Stories of war resistors go online
THE STORIES of over 16,000 Conscientious Objectors who did not want to fight in the First World War have been made publicly available in an online memorial following 20 years of research by a Yorkshire academic.
The register has been compiled by Huddersfield-based Cyril Pearce, a former senior lecturer at Leeds University who used tribunal records, diaries and letters in order to provide the world’s most compre- hensive list of Conscientious Objectors (COs).
The information about the 16,500 COs has been made available on the Imperial War Museum’s Lives of the First World War permanent digital memorial.
The Pearce Register went ‘live’ on International Conscientious Objectors Day.
Mr Pearce said: “I am delighted to be contributing The Pearce Register to Imperial War Museum’s permanent digital memorial Lives of the First World War.
“Ahead of the centenary of conscription I hope many more people will be able to contribute to the work I’ve already done and that thousands more will learn about this alternative history of the First World War.”
Diane Lees, director-general of the Imperial War Museum, said over seven million records had been added to the digital memorial since it was launched last year.
“Now with the inclusion of The Pearce Register we can realise our vision to create a memorial to every man and woman who contributed to society during this conflict.
We are grateful to Cyril for sharing his work with us and we hope many more people will contribute to the unique and fascinating life stories of the conscientious objectors who risked so much on principle, political or religious grounds.”
Historian Dan Snow, an ambassador for the Lives of the First World War project, said those who refused to fight “made very brave decisions to stand up to the politicians and generals, and reject their call to arms”.
“Now the IWM is quite rightly putting Conscientious Objectors on its fantastic and ambitious Lives of the First World War.
“Their inclusion is vital if we’re to get a real snapshot of society as a whole.”
The CO register includes the stories of men from across Yorkshire.
Among them were Arthur Gardiner, a textile worker and Marxist and his friend Percy Ellis, founder members of Huddersfield Socialist Society.
They told military service tribunals that the war was caused by “sordid capitalism” and should be resisted.
They went on the run in 1916, setting off on the bicycles. Their money ran out and they came home.
Both were jailed. Gardiner later had a nervous breakdown during solitary confinement at Wormwood Scrubs.
Ellis was only released from jail in 1919.
Other COs made new lives after fleeing to the United States or Canada with help from dockers in Liverpool.
Archie Key, a militant socialist, made a successful life for himself in Canada.
Joseph Alfred Pearson, a Baptist from New Brighton, was drafted into a combat unit and disobeyed orders.
He was ill-treated and forced to give up his conscientious objection. He was sent to France and was killed at Ypres.
After his death, his mother refused to accept his Next of Kin memorial scroll and plaque. In 1922 his father accepted his son’s medals.
I hope many
will learn about this alternative history of the war Cyril Pearce, historian
and author