Peace campaigners in Edinburgh have launched a petition calling for the city council to set aside space in Princes Street Gardens for a memorial to conscientious objectors.
They want the memorial installed by next February to mark the passing of the Military Service Act 1916 which introduced conscription for British men to fight in the First World War.
From 1916, some 16,000 men declared themselves to be conscientious objectors and very few were given ‘unconditional exemption.’
Some 3,400 of them joined the medical services at the Front, while the rest were either imprisoned – some in uniform were shot - or sent to harsh labour camps.
The new online petition will go in front of Edinburgh’s Petitions Committee on Thursday, and if 200 different people sign it, the council will be forced to consider the demand for the first such Scottish memorial.
The petition reads: “With respect to the life and death choices of all those who have taken part in or supported wars we the undersignedcall upon the City of Edinburgh Council to grant the use of a permanent public space within the precincts of Princes St Gardens and to provide material and financial support for a memorial to Conscientious Objectors and those who oppose wars.
“With the Centenary of the First World War there is a feeling that there should be a memorial in Scotland’s capital city to conscientious objectors and opponents of wars which would henceforth provide a public focus for those who wish to gather to remember all those, past or present, refusing to participate in or opposing wars.
“Taking this stance meant considerable hardship for those who refused to participate in or support the First World War and their families, that over 300 British ‘Deserters’ were shot, and Conscientious Objectors were subjected to harsh treatment by the military, in prison, and in their communities and 73 First World War conscientious objectors died in or following imprisonment; their courageous stance cleared the way for improved recognition of the right to oppose war and helped lay the foundations for the promotion of peaceful means for the resolution of conflicts and for achieving a just peace.”
The campaign for a memorial was started by the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and Fellowship of Reconciliation Scotland and claims backing from groups as diverse as the Iona Community, Edinburgh Stop the War, Edinburgh CND, St Mary’s Cathedral Pax Christi, and the Religious Society of Friends Scotland, among others.
The Peace and Justice Centre’s website urges people to sign the petition, stating: “Please show your support for all those, past and present, who have refused to participate in or opposed wars by signing the petition. ”
Such a memorial would not be new in Britain as there is already a memorial stone in Tavistock Square in London. It reads ‘to all those who have established and are maintaining the right to refuse to kill.’
According to the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), during the 1914-18 war conscientious objectors were required to attend a tribunal which was an interviewing panel with legal authority to assess the sincerity of objectors’ claims.
The PPU state: “The government meant well: these tribunals were intended to be humane and fair. But it was left to local councils to choose the people who actually sat on the panels, and they often selected themselves.
“They were a mixed bunch: businessmen, shopkeepers, landowners, retired military officers, civil servants and the like, most of them too old to be called up.
“Most were also strongly patriotic and therefore prejudiced against anyone whom they thought was not…a few tribunal members were women, who seemed particularly incensed by the conscientious objectors’ point of view.”
The army had one representative on each panel. According to the PPU: “These ‘military representatives’ had a common aim: to get as many men as possible into the army to fill the gaps left by the dead.”
Many of those who were ‘approved’ as conscientious objectors were sent to labour camps, one of the most notorious of them being at Dyce near Aberdeen.
It was here that Walter Roberts from Stockport became the first of many to die as a result of his imprisonment.
He had been sent to France to face execution and was subsequently reprieved and imprisoned before being sent to Dyce Camp to break rocks.
Roberts wrote to his mother in September, 1916: “As I anticipated, it has only been a question of time for the camp conditions here to get the better of me. Bartle Wild is now writing to my dictation, as I am too weak to handle a pen myself.
“I don’t want you to worry yourself because the doctor says I have only got a severe chill, but it has reduced me very much. All these fellows here are exceedingly kind and are looking after me like bricks, so there is no reason why I should not be strong in a day or two, when I will write more personally and more fully.”
Roberts did not recover and died two days after dictating that letter. His case and many others like his are sure to be used to argue for the first Scottish memorial to conscientious objectors.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here