A brief insight into conscientious objection

Generally, a conscientious objection is a sincere conviction, motivated by conscience, that forbids someone from taking part in organised killing. This objection may apply to all forms or to particular aspects of war.

Neville Chamberlain made a speech in the House of Commons on the 27th April 1939

We all recognise that there are people who
have perfectly genuine and deeply seated
scruples on the subject of military service
where these scruples are conscientiously
held we desire that they should be respected,
and that there should be no persecution.

There is a picture of Neville Chamberlain to the
right, He was England's prime minister from 1937 to 1940.

As the war progressed fewer and fewer men objected to serving in the armed forces. In March 1940 only 16 in a 1000 did so. By Dunkirk this had fallen to 6 in 1000.
Of the 6000 people to go on the conscientious objectors' register, around 2000 were women. About 500 women were prosecuted for a range of offences, and more than 200 of them were imprisoned.

Provision was made in the legislation for people to object to military service on moral grounds. Of the first batch of men aged 20 to 23, an estimated 22 in every 1000 objected. They went before local military tribunals who varied greatly in their attitude towards conscientious objection to military service. The proportions totally rejected ranged from 6% to 41%

Conscientious objectors were supported by the Peace Pledge Union. In 1938 the Peace Pledge Union campaigned against legislation introduced by Parliament for military conscription and air raid precautions.
They also organised alternative Remembrance Day commemorations including the wearing of white, rather than red poppies, on the 11th of November.
White Poppy

During the Second World War members of the PPU were arrested for inciting disaffection among the armed forces. This included six members being prosecuted for publishing the poster, "War will cease when men refuse to fight. What are you going to do about it?" Others were arrested for holding public meetings and selling the PPU newspaper peace news.

The general feeling was mixed about Conscientious Objectors as these extracts from interviews with people from Wolverton show.

"I didn't like conscientious objectors. The hurtful part of it was, they got the better jobs after the war, because they were in the foreground during the war."
Remembers a sign they put up
"We want smoke from chimneys not from guns".
Felt that if they were healthy and well they should be there, same as the others. "Half of them they used to say it because of religious grounds that they didn't want to fight, well no one wants to fight do they? No one wants their children to fight, but they had to."

"Knew of two conscientious objectors. Admired those who really were because they stuck to what they believed in and thought of. A man that can do that and put up with what they had to do. They had to do quite menial jobs, then of course that was their belief and so I admired them in a way, but they did believe that they were right and they stuck to there guns. Didn't agree with what they did `not by a long way` .But you can't say you didn't admire their pluck, because any person that sticks to their principles has got guts."

On the next page is a brief story of a Local Conscientious Objector.

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