William Joseph Chamberlain

Summary

William Joseph Chamberlain was an English journalist and pacifist. He was a member of the No-Conscription Fellowship during the First World War and edited its newspaper, The Tribunal. He was also the national organizing secretary of the No-Conscription Fellowship. In 1916, Chamberlain, with almost the entire National Committee, was summoned to appear at the Palace of London under the Defense of the Realm Act (DORA) for the publication of a 'Repeal the Act' leaflet. According to the subpoena, the leaflet contained material damaging to the recruitment and discipline of His Majesty's Forces. The members of the national committee, 8 of them, were fined one hundred pounds each. Although the Fellowship paid the fines, most members of the national committee, including Chamberlain, chose to serve their sentences in prison. This demonstrated the government's determination to limit or eliminate organized anti-conscription and anti-war agitation through the provisions of DORA.