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from volunteering to conscription
Conscientious Objection
Conscientious Objection mainly relates to the refusal,on
grounds of conscience,to fulfil a legally imposed obligation to
join and work in one of the armed forces.Historically the main
objection has been religious:people felt that war and killing
were inconsistent with their faith,even if,as sometimes has
been the case,the main body of their religion has accepted war.
InWorldWar I there were 16,000 Conscientious Objectors
in Britain amongst whom is the story of one Scots CO who
objected on the grounds on his political belief on the next page.
An organisation called ‘Order of theWhite Feather’would persuade women to
present men not wearing uniform with a white feather to shame them into enlisting
in the BritishArmy. A white feather is sometimes given as a mark of cowardice.