as there is capitalism there will be war”. [Possibly the working class role in ending the war is a topic to explore at a future meeting?]

·         General discussion of the strong labour movement prior to 1914 not managing to prevent the war. Clear reasons why individuals with anti-war positions may end up supporting war, but harder to understand why anti-war movements (socialists etc) do.

·         There was a discussion about the ideological evolution of the German Social Democrats [which went a bit over my head, to be honest]. Should they have split instead of opting to stay together as a party?

·         Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg’s 1915 slogan “The main enemy is at home” was cited as an example of German Socialists maintaining principled anti-war positions.

·         John Maclean and James Connolly were given as other examples of people whose class based opposition of the war was worth looking into.

[For more information on COs, see also:
 http://www.coproject.org.uk/; http://www.ppu.org.uk/nomorewar/a_saidNo/index_saidno.html

  and  David Boulton, Objection Overruled: Conscription and Conscience in the First World War. Dent,           Cumbria, Dales Historical Monographs in Association with Friends Historical Society, 2014.]

Next meeting: Wednesday 10^th December. Topic to be confirmed.

Revolt of the Ravers - CJA protests 20 years on

Sunday October 19th 2014, 2 p.m. - 10 p.m. 

at MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street,
London EC4Y 1DH

(Admission free)

(It's on the day after the London anarchist bookfair.)

"Twenty years ago, on 9 October 1994, a huge demonstration against the
Government's Criminal Justice Act ended in London's Hyde Park with riotous
clashes, police horses charging, and people dancing to sound systems.

The Act brought in new police powers against raves, squatters, protestors,
travellers and others, and was passed amidst widespread opposition.

This event will include memories of this movement, its ways of organising
and representing itself and will feature displays of its ‘material
culture’ such as zines, flyers, cassettes and letters.

There will also be a panel discussion looking at the related
radical/techno zines of the 1990s, in what was one of the last musical and
social movements mediated primarily through print rather than digitally.

The talks and discussion will be followed by an evening of films, music
and refreshments.

It is hoped that the day will be a catalyst for a process of archiving,
circulating and discussing materials from the radical social/musical
movements of the 1990s."

Supported by MayDay Rooms, Datacide magazine, Cesura//Acceso journal,
History is Made at Night.

More info
http://history-is-made-at-night.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/criminal-justice-act-20th-anniversary.html