The Home Office Scheme was set up in August 1916 to deal with the 'problem' of thousands of COs who were refused recognition by a Military Service Tribunal. Consequently they were forcibly enlisted in the Army, refused to obey military orders, court-martialled and clogged up civil prisons.

All CO prisoners were taken to Wormwood Scrubs Prison in London or Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow, for COs in Scotland, where they were interviewed by the Central Tribunal, and, if found 'genuine', would be offered admission to the Scheme. This entailed agreeing to perform civilian work under civilian control in specially created Work Centres/Work Camps. Refusal to accept the Scheme meant returning to prison to complete the sentence, then returning to the Army, where renewed disobedience would entail another court-martial and another prison sentence.

Work Centres

Knutsford, Cheshire  (Formerly Knutsford Prison)
Princetown , Devon  (Formerly Dartmoor Prison)
Wakefield, Yorkshire  (Formerly Wakefield Prison)
Warwick, Warwickshire (Formerly Warwick Prison)

Work Camps

Ballachulish, Scotland
Brockenhurst, Hants
Broxburn, Lothian, Scotland
Denton, Newhaven,  Sussex
Derry, Ormond
Ditton Priors, Shropshire
Dyce, Aberdeen
Llanddeusant,  Wales
Longside, Aberdeenshire
Minworth, Warwicks
Penderyn, Wales
Red Roses, Whitland, Carmarthen
Risbridge House, Kedington, Suffolk
Sandholme Brick & Tile Works, Sandholme, East Riding, Yorks
Sunk Island, Hull
Sutton, Surrey
Talgarth
Uphall, West Lothian