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Conscientious Objectors in WW1

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Conscientious Objector (CO): a person who, for reasons of their conscience, object   to joining the armed forces. Pacifist: a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable. During the First World War, there were thousands of men who refused to enlist or threw down their weapons after declaring that they were a conscientious objector or a pacifist.   Many COs and pacifists joined the medical forces or were sentenced to prison. However, soldiers that became COs or pacifist were court martialled for disobeying orders or disserting the army. The worst that it could happen to these men was death, generally by firing squad, which regularly consisted of their former comrades and even friends. The biggest reason for objection was religious views. Although most of the men who signed up to the army did class themselves as   Christian, a few refused to enlist as they agreed with and obeyed the biblical commandment “Thou shalt not kill”. Many of these re...