The Courage of Cowards: The Untold Stories of First World War Conscientious Objectors

About this book

To many they were nothing more than cowards but the conchies of the First World War had the courage to stand by their principles when the nation was against them... An innovative new history of conscientious objectors during the First World War. Drawing on previously unpublished archive material Karyn Burnham reconstructs the personal stories of several men who refused to fight bringing the reader face-to-face with their varied often brutal experiences. Charles Dingle: Defying his fathers wishes by objecting to military service Charles joins the Friends Ambulance Unit and finds himself in the midst of some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Jack Foister: Jack a young student cannot support the war in any way. Imprisoned and shipped secretly out to France Jack has no idea what lengths the military will go to in order to break him. James Landers: A Christian and pacifist James faces a dilemma: if he sticks to his principles he faces imprisonment but if he joins the Non Combatant Corps he can financially support his family. Gripping accounts reveal the traumatic and sometimes terrifying events these men went through and help readers to discover what it was really like to be a conscientious objector.