Conscription
Edgar Whitehead's hunting party arrived back in Umtali on Friday evening, and on Sunday September 3, he heard the news on the wireless that Chamberlain had finally declared war on Germany.
Early in the morning he drove into town and was given the date of recall to Parliament to deal with the war legislation. Mobilization was already in full swing. Umtali district was under orders to send two hundred and fifty men to Salisbury on Wednesday night's train. There were four hundred and forty trained European Territorials and Reservists liable for immediate call-up in Umtali. Edgar was roped in as one of the local Manpower Committee of three which had the job of deciding which men should go and which should be deferred; in principal, single men were preferred for active service and care was taken to ensure that an unfair proportion of staff from any particular business was avoided.
The drill hall was busy too testing and interviewing volunteers who were not in any territorial unit. Edgar took a time out to join this queue.
A young Rhodesian in front of him asked, "Where's Poland?"
Edgar cut the line to find an atlas for him and pointed out England and Poland
on the map. The youngster's response was "What a hell of a distance to
walk!"
Edgar was told not to waste the committee's time as everybody in Umtali knew he was blind and deaf.
On Wednesday night, Edgar had a very cheerful journey on the troop train as he knew so many of the men. The following morning he resumed his Parliamentary duties.
Huggins had correctly forecast that conscription would be more concerned with preventing key men from joining the armed forces than with shirkers avoiding military service. But some were determined to go on active service. A friend of Edgar's at Rezende Gold Mine, told he was indispensable to the mining industry and could not join the army, went to the manager and said, "I never knew I was indispensable, I want my pay doubled."
"I'm sorry," the manager said, "that's out of the question."
The miner promptly poured a whole bottle of ink over the manager's head. Immediately sacked, he went off happily to the recruiting office, classifying himself as 'unemployed'.
On Huggins return from Britain he decided to form a National Government, including the Labor Party. As soon as they accepted he told Edgar, "I'm sorry, I know I promised you a Cabinet position in January, (1940), but I'm sure you understand there won't be room for you in the changed circumstances."
Edgar replied, "I understand entirely. I have made up my mind to join the army and plan to leave for London shortly."
"Speaking as a doctor," Huggins said, "I don't think you will get in owing to your defects of eyesight and hearing."
"I have an absolute determination to go."
"You'll be more useful in civilian life."
"I was a little too young to take an active part in WWI. It's impossible to be left out a second time because, now, I am a little too old. I'm adamant."
"As I said, you'll do better work here in Rhodesia."
"My eldest brother served for four years in WWI. My second brother is on the regular reserve of officers and has already been recalled for duty. My youngest brother is a flying officer in the R.A.F.V.R. I have a conscientious objection to being left out!"
Huggins took Edgar by both hands and said, "Edgar, don't go away and leave me."
"I'm sorry, Godfrey, I just can't accept your appeal."
"Very well, I will not use the conscription law to prevent you from going if you feel you must. Go overseas as soon as Parliament rises in late November. I will not accept your resignation unless you are actually accepted for service. If you fail to get in by March (1940) you must return for the Parliamentary session, as you can't sit about in London doing nothing..."
The historical novel Whitewashed Jacarandas and its sequel Full of Possibilities are both available on Amazon as paperbacks and eBooks.
These books are inspired by Diana's family's experiences in small town Southern Rhodesia after WWII.
Dr. Sunny Rubenstein and his Gentile wife, Mavourneen, along with various town characters lay bare the racial arrogance of the times, paternalistic idealism, Zionist fervor and anti-Semitism, the proper place of a wife, modernization versus hard-won ways of doing things, and treatment of endemic disease versus investment in public health. It's a roller coaster read.
References:
- By permission, originally sourced from Sir Edgar Whitehead's Unpublished Memoirs, Rhodes House, Bodleian Library, Oxford University.
- Painting: Original by Marguerite Elizabeth (Daisy) Halford, 1932 titled “Vumba Road, Umtali” Scan by Colin Weyer https://www.rhodesia.me.uk/umtali/
