Person

Aaron Ernest Gompertz went before the Local Military Tribunal and failed to gain exemption. He took his case to the County Appeal Tribunal which overturned the original judgement and exempted him from military service. Before he could be issued with his certificate of exemption, he was arrested as an absentee, tried by the magistrate and handed over to the military authorities. In spite of questions being asked about his case in the House of Commons, Gompertz was forced to join the Non-Combatant Corps. He soon got into trouble for refusing to obey orders and the army court martialled him a number of times. He spent much of the war in Wormwood Scrubs and Leicester Prisons.

After the war and his release from prison Gompertz returned to South Shields. According to David Clark’s book* Gompertz was in a frail physical state and could only walk using crutches for some time after. This is borne out by the fact that Aaron Ernest Gompertz was interviewed as part of an investigation into the use of corporal punishment in prisons (HO 291/854 “Acto enquiry into corporal punishment” 1960). However, he soon began to involve himself in local politics and even became Mayor of South Shields (Sunderland Daily Echo, 5 Dec 1953).

Other sources referred to:
*”We Do Not Want The Earth: The History of South Shields Labour Party” (Bewick Press, 1992), p.31
Hansard
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1916/jul/27/war-office-questions-awaiting-reports#S5CV0084P0_19160727_CWA_20

Civil Parish: South Shields

Birth date: 1888

Death date: 1968

Armed force/civilian: Civilian

Residence: 20 Dean Road, South Shields (1911 census)
1 Westoe Crescent, Horsley Hill Road, South Shields (Working Class Movement Library, List of No-Conscription Fellowship Members)

Religion: Jewish

Organisation membership: Shop Assistants’ Union
No-Conscription Fellowship
Independent Labour Party

Employment: Manager of pawn broker’s shop (1911 census)

Family: Father: Samuel Gompertz (1901 census)
Mother: Rebecca Gompertz
Siblings: Gabriel Gompertz, Alexander Gompertz, Rosa Gompertz (1911 census)

Military service:

Non-Combatant Corps

Gender: Male

Contributed by Durham County Record Office | Cyril Pearce