By the early decades of the 20th century, the Society of Friends (Quakers) was well established in Adelaide. The Meeting House in Pennington Terrace, North Adelaide, was the oldest original religious structure in the city, and other 'meetings' had been formed in the suburbs at Blackwood and Campbelltown. Families including the Ashbys, Robsons, Williams and Fennells were just some of the active members. Visiting Quakers from Britain had encouraged and enlivened the Australian church, and camps and conferences were well attended.

As a group, the Quakers had been vocal in their opposition to the 1909 Commonwealth Defence Act - which made military training for boys aged between 14 and 17 compulsory. Unlike the leadership of some other churches, they also vigorously opposed conscription during the First World War, finding much support among the ordinary population who twice voted against its introduction. This photograph was taken during a (national) General Meeting, held in Adelaide.