From the moment men received the letter demanding that they present themselves at a Military Depot they were deemed to be soldiers. From then on all their actions were judged under military law. How men responded varied but many, as Henry above, simply refused all orders.

Some 2,000 Military Service Tribunals were set up around the country to question men who wished to be exempted from the universal and legally enforced compulsion to join the army. There were a number of reasons for which an exemption could be given. Conscientious objection was one. Applicants, such as John above, had to fill in questionnaires making their case. While this process was intended to be fair and impartial it was rarely the case. Many Tribunals were biased against conscientious objectors and the ever present Military representative made sure there was no backsliding by other members of the Tribunal. The military need for fighting men at the front was paramount.

In Britain between 1916 and 1918 some 20,000 men resisted the call to fight and kill. These were the conscientious objectors. Of those we have information for, more than 1,500 spent the war in prison, mostly in solitary confinement, some 13,000 complied in various degrees to perform ‘work of national importance’, well over 5,000 accepted being part of the army in an noncombatant role. Only a tiny number were given total exemption which according to the Act should have been available to all ‘genuine’ conscientious objectors - in effect all of the above. * figures are approximate