Bristol's Conscientious Objectors
‘I cannot and will not kill’
Councillor Walter Ayles at his conscription tribunal, 1916
A small number of men, known as Conscientious Objectors, refused to fight. Their reasons were political, moral and religious. Nationally, around 16,000 men were recorded as Conscientious Objectors. Some agreed to join non-fighting services, such as the Ambulance Corps, and others accepted war work in factories and on farms. Nationally about 6,000 men, known as ‘absolutists’, refused to do any work which contributed to the war effort. Among them, around 45 men from Bristol were imprisoned for their beliefs. A few Conscientious Objectors were held in Bristol’s Horfield prison, others in prisons across the country. They were fed only bread and water, kept in solitary confinement and allowed no clothing other than an Army uniform. Life was also difficult for those who agreed to work. A baker in Long Ashton was sacked because the other staff refused to work alongside him, as they thought he should join the Army. The families of men who refused to fight were often shunned by their neighbours.
A small number of men, known as Conscientious Objectors, refused to fight. Their reasons were political, moral and religious. Nationally, around 16,000 men were recorded as Conscientious Objectors. Some agreed to join non-fighting services, such as the Ambulance Corps, and others accepted war work in factories and on farms. Nationally about 6,000 men, known as ‘absolutists’, refused to do any work which contributed to the war effort. Among them, around 45 men from Bristol were imprisoned for their beliefs. A few Conscientious Objectors were held in Bristol’s Horfield prison, others in prisons across the country. They were fed only bread and water, kept in solitary confinement and allowed no clothing other than an Army uniform. Life was also difficult for those who agreed to work. A baker in Long Ashton was sacked because the other staff refused to work alongside him, as they thought he should join the Army. The families of men who refused to fight were often shunned by their neighbours.