Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant'
15th May 2014, 13:28
Nice to see at least one article that raises this issue and highlights what COs had to endure (getting really sick of this celebratory, almost revisionist, attitude to WWI lately).
A ceremony is honouring those who refused to fight in World War One. Their relatives look back at their decisions and reflect on the legacy of conscientious objection today.
"He never spoke about what happened to him," says Chris Lawson, 76, of his father, Bernard, a Christian objector from north London.
"He certainly had a tough time getting through the tribunals. The military were determined to get everyone they could."
Bernard Lawson was one of some 16,000 conscientious objectors who refused to fight as conscription laws enlisted two-and-a-half million extra British troops from 1916 onwards.
Those who objected had to appeal in public, usually on moral or religious grounds. It was not an easy process.
"Most tribunals took a very aggressive view, trying to catch men out and ridiculing them," says author Cyril Pearce, creator of a database of conscientious objectors from the era.
Bernard Lawson endured multiple tribunals until the military finally accepted his Christian convictions and granted him "conditional exemption" - on condition he joined the Friends Ambulance Unit in France instead, evacuating injured soldiers by train.
But those whose arguments were rejected by the tribunals faced a difficult choice: did they answer the call-up or wait to be arrested?
(Full article here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27404266)
A ceremony is honouring those who refused to fight in World War One. Their relatives look back at their decisions and reflect on the legacy of conscientious objection today.
"He never spoke about what happened to him," says Chris Lawson, 76, of his father, Bernard, a Christian objector from north London.
"He certainly had a tough time getting through the tribunals. The military were determined to get everyone they could."
Bernard Lawson was one of some 16,000 conscientious objectors who refused to fight as conscription laws enlisted two-and-a-half million extra British troops from 1916 onwards.
Those who objected had to appeal in public, usually on moral or religious grounds. It was not an easy process.
"Most tribunals took a very aggressive view, trying to catch men out and ridiculing them," says author Cyril Pearce, creator of a database of conscientious objectors from the era.
Bernard Lawson endured multiple tribunals until the military finally accepted his Christian convictions and granted him "conditional exemption" - on condition he joined the Friends Ambulance Unit in France instead, evacuating injured soldiers by train.
But those whose arguments were rejected by the tribunals faced a difficult choice: did they answer the call-up or wait to be arrested?
(Full article here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27404266)