Case Study 6: Conscientious Objectors

Question 1

What is a conscientious objector?

Answer 1

A person who has a religious, moral or political objection to war.

Question 2

What does conscription mean?

Answer 2

A system where people are required to join a country’s war effort by law.

Question 3

When was conscription imposed on men in WW1?

Answer 3

From 1916, all men aged between 18 and 41 had to enlist.

Question 4

Why did some men refuse to fight in WW1?

Answer 4

• Many held the christian belief: ‘thou shalt not kill’
• Some believed this was a disagreement between the ruling class, so they shouldn’t be forced to fight
• Some disagreed with the aims of WW1

Question 5

What is an absolutist?

Answer 5

Conscientious objectors (COs) who was completely against the war and even refused to help with non-combatant roles.

Question 6

What is an alternativist?

Answer 6

Those who who were not prepared to fight but did support the war effort in other ways.

Question 7

How many men refused to fight in WW1?

Answer 7

16,000.

Question 8

How did conscientious objectors have to make their objections to the authorities for fighting in WW1?

Answer 8

They had to present their reasons at military tribunals (special courts) made up of military officers to decide if the CO was genuine.

Question 9

How many men were given exemption on the grounds of conscience by the authority?

Answer 9

400.

Question 10

What happened to the alternativists?

Answer 10

They were given non-combatant roles such as ambulance drivers.

Question 11

What happened to the men who refused to accept the decision at the tribunal?

Answer 11

A few were sentenced to death, some were imprisoned or given brutal treatment and hard labour.

Question 12

How were conscientious objectors treated by the public in WW1?

Answer 12

Majority of the British people supported the war effort and so were hostile to COs. Some members of the public accused COs of cowardice and physically attacked them.

Question 13

How did organisations treat COs in WW1?

Answer 13

• COs were attacked in newspapers
• Some were dismissed from their jobs
• The Order of the White Feather encouraged women to hand out white feathers to COs, to symbolise their cowardice
• Negative propaganda towards COs

Question 14

When was conscription for WW2 introduced?

Answer 14

1939.

Question 15

How were conscientious objectors treated differently by the government?

Answer 15

Tribunals continued but did not include ex-soldiers on the panel that made decisions.

Question 16

How many men and women refused to fight in WW2?

Answer 16

59,000.

Question 17

How many of these 59,000 were given complete or partial exemption from fighting in WW2?

Answer 17

Only 12,200.

Question 18

What happened to those given partial exemption from the war effort?

Answer 18

They were given alternative work that supported the war effort, such as roles in munitions factories and farming.

Question 19

How were COs treated differently by the authorities in WW1 and WW2?

Answer 19

COs were imprisoned as a last resort in WW2.