historicall.y

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...

This poem was written by Roland Leighton shortly before his death in 1915 to his fiancé Vera Brittain.  Violets from Plug Street Wood, Sweet I send you over sea. (It is strange they should be blue, Blue when his soaked blood was red, For they grew around his head: It is strange they should be blue.) Think what they have meant to me- Life and Hope and Love and You. (and you did not see them grow Where his mangled body lay Hiding horrors from the day; Sweetest, it was better so.) Violets from over sea, To you dear, far, forgotten land These I send in memory Knowing you'll understand. Sources ~ Oxford University: Roland Aubrey Leighton

Possibly the worst conflict in human history, during World War I (1914- 1918) there were no families not affected by the end of the First World War. The 38 million casualties in Great Britain and a further 17 million deaths not only the military but also civilians. As you can imagine many, many hospitals were needed to treat the wounded and the people also effected mentally. As a result most manor houses became military hospitals and bases. Not only were there hospitals based just behind the Frontline in France and Belgium, there were also hospitals based in England. There were manor house hospital bases such as Kentwell Hall but generally original hospitals were used such as the one at Birmingham University. If a soldier was wounded or caught a disease in the Frontline trenches then depending on the severity of the injury they stranded a chance of survival but there was little chance for survival for those who were shot down in the charge across No Man's Land because they w...