| Description | North Riding appeal tribunal number: 5099
Appeal against conscription of: Edwin Plaxton Foster
Age: 21
Address: Hill Farm, Wykeham
Occupation: Horseman
Local tribunal: Scarborough Rural District Council
Central tribunal: No
Military Service Act 1916 or Attested: Attested
Grounds for appeal: a) continue in current occupation
Appellant: John Riby, employer
Summary of case: Riby said he could not manage the farm without Foster, the only man capable of thoroughly managing horses and carrying heavy weights
breaks and yokes all [his] young horses
all the hedging, most of the thatching
a highly skilled farm worker. His only other workers were a shepherd aged 65 and a boy aged 14. After being told of the refusal, Riby wrote to the Chairman the following day. He knew it had been dismissed but asked if he was to have time to find a substitute. His position was most disheartening as h had not a single turnip sown
could not ask the old man to go with the horses as
his feet won't stand it
and the boy has never ploughed in his life. Riby mentioned his other activities and suggested he could resign from some of these to keep his farm going, however, he noted that two of the three tribunal members were town members. He asked if Foster could have a month's extension to tide him over a busy time; the Chairman added a handwritten note saying he had told Riby that nothing further could be done.
Supporting evidence: Yes
Date and decision of North Riding appeal tribunal: 30 May 1918. Dismissed. |