Conscientious Objectors of the Second World War

During the Second World War, it is estimated that around 60,000 British men and women registered as conscientious objectors. However, these individuals have largely been erased from the public consciousness, as they do not fit into the dominant memory of the “Good War” in Britain, in which the country united to defeat an evil foe. While the story of the conscientious objectors of the First World War, numbering around 20,000, is becoming better known in Britain, this is not the case for their successors.

This lack of awareness is compounded by a dearth of available data on conscientious objectors of the Second World War, as a large proportion of the official documents, mainly tribunal records, were destroyed in the 1960s. Now, work is being done to address this, with the creation of database of conscientious objectors using newspaper reports and other sources from the Second World War. Descendants of conscientious objectors will also be asked to share information about their family members. The aim is to build a better picture of the numbers, demographics, motivations, and wartime experiences of conscientious objectors, and work towards raising awareness of this group and fitting them back into the national story of the Second World War.

Rosemary Rich, April 2024

Check out a test of the map we hope to build:  Find a CO  Map