World War I Conscientious Objectors

Conscientious objectors (COs), like these men imprisoned at Dyce Camp, Aberdeenshire, were a new phenomenon in the early 20th century. Until World War I, standing armies were the usual combatants in wars; however, the vast losses of men in the Great War meant that conscription had to be introduced. In January 1916 the Military Act introduced conscription, but there was a “conscience clause” to which 16,000 men applied. Many of this number were imprisoned in workcamps—Dyce was a quarry—where the conditions were hardly any better than in the trenches. In fact, after a man died at Dyce, the camp was closed.

Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis

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Conscientious Objector; World War I; Pacifism

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