Who Was Peter McKellar?

 

       The history of the struggles of the ordinary people has an endless list of unknown heroes, people who stood against the power of the state and struggled for justice and peace. No matter what the state threw at them they remained true to their principles. They are part and parcel of our working class heritage yet remain unknown. Where possible we should try to find out who they were, and record their principled stand against the relentless authority of the state. 

      I have tried to remember and record some of those working class heroes and events in Strugglepedia, but there are still so many that remain unrecorded, hidden somewhere in some dark corner of history. If we can, we should bring them into the light of the known  mosaic of our proud and colourful history.

     To that end I wrote this piece some time ago, but sadly got no response, so this is another wee try to find out , "Who was Peter McKellar"

     I believe that we should never forget those comrades who stood against authority when it was at its harshest and most repressive. Reading through an old copy of The Word, on the Sparrow's Nest site, I came upon the case of Peter McKellar. The article starts with:-- 

     Our comrade Peter McKellar of 38 South Annadale Street, Glasgow, will have been court-martialled for the second time before these lines are printed.
     Then aged 22, a glazier by trade, he registered as a conscientious objector on December, 26, 1939. His case was heard on April 23, 1940, by the Glasgow Tribunal, consisting of Sir A. C. Black, K.C., Sir Robert Bruce, J.P.. L.L.D., and Mr. (now Sir) R. Bryce Walker, C.B.E., etc.
    McKellar told the Tribunal that his father was killed in the great war. He would not butcher nor yet be butchered. It was enough that this had happened to his father. The Tribunal sympathised with him. He replied that he wanted justice as an anti-militarist, not sympathy. --------

      Who was Peter McKellar, is there anybody out there who can throw some light on this comrade and man of principle. We should remember our own, record their life, they are part of our history, the history of the ordinary man and woman of our communities.  So if you have any wee bit of info, no matter how little a detail, please share it with ann arky, so that we can try to put his page in its rightful place in our history.

 Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk