Description
Object description
British civilian absolutist conscientious objector in London, GB, 1914-1916; inmate in Wandsworth and Bedford Prisons in GB, 1916-1919 including poetry readings by Clare Winsten
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of period as child and teacher in London, GB, 1893-1916: elder brother's contact with Vladimir Lenin in Russia; memories of taking Vladimir Lenin around various social/political movements in London, 1904; question of inbred pacifism; incident of mob throwing stones at family home during Boer War; visit to Leo Tolstoy's British home Tuckton House at Christchurch.
REEL 2 Continues: memories of Tolstoyan set at Tuckton House; memories of Maxim Gorky; brief encounter with Leo Tolstoy; memories of composer Jean Sibelius' nephew Konstantin Saranchov; pacifist nature and vegetarianism of Tolstoyan set at Tuckton House.
REEL 3 Continues: appearance and defence before military tribunal, 1916; reasons for exemption as conscientious objector being rejected, 1916; reasons for father's emigration from Poland; early education and boyhood friendship with Isaac Rosenberg at Baker Street Board School in Stepney; character of school friends.
REEL 4 Continues: attitude towards poets' reaction to First World War; means by which anti-German propaganda spread; reasons for failure of pacifists to prevent First World War; reads extract from George Bernard Shaw's views on psychological effects of those who participated in war; opinion of Rupert Brooke's poetry.
REEL 5 Continues: comments from wife Clara Winsten; reasons for changing name from Weinstein to Winsten; teaching in Wapping; comparison of career with teaching colleague Bracewell Smith; question of supposed and actual effects of imprisonment.
REEL 6 Continues: reasons for refusal of alternative war service; question of how views on war and politics change; story of taking Ivy Litvinov, wife of Maxim Litvinov to Oxford; opinion of Fabian Society's disinterest in foreign affairs.
REEL 7 Continues: Clara Winsten describes decision to support No-Conscription Fellowship; Clara Winsten reads poems written by Stephen Winsten during imprisonment at conscientious objector.
REEL 8 Continues: reads further poems written by Stephen Winsten during imprisonment at conscientious objector; Clara Winsten's story of saving life of second child.
REEL 9 Continues: Recollections of period as inmate in Wandsworth and Bedford Prisons in GB, 1916-1919: problems composing poetry in prison; method of smuggling letters out of prison to wife; state of fellow conscientious objector inmate; fellow inmates' reasons for being conscientious objectors.
REEL 10 Continues: organising Workers' Educational Association classes; nature of discussions questioning decision to become conscientious objectors; attitudes and problems of religious conscientious objectors; Clara Winsten's comments on religious conscientious objectors; Clara Winsten reads poem 'Evening' written by Stephen Winsten during imprisonment at conscientious objector.
REEL 11 Continues: madness and death of conscientious objector in prison; comments by Clara Winsten on spiritual experience; work as cleaner at Bedford Prison; contact with other prisoners through work as cleaner; outlook for future during imprisonment.
REEL 12 Continues: question of escape from prison; temporary escape during visit from wife; literary response to Stephen Winsten's poems; memories of warder at Bedford Prison who had guarded Oscar Wilde at Reading Gaol.
REEL 13 Continues: learning to smuggle and cheat in prison; question of morality of devious acts in prison; opinion of behaviour of Stephen Hobhouse and Charles Black in prison.
REEL 14 Continues: Clara Winsten describes public attempt to break up No-Conscription Fellowship conference at Devonshire House in London, 1916; effect of imprisonment on later life and career.
REEL 15 Continues: opinion of Ernst Toller's book 'The Swallows' about effects of prison life; need for mental stimulation during imprisonment; question of motivation behind constant motion of human beings; method of compensating for lack of motion during imprisonment.
REEL 16 Continues: contact with non-conscientious objectors and other conscientious objectors through prison work as cleaner; Clara Winsten describes prison visit; opinion of silence of Quaker meetings; contact with warder at Bedford Prison who had guarded Oscar Wilde at Reading Gaol; Clara Winsten's teaching career in Romsey during First World War; length of sentences.
REEL 17 Continues: reiteration of story of temporary escape during visit from wife; prison warder's visit to Clara Winsten; how sympathetic officer allowed Clara Winsten to visit her husband; how escorting warder encouraged Winsten to escape.
REEL 18 Continues: question of effect of Fenner Brockway's imprisonment on his marriage to Lilla Brockway.