• Skip to content
  • Websites in the network
  • Herts Memories
  • Herts Past Policing
  • Our Dacorum
  • Our Hatfield
  • Our Hertford and Ware
  • Our Oxhey
  • Our Stevenage
  • Our Welwyn Garden City
  • Out of Sight, Out of Mind
  • Herts Memories
  • Herts Past Policing
  • Our Dacorum
  • Our Hatfield
  • Our Hertford and Ware
  • Our Oxhey
  • Our Stevenage
  • Our Welwyn Garden City
  • Out of Sight, Out of Mind
 
  • Log in
  • Contact us
Herts Memories
Herts Memories
Gateway to Hertfordshire's community archive network
  • Home
  • About us
  • Herts history
  • Advice and Resources
  • Noticeboard
  • Blog
  • Get involved
  • Follow us on Twitter
You are here: Home>Herts history>Topics>World War One>Conscientious Objectors

Conscientious Objectors

For the initial couple of years of the First World War, the British armed forces relied on volunteers, although immense social pressure was put on young men to sign up. By 1916, though, it was clear that this wasn’t enough to compensate for the high death-rate, and the Military Service Act of March 1916 introduced conscription for all men in England, Scotland and Wales between 18 and 41.

Many exceptions were built into the Act, however, and tribunals were set up across the country to rule on claims for essential occupation, medical unfitness and conscientious objection. The last had been allowed for Quakers since the 18th century, in recognition of the pacifism built into their religion, but the Act empowered the tribunals, if they saw fit, to permit anyone to either do non-combatant work within the military, to do civilian work of national importance, or to receive a complete exemption.

This was the theory, at least, but the tribunals tended to be hard to convince, reflecting public hostility to conscientious objectors, who were widely viewed as shirkers and cowards, despite many undertaking work at the front, such as stretcher-bearing, which if anything was more dangerous than being a soldier. Even men granted non-combatant status sometimes found this ruling ignored once they were in the hands of the military.
Others maintained their objection even when sent to fight. Many of these were repeatedly court-martialled, imprisoned and then sent back to fight when they were freed, only to go through the same process again. It was claimed that some were imprisoned up to five times for what was essentially the same offence.

Some fared even worse. In 1916, a group of thirty-five men who refused to fight on conscientious grounds were condemned to death by firing-squad, eventually commuted to ten years’ imprisonment with hard labour. In addition, many conscientious objectors were disenfranchised for five years after the war.

This treatment caused a certain amount of unease in circles not naturally sympathetic to conscientious objectors. Even the flag-waving periodical John Bull ran an article on 15/7/16 by the novelist Marie Corelli calling this treatment “un-British” and comparing it to “Prussian militarism”. Corelli showed little real sympathy for conscientious objectors, but suggested that they should be regarded as “mentally unfit” for service.

Hertfordshire, with a strong Quaker tradition in certain areas, had a number of conscientious objection cases coming before its tribunal. The official tribunal records were destroyed after the war, but hearings were reported by the local press, especially in the Hertfordshire Mercury, and the Quaker archives held at HALS include a number of press cuttings of such reports. These include a good many word-for-word exchanges, illuminating the various arguments and stances of objectors, together with the way these attitudes were regarded. I’ve reproduced here as many as I’ve been able to find, although the stories aren’t always complete.

I’ve also attempted to trace both backgrounds and later history of the various conscientious objectors, through censuses, birth, marriage and death records, and military records if the person was refused any exemption or only given non-combatant status. They haven’t always been easy to track down, though. The reports often just give an initial and surname and mention only the nearest substantial town, while some objectors seem to have completely disappeared afterwards. Maybe the public attitude led them to go abroad or change their names.

For the most part, no photographs of the conscientious objectors have survived, though I've tried to illustrate the articles with roughly contemporary images of where they lived. If anyone has photos of these men, or any further information about them or other Hertfordshire conscientious objectors, we'd be very interested to hear from you.

It's probable that a few people did use conscientious objection as an excuse to get out of fighting, as public perception believed. However, most of these men were willing to suffer abuse, brutal treatment and imprisonment, and even the possibility of death, for their beliefs, and many undertook extremely dangerous work as an alternative. Whether or not you agree with their stance, they were heroes of their own consciences, and shouldn't be forgotten in the centenary of the Great War.

