Significant
Dates in Sam Martin's Story
17
December 1922 Sam Martin's
date of birth
18
June 1940
Parliament passed the conscription law
19-21
August 1940 National
Registration for all men and women over sixteen
28
December 1942 Sam's first call
to report for military training
20
February 1943
Sam appeared before the Mobilization Board in Edmonton which
then refused his application for conscientious objector status.
However, officials gave him a long postponement until 31 March 1944
.
1
March 1944
Sam's father and his employer applied for an extension of the postponement.
This was refused.
23
March 1944
Sam was called to report for military training by April 5.
27
March 1944
Sam wrote back explaining that he would not go.
30
March 1944
Sam's call was returned, with a warning that he would be arrested
if he refused.
4
April 1944
Sam wrote back again, explaining that he would not go.
19
April 1944
Sam was taken before the magistrate in Brooks , Alberta who gave
him his first sentence: thirty days in the provincial jail in Lethbridge
.
13
May 1944
Sam, who refused to put on the uniform, was charged with disobeying
a lawful command and given a second sentence: twenty-eight days
in the military prison known as Currie Barracks.
23
June 1944
Sam, who again refused to put on the uniform, was charged once more
with disobeying a lawful command and given his third sentence: another
twenty-eight days at Currie Barracks.
21
July 1944
Sam again refused to put on the uniform. This led, on July
29,
to court martial proceedings and to his fourth sentence: ninety
days at Currie Barracks.
1
September 1944
Following an examination by an army doctor, Sam was transferred
back to the Lethbridge provincial jail to complete his ninety-day
sentence.
October
1944
Sam was taken back to Mewata Barracks, where he again refused to
put on the uniform. This led to his fifth sentence: eighteen months
at the Lethbridge provincial jail.
8
May 1945
Canada ceased to be at war in Europe . In the Pacific region the
Canadian war effort ceased on 1 September 1945 .
23
October 1945
The remainder of Sam's prison sentence was “remitted.” Soon thereafter
he was taken back to the army's Mewata Barracks.
8
November 1945
Army officials gave Sam an “industrial leave.” He then went back
to work in his brother's garage in Duchess, Alberta .
12
April 1946
Sam was formally discharged from the army.
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