The Era Of The Great War #9: Conscription & Conscientious Objectors Flashcards
When was conscription introduced?
January 1916
Who was conscription introduced for in January 1916?
18-41 year old single men
What did conscription do in 1916?
It meant that the government could call men to fight OR do any other job they wanted
What did conscription do in 1916?
It meant that the government could call men to fight OR do any other job they wanted
Timeline of conscription
Mid 1915: volunteer numbers falling. National Registration Act created.
Jan 1916: Conscription. Single Men 18-41.
May 1916: A second act extended it to married men
1918: Final months of war, age raised to 51
1920: Conscription extended to deal with continuing trouble spots in Empire and parts of Europe
What was the National Registration Act?
A list of all the men fit for military service who were still available
When was conscription extended to married men?
May 1916
How many men were conscripted altogether ?
2.3 million
4 exceptions to conscription
- Medically unfit
- Reserved occupations (vital for war effort)
- Conscientious Objectors (moral/religious)
- Adversely financially impacted
What were reserved occupations exempt to conscription?
Teachers, fishermen, coal miners, priests
What did the Military Conscription Act state on conscientious objectors?
It allowed it! And also made it a thing!
Moral Conscientious Objectors
Wrong to kill (pacifists)
Religious Conscientious Objectors
Taking life went against religion (usually quakers)
Political Conscientious Objectors
War was political and pitted working class against each other to benefit the rich (socialist)
How many conchies?
Overall 16000
What did the Foreign War Minister say about Conscription?
“Conscription was foreign”
After 2 years, the death toll
Increased
Absolutists
Refused to help at war at ALL
Alternativists
Contribute, not fight
What jobs could alternativists do?
Stretcher bearers, medics, orderlies
What was the FAU (Friends Ambulance Unit)?
An ambulance unit made specifically for alternativists
How many men in FAU
1000
Who was Cedric Vipont Brown, a Quaker
worked at the front unarmed and unpaid in the FAU
Story of Cedric’s brother, Ralph Vipont Brown
- joined the Friends war relief which was Quaker run after refusing the FAU
- helped at maternity hospital in shalom France
- died of influenza
- buried in Calle France with 15000 soldiers
Story of Cedric’s brother, Ralph Vipont Brown
- joined the Friends war relief which was Quaker run after refusing the FAU
- helped at maternity hospital in shalom France
- died of influenza
- buried in Calle France with 15000 soldiers
What was the Quaker Run Friends War Relief Comittee?
A unit which only helped civilians as they believed it wrong to send men back to war
What happened if you applied to be a conscientious objector?
Had to be judged by tribunal where they would decide
What would the judges in the tribunal ask the people applying to be conchies, in hope that they would change their mind?
“What would you do if a German soldier attacked your mother?” (Save her or let her die)
What was the Non Combatant Corps nicknamed?
The non courage corps
Bert Brocklesbee’s story
- he was an absolutist
- he believed that “God did not put me on earth to go destroying his own children”
- popular at church in until he preached against war and soldiers
- his family received a white feather yet still stood by him
- Bert’s sentiment was also of individualism
- he wouldn’t work in non combatant corps so he was arrested
- held in a castle with the most adamant objectors
- he drew his girlfriend and christ under a cross on the wall
What was the conscientious objectors song called?
Conscientious Objectors lament