  • Arthur Hudson Dixon
    Arthur Hudson Dixon
    Arthur Hudson Dixon was born in 1883 in Hertford, and was still living there in the 1911 census, at 29 ...
  • Arthur Waterman
    Arthur Waterman
    The Arthur Waterman appealing in this case was probably Arthur James Waterman, born 1896 in the village of Ugley, which is ...
  • Basil Grigg Burton
    Basil Grigg Burton
    Basil Grigg Burton was born in Barkway in 1896, son of Johnson (or possibly Joshua) Burton and his wife Fanny ...
  • Blessed Are Ye
    Blessed Are Ye
    A World War One poem of conscientious objection
  • Charles Throssell
    Charles Throssell
    Charles Throssell was born in 1884 in Barking, Essex – records exist for what appears to be the same person ...
  • J. D. Weston
    J. D. Weston
    J. D. Weston has proved difficult to track down. No possible candidates were living in Cheshunt during the 1911 census ...
  • John Herbert Tait
    John Herbert Tait
    John Herbert Tait was born in 1897 in Tow Law, Co. Durham. There’s something of a mystery about his parentage. ...
  • L. H. Caton
    L. H. Caton
    Little information is available about L. H. Caton, other than what is given below. His first name is given in ...
  • R. W. Gardner
    R. W. Gardner
    Reginald William Gardner was born in 1891 in the Paddington area of London, and is recorded as having been enrolled ...
  • Roderic Dunkerley
    Roderic Dunkerley
    During the tribunal hearing of 23rd March 1916, in which Arthur Waterman, L.H. Caton, Basil Grigg Burton and Arthur Hudson ...
  • Samuel Graveson
    Samuel Graveson
    In several hearings, a Mr S. Graveson is recorded as speaking on behalf of the appellants. This appears to have been ...
  • The "Letchworth Eighteen"
    The "Letchworth Eighteen"
    Letchworth Garden City was begun in 1903 and was the first fruit of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City concept. The whole ...
  • Thomas William Latchmore
    Thomas William Latchmore
    Thomas William Latchmore was born in Hitchin in 1882 or 1883 (both years are given in different documents), the son ...
  • William John Warren
    William John Warren
    The very little information about William makes him difficult to identify. Both William John Warren, living in Watford at the ...
World War One
  • 'Gunner' Drunk and Disorderly in South Street
  • 1st World War Troops
  • A casualty of Passchendaele, 1917
  • A Cheshunt wedding in 1918
  • A forgotten relative
  • A GRANDFATHER IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR
  • A Hitchin Heroine
  • A Legacy from 1919: The Founding of Oaklands College
  • A Letter from the Front
  • A Selection of WW1 Photographs Related to St Albans
  • A Victoria Cross of the First World War - the medal that 'starred' on the silver screen years later
  • After the War
  • Airship Crash at Cuffley
  • Armistice Day - Harpenden 1918
  • Army Cycle Battalion
  • Auxiliary Hospitals in WW1 in Hertfordshire
  • Cheshunt British School 1915
  • Contrasting Tales of Troop Behaviour in Bishops Stortford
  • Cultivation of Lands Orders World War One
  • Entertaining the Servicemen
  • Farming in World War 1
  • First World War
  • First World War
  • First World War Troops
  • Floods in Watford High Street c1915
  • Food shortages 100 years ago
  • Frank Pulley
  • Frederick Percy Gee
  • Hertford County Constabulary
  • Hertford Heath - 28th November 1920
  • Hertford War Memorial - test again
  • Hertford's Victoria Cross winner
  • Hertfordshire and the Great War
  • Hertfordshire in WW1
  • Hertfordshire War Horses
  • Hertfordshire War Memorials
  • Hitchin Riot 1914
  • Images of the first world war
  • Intoxicating Liquor (Temporary Restriction) Act 1914
  • Ist Hertfordshire Battery
  • Joe Randle
  • John Robert Scales
  • Kings Langley's Victoria Cross Winner
  • Letters from ex Prisoners of War
  • More WW1 Pictures
  • Names on the Buntingford Town War Memorial
  • NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE.
  • News from the Front
  • News Snippets from 1913
  • News Snippets from 1914
  • News Snippets from 1918
  • Peace Celebrations
  • Peace Celebrations
  • Peace Celebrations
  • Photo of The War Memorial, Berkhamsted taken from The Court Cinema.
  • Pirton - a Village in Anguish
  • Propaganda
  • Puttenham is Thankful
  • Recruitment of women farm workers in WW1
  • Recruitment Tactics
  • Schooldays during World War 1
  • Schooldays in 1917
  • Shingle Hall
  • Soldiers' Musings:1914-18
  • The Christmas truce of 1914
  • The experiences of a cavalryman and his sweetheart during the First World War
  • THE GREAT WAR
  • The Hertfordshire Militia
  • The Herts At War Project
  • The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 - 1919
  • The Pride of Pirton
  • The Road to Conscription
  • The Standing Stag
  • The War Memorial
  • The War Memorial, Redbourn
  • Tring's Victoria Cross Winner
  • Troops in Town
  • War Memorial
  • War Pensions Delay
  • Wartime Potters Bar
  • Welwyn 1916
  • Welwyn 1917
  • Welwyn in 1914
  • Welwyn in 1915
  • Welwyn War Memorial
  • Wheathampstead in 1918
  • Women and Farmers in WW1 ... and Penguins
  • Women, Food and Farming in WW1
  • WW1 Memories in the Parish of Lemsford
  • WW1 Royston and the mystery postcard
  • WW1 Service of George Thomas Cutler
  • WW1 The Folly Boys of Wheathampstead.
  • WW1 War Memorial
  • Zeppelin Bomb Crater
  • Zeppelin Raid over Hertfordshire, Night of 1st/2nd October 1916
  • Sele School
  • Voices of World War I
  • The Autobiography of a First World War Soldier
  • The "Seeing It Through" WW1 Community Project for East Herts
  • Broxbourne: We Will Remember Them Project
  • Julian Grenfell
  • News from the Front
  • Conscientious Objectors
What's new
  • The Green Dragon Public House, Churchgate
    In the heart of the Churchgate Conservation Area of Cheshunt stands the Green Dragon pub, a timber-framed building that goes ...
  • Looking for information on Radwell Rectory and boarding school Baldock
    Search for more information in my father, Ernest Mynors Wallis, known as John Mynors Wallis in the 1921 Census, who ...
More new pages
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Accessibility
  • Copyright
Designed and built by Community Sites

Copyright Hertfordshire County Council. All rights reserved.

Heritage Lottery Fund (opens in new window) Hertfordshire County Council (opens in new window)