Thomas Scarff (1868-1954)
Miner from Shildon declined to serve as council chairman due to pacifist beliefs
Thomas Scarff was born on 22 October 1868 in Shildon. His father, Robert was a miner, aged 37 and his mother was Sarah, also 37 years old. The census of 1871 records three other sons, William, Charles and George, and by 1881 there were two more children, James and Sarah. By 1901 Thomas was 32 years old and had been married to Alice (nee Dunn) for four years. Alice was originally from Sunderland but they lived in Foundry Street in Shildon and this would be Thomas’ home until his death in 1954. In 1902 their son, Robert was born, followed by Harold seven years later.
Thomas served as a Labour member of Shildon Urban District Council and from 1916 to 1917 he was vice-chairman. By 1917 it was expected that he would be offered the position of chairman of the Council since this was the normal procedure, but Thomas was a lay preacher and a pacifist and was aware that his views were not shared by fellow councillors. The war was still being waged in 1917 so Thomas asked the Council for permission to withdraw from the post of chairman. He explained that he did not wish to place the Council in a difficult position and damage the unity that prevailed at that time. As chairman it was possible that he would be placed in a situation where his religious convictions would clash with his official position and he wanted to avoid such a crisis. Thomas expressed his admiration for the “brave boys who have fearlessly answered answered the call of their country” and he insisted that he respected the views of his colleagues who fully supported the war. But it was clear that he was not prepared to compromise his religious views on the evils of war. (See “Supporting materials” below, for a full transcript.)
Thomas did not abandon his commitment to public service; in 1936, at the age of 68 he is recorded as serving as a magistrate for Durham County.
Thomas Scarff died at the age of 85 in January 1954, having outlived his younger son, Harold who died in 1935 aged 26, and his wife, Alice, who passed away in 1940,
He left the sum of £999 to his son Robert, a railway clerk.
Civil Parish: Shildon
Birth date: 22-Oct-1868
Death date: 1954
Armed force/civilian: Civilian
Residence: 23 Foundry Street, Shildon (1911 census)
Religion: Christian Lay Church (Independent Methodist) (Darlington and Stockton Times, 1894)
Employment: Coal miner, hewer (1911 census)
Gender: Male
Contributed by Mel Brown
