Conscientious Objectors
Those who refused to join the army when their call-up papers arrived tell their story.
Voices of the First World War · BBC Radio 4
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Show Notes
By mid-1916 conscription had been introduced to replenish the forces of the British Army, which was now engaged in huge and costly battles on the Western Front. Dan Snow hears first-hand accounts from those who were called up, but refused to fight. Conscientious Objectors talk about their trials, imprisonment, the ostracism their families were exposed to, and even lasting divisions within families, as a result of their decision.