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Remembered Today:

Stories of first world war's conscientious objectors go online


trajan

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The full title is: "Poignant stories of first world war's conscientious objectors go online". See: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/15/poignant-stories-of-first-world-wars-conscientious-objectors-go-online

Oh, perhaps I should add a 'DS' quote alert...

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I have no idea what Trajan means by "a 'DS' quote alert", or why it should be interpreted as a warning, but, as it happens, caution should be exercised in reading the commentary provided by IWM

The caption describing the conscientious objectors at Wakefield as in "prison", obscures the fact that they had been been released from prison to enter the Home Office Scheme, whereby they were placed in what had been Wakefield Prison, but with locks taken off the cell doors, the inmates allowed to wear plain clothes, and free to go outside in the evenings and on Sundays. Conditions were indeed harsh in Wakefield Work Centre, as it became, but it does not help public understanding to confuse the matter, or to give the impression that photographs could easily be taken inside actual prisons in those days, with prisoners wearing plain clothes rather than the 'broad arrow' prison uniform.

The same applies to Dartmoor Prison, which became Princetown Work Centre under the Scheme. Moreover, it did not open until March 1917, so no-one could have written in the winter of 1916 about immediately impending transfer to it, The letter could only have been written in spring 1917.

Putting CO material online is to be welcomed, particularly on International Conscientious Objectors' Day, but care needs to be taaken to explain rather than confuse. Credit is to be given to Cyril Pearce, but those errors are clearly not of his making.

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I have no idea what Trajan means by "a 'DS' quote alert", or why it should be interpreted as a warning, but, as it happens, caution should be exercised in reading the commentary provided by IWM ...

Thank you for clarifying things - and a clarification in return is that 'D.S.' are the initials of a not always entirely accurate but oft-quoted commentator on GW and other military matters...

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Has our "Temptage" made a contribution to the IWM site?

Kath.

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