Eric Chappelow

Eric Barry Wilfred Chappelow (7 October 1890 – 28 November 1957) was an English poet and conscientious objector during the First World War. His arrest and harsh treatment during four months of imprisonment garnered support from prominent people in Britain, including Chappelow's connections within the literary community. A campaign for his release was supported by Bertrand Russell, W. B. Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. His arrest and the treatment were highlighted in the House of Commons by the Liberal MP Philip Morrell.

Prior to his arrest, Chappelow had gained a measure of recognition for his first volume of poetry, which was published in early 1916. At that time, he was serving as a clerk to a London County Council and had been exempted from service in the military during the First World War as a conscientious objector. Not long after his exemption was granted, it was rescinded and he was arrested in April for refusing to serve. A photograph of Chappelow in a barracks yard wearing nothing but a blanket fastened around him with a belt made front page news. Despite efforts on his behalf, Chappelow was imprisoned under harsh conditions in Wandsworth prison for four months. He was eventually released in the custody of Philip and Lady Ottoline Morrell to serve in a Friends' Ambulance Unit in England. After the war, Chappelow continued writing essays and poetry until his death, and in 1937 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He earned a literary prize for one of his poems published in 1945.

Early life and career Eric Barry Wilfred Chappelow was born in St George Hanover Square, London, England, to George and Kate Chappelow. He was a brother of illustrator and fine arts expert Archibald Cecil Chappelow, and a cousin of the suffragist Grace Chappelow.

World War I and imprisonment Two photographs of Chappelow on the cover of the Daily Sketch, 14 April 1916. In March 1916, at the outset of the introduction of compulsory service in World War I, Chappelow was "exempted as a conscientious objector", with a certificate of exemption formally being granted by the Barnes and Mortlake local tribunal on 5 April 1916. Chappelow's brother Archibald had already taken a different route to avoid service, moving to Denmark, which "remained neutral throughout the hostilities". after which Chappelow was "then reclaimed for army noncombatant service, which he refused". and was taken to Kingston Barracks, One account states:

quote|He was arrested, taken to an army barracks and told to put on a uniform; when he refused, he was held down, stripped by the guards and forced into khaki. As soon as they let him go, he pulled the uniform off again. The guards seized a blanket, strapped it round him, manacled his hands and took him to the orderly room, where a sergeant, ridiculing his appearance, took a photograph of him which found its way into the Daily Sketch. The poet W. B. Yeats also supported the cause, with Russell and Yeats writing to ask the playwright George Bernard Shaw to seek support for Chappelow within the government. He was sent to Wandsworth prison, Chappelow "wrote repeatedly to friends about his fears and his terrible sense of isolation":

quote|Chappelow was a brave man, but he was no hero by nature. He soon became miserable and frightened, writing to Charles Sanger: 'I feel I am going mad. The strain is too great... Do you think I shall come out of this alive? I have no will to live.' To keep his spirits up he sang songs in Wandsworth jail, so sweetly that even the guards stopped to listen. When Russell was himself later sentenced to six months in Brixton prison for his anti-war activities, he noted that he found Chappelow "unduly sentimental", and remarked in a July 1918 letter to Ottoline Morrell that he hoped not to be like Chappelow in that regard while imprisoned.

Post-war life Chappelow's treatment, and that of others who were similarly situated, led to "a national outcry and calls for reform". His 1945 poetry volume, Salute to the Muse garnered several positive reviews, being described by The Library World as "sensitive and accomplished verse", and by The Poetry Review as "lavish in romantic splendours, both in style and substance". For one offering in this collection, Chappelow won the British Annual of Literature award for the best short poem. The British Annual of Literature wrote of the volume that "Mr. Chappelow can write charmingly of little things", and that "t is rare to find a poet writing during the War so untouched by it as the author of this accomplished volume". Chappelow's last work was his 1957 The Tale of Perseus, with a foreword by Lady Margaret Sackville. Chappelow died in Stepney, London, on 28 November 1957, at the age of 67.