Created by Julie Goucher, 2023

The web-Wednesday site for this week is:

The Men who Said No

This is a very interesting and thought-provoking website and one that is continuing to evolve. The site welcomes contributions to their database.

Between May 1916 and the end of the First World War some 20,000 men refused to be conscripted into the British military and the focus of this site is to honour those who were prepared to stand up for their principles and who objected to war based on religious grounds, political grounds or the belief that war was not the answer to a problem. The issue is not what we believe was right, but to respect the decisions taken by those men, at a time when it would have been easier to have followed the crowd.

From the genealogist stand point we seek to record the elements of our ancestor’s lives and that too includes the elements that we might not approve of or agree with. Whatever the reasoning of the men or our views, the site is seeking to be ambitious in what it is hoping to achieve and by way of context explains what a Conscientious Objector is and the process by which these men were granted an exemption, and how those men who were refused their exemption were handled.

The Military Service Act of 1916 broadly speaking deemed all men between the ages of 18-41 to be a soldier and available to the army and therefore they were bound to present themselves at military depots. Some believe less than 2% of cases heard by Tribunals were applications for exemption on grounds of conscience, others believe the figure was nearer 10%.

The men who objected or were unable to comply with the requirements of the Act applied for an exemption and underwent a Tribunal hearing and it is those men who are identified as Conscientious Objectors and it is those men who name will appear on this database. The Tribunals also heard from men who applied for exemption to military service because of domestic circumstances (those with ill-health, unsupported children or elderly relatives), or those who held important jobs within civilian life, such as doctors, teachers, industrial workers in key positions and farmers.

The site has a database organised alphabetically of those who are known to have presented themselves at a Tribunal with the database containing men and women separately. During the first World War women did not undertake military service, but women across all sections of society did contribute to the anti-war movement and they too should be remembered.

From the men who said no website

The database is created from a variety of source material and in some cases, material has not survived. Some of the names are hyperlinked to more details.

For those with One-Name Studies you might find some instances of the name recorded, or you might have individuals within your study, which you could donate to the project. To search the database CLICK HERE.