BATTLES OF CONSCIENCE

An investigation into WWII’S conscientious objectors

At what point would you be willing to compromise what you believe in? At the heart of Tobias Kelly’s book that examines the lives of five conscientious objectors in Britain during World War II this question is tacitly being asked of you as a reader. When faced with what Kelly describes as “a war seen as not only just but necessary” there were thousands of men and women who refused to be involved. Battles of Conscience looks to explain why and how.

Kelly is a social anthropologist by profession and is not looking to tell the history of all conscious opponents to WWII, but instead takes his five case studies from different regions and socio-economic backgrounds and looks to find the connecting themes.

What we see are some people still living under the shadow of their experience of the Great War, some are driven by political animosity towards the British establishment, others have strong religious conviction and some have even been inspired by people like Gandhi. We also get an insight into their own internal conflict and selfexamination that came from their stance.

While they were widely ridiculed and condemned in their own time, their stance was nonetheless protected by those in power. Winston Churchill and the Archbishop of Canterbury, among others, defended the ‘conchies’ and highlighted that the fight against authoritarianism was precisely in defence of such rights. Whether you agree or disagree with their position, reading Kelly’s excellent book you will come away with a more empathetic understanding of their reasoning.

Author: Tobias Kelly Publisher: Chatto & Windus Price: £22 Released: Out now