The driver too valuable to go to war

All these papers were supposed to be destroyed. Project leader Ruth Rising.

AS A chauffeur to one of the county’s leading businessmen who worked closely with the Minister of Munitions during the First World War, Peter Brown was considered indispensable.

It was on these grounds that his boss appealed for him to be exempt from military service so he could carry out his driving duties.

Now, his story, along with hundreds of others, are set to be told in an exhibition showcasing important historical documents held by the North Yorkshire County Record Office in Northallerton.

A display of North Riding Military Tribunal papers 19161918 will form part of a Snape Local History Group exhibition in the ancient village, near Bedale, on Monday.

It comes after the record office was awarded £8,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to make the papers widely available, with a team of 40 volunteers listing, conserving and digitising these records.

Due to the sensitive issues that surrounded compulsory military service during and after the First World War, only a small minority of the papers survive.

Project leader Ruth Rising said: “They are quite rare. All these papers were supposed to be destroyed after the war; however, a few of these collections have since come to light in parts of the country.

“They came across with the North Riding Council papers to the historic archive here and we found them when we unwrapped the brown paper packages.

“I have found it really interesting, delving into history. It shows how the county has changed over the last century.”

The papers include the case of Peter Brown, inset, of Snape, which saw Ovington Stephenson – secretary to William Gray, owner of Thorp Perrow – appeal on behalf of the chauffeur.

He wrote: “He is required for the purpose of looking after cars and driving his employer (William Gray, chairman of William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool) to and from various stations in connection with his business, such as Bedale, Northallerton, Ripon, Harrogate and occasionally York and West Hartlepool. The firm has important work in hand for the Admiralty and the Minister of Munitions and it is essential that Mr Gray should personally attend his works and also see officials in London and elsewhere.” Mr Gray’s work was considered of national importance and The North Riding Appeal Tribunal granted an exemption until January 1, 1917, after which there could be a further appeal or Peter Brown would go into the army. Mrs Rising said the papers debunk a misconception about those who did not fight – that they were all conscientious objectors.

She said: “There weren’t as many as you might think. There were men saying ‘if I go to war it is going to cause serious hardship for my family’. There was a hotel owner who ran it with his sisters who said if he went to war, they couldn’t possibly run the business as they were women. Sometimes there were people saying ‘this is the only son I have left’.

“It shows what was going on in the county at the time. It’s fascinating.”