Why were some men unwilling to
fight?
Learning objective – to be able to examine
the reasons why conscientious objectors
opposed fighting in the First World War.
I can describe some of
the
reasons
why
conscientious objectors
objected to the First
World War.
Grade D
I can explain the
significance
of
conscientious
objectors on the
Home Front during
the First World War.
Grade B
I can explain and
evaluate the impact of
conscientious objectors
during the First World
War.
Grade A
Starter – How many recorded
conscientious objectors were there
during the First World War?
Starter – How many recorded
conscientious objectors were there
during the First World War?
16,000 men were listed as
conscientious objectors during the
First World War.
What was the impact of the Military
Service Acts of 1916?
The Military Service Acts of 1916 introduced
conscription – no longer did men aged
between 18 and 41 had the choice of
volunteering to serve in the army.
Those men were exempted from conscription
included –
 Men who failed the medical inspection
which was carried out to make sure they
were fit to fight.
 Men who were employed in jobs that were
classed as ‘essential’ for the war effort.
These jobs included train drivers, miners
and shipyard workers.
 ‘Those who could show a conscientious
objection’.
Who were ‘those who could show a
conscientious objection’?
Men who refused to fight on the grounds
of conscience or personal beliefs were
called conscientious objectors.
There
were
16,000
registered
conscientious objectors and they formed
their own organisation called the British
Neutrality League at the start of the war
but developed into Non-Conscription
Fellowship in 1916.
All those who declared themselves a
conscientious objector had to attend a
tribunal to attest to their stance on
fighting .
What happened at a tribunal for
conscientious objectors?
Tribunals treated conscientious objectors
aggressive, accusing them of cowardice and
lazy.
Tribunals questioned conscientious objectors
and had the power to grant unconditional
exemption.
The majority of the cases allocated these men
non-combatant duties, such as stretcher
bearers, that kept them out of the fighting
but performing useful duties.
Many of these men were extremely brave and
performed essential duties under gunfire. It
would be a mistake to label them cowards.
Who were absolutists?
1,500 conscientious objectors refused to
complete any work for the war effort.
These men were labelled absolutists.
They refused to have anything to do with
the war and were sent to prison – some
were even given hard labour sentences.
They were given an extra six months
imprisonment at the end of the war, so
returning soldiers would get whatever
jobs that were going. They were also not
allowed to vote until 1926.
Why did conscientious objectors oppose
the First World War?
Religious reasons – many were
pacifist Christians, such as the
Quakers.
Political views - many socialists
refused to kill fellow workers and
believed the war was waged to
make money for the capitalists.
Employment – many selfemployed
men,
particularly
farmers, objected to the war
fearing ruin.
Main tasks
Define the following terms and features –
 Conscientious objectors
 Absolutists
 Tribunals
Cut out the sources provided, stick them into your exercise
book and annotate their meaning. Then write a short
paragraph for each source on how reliable they are based
on their provenance and content.
Sir,
What right have ‘conscientious objectors’ to live in
this country whose existence is only maintained by
the fighting men of our Army and Navy?
G. Moor
3 Silverfields
Harrogate
From the Daily Mail, 10th January 1916.
The hardest question of all.
‘Then are you willing to see your country defeated?’
That’s the question which stops many of us when we
are trying to explain our position as conscientious
objectors. There is hardly one of us who would say
‘yes’, but if we say ‘no’, then back comes the
question – ‘Then are you willing to let other men
fight and die for you, while you stay quietly and
safely at home?’
An extract from a magazine called Friend,
published by the religious group the Quakers in
1916.
Choose your own plenary
To show how much progress you have made this lesson, choose any of
the following plenaries to complete and share with the rest of the
class. You can do as many of these activities as you like.
 Tweet my lesson- no more than 140 characters.
 Write a
Facebook status for a person who is facing a Tribunal
trying to explain his reasons for exemption to serve.
 Choose
five words that sum up
what you have learnt this
lesson and explain why you have chosen them. Your chosen words
must all start with the same letter.