Battles of Conscience: British Pacifists and the Second World War by Tobias Kelly Chatto & Windus, 384 pages, £22
Tobias Kelly’s scholarly examination of British pacifism neatly addresses the gap between past reality and current historical narrative. Much more has been written about the (far fewer) conscientious objectors who refused to fight in the First World War than those in the Second, in which three times as many pacifists took a stand. This says a great deal about how we remember the 1939–45 conflict. Widely regarded as the right war to fight, there seems to be little space for pacifists in discussions of the war against the Axis.
The timing of this book is particularly prescient, arriving in the middle of another conflict – sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – in which freedom and oppression are clearly delineated. What do pacifists do in such circumstances? And how should the state treat them? As Kelly points out, the Second World War was “a war for freedom”, with conscience an important part of the mix. The impact on the 60,000 citizens who refused to take up arms – several of whom are introduced in this book – was complicated, often moving and occasionally fatal.
“The impact on the 60,000 citizens who refused to take up arms in the Second World War was complicated, often moving and occasionally fatal”