Conscientious objectors in the First and Second World War

• What did the Military Service Act state from March 1916?

  All unmarried men of fighting age must join the army
• Who were known as conscientious objectors (COs) during WW1?

  Men who refused to fight for various reasons
• What were common reasons for men becoming COs?

  Religious or political beliefs, often pacifism
• What term was used for those who refused to support the war in any way?

  Absolutists
• What jobs were alternativists willing to do during WW1?

  Carrying stretchers or driving ambulances
• How many men requested exemption from the Military Service Act?

  Approximately 16,500 men
• What was required to request exemption from joining the army?

  Appear in front of a tribunal
• How did the fairness of tribunal hearings vary?

  It varied a lot from area to area
• What happened to many absolutists who refused to support the war?

  They were imprisoned, sometimes in solitary confinement
• What punishment did some COs face for refusing orders at the front line?

  Sentencing by a military court
• What was the maximum sentence for COs who refused orders?

  Ten years imprisonment
• How did the government portray refusal to fight?

  As 'unmanly' and traitorous
• Why did the government discourage pacifist ideas during WW1?

  They needed to recruit many men to win
• What social consequences did some COs face from their communities?

  Isolation, hate mail, or white feathers
• What alternative occupations were offered to COs in WW2?

  Farm work
• How was prison viewed for COs during WW2?

  As a last resort
• What happened to members of the Peace Pledge Union during WW2?

  They were put on trial, case dismissed
• What was the public opinion towards COs during WW2?

  It could be hostile, with verbal abuse
• What consequences did some COs face in their jobs during WW2?

  Some lost their jobs