Taking a stand
Ian Kirk-Smith considers two films on conscientious objection
There have been many responses to the centenary of the first world war and it is worth reflecting, at this time of remembrance, on the distinctive perspective offered by Quakers.
One of the more creative Quaker responses has been in the form of two interesting and well-crafted films that tell the story of some of the men who refused to take up arms and of the consequences this decision had on their lives. They, also, need to be remembered.
Watford’s Quiet Heroes: Resisting the Great War is a thirty-minute film that focuses on the story of three men who refused to fight: Percy Leonard, Lionel Penrose and Howard Marten. The key challenges faced by conscientious objectors are clearly conveyed in the film, and archive photography, illustrations and interviews are used very effectively to convey their experience. The film is researched, written and presented by Simon Colbeck and filmed and directed by Chris Pettit.
The story of the three men – their background, motivation and experience – is well told and excellent use is made of quotations. Some, taken from a recording of Howard Marten, are particularly affecting. There is a sense of quiet frustration in his voice when he recalls those who felt conscientious objectors were shirkers and cowards. He says: ‘They couldn’t get through their minds that we were acting on principle.’
Howard Marten’s recollections of events in France – told in a clear, unemotional voice – are very moving. He talks of being led to a parade ground with some other absolutist conscientious objectors and, then, of how an officer read out his offences and the appropriate sentence: to ‘suffer death by being shot’. These words, he says, were followed by a long pause and, finally, the words ‘commuted to penal servitude for ten years’.
The viewer is left with a sense of the quiet conviction, courage and sense of purpose of these three men. Simon Colbeck sums up their resolve at the end of the film: ‘They had a vision of a world in which killing would have no place in human conflict.’
Devonshire House in 1916 was located off Bishopsgate in central London – for several hundred years the centre of British Quakerism. It was a rambling complex of rooms, corridors and open spaces with a large Meeting Room that hosted Yearly Meeting.
The second film, Whatever the Penalties: Taking a Stand, focuses on an event held in Devonshire House in April 1916 that has been largely ignored by historians. It brought 2,000 people together for a gathering that has an important place in the story of the right of the individual to stand up for the sake of conscience. The meeting was an ‘Emergency Convention’ of the No Conscription Fellowship (NCF), and the agenda posed a clear challenge for those in attendance: should members of the Fellowship agree to an ‘absolutist’ position with regard to their opposition to war?
The Fellowship had been started at the beginning of the war. The Military Service Act, which became law on 27 January 1916, was in force from midnight on 1 March. This presented a test for NCF members. How would they respond? Would members accept any form of alternative service?
The seventeen minute film – again written and presented by Simon Colbeck and filmed and directed by Chris Pettit – tells the story of the Emergency Convention and how a group of men remained firm in their determination to stand by their religious and political beliefs, whatever the consequences.
The filmmakers, with limited resources, have brought the story of the meeting to life and it is available as a DVD and online. The story combines pieces to camera by Simon Colbeck, narration, and some strong interviews. Excellent archive photography has been obtained and it is used very effectively.
As Simon Colbeck says in his resolution, the witness of conscientious objectors during the war, which his two films convey admirably, had ‘shattered the infallibility of militarism’.
Watford’s Quiet Heroes: Resisting the Great War is available on DVD for £5. To order contact 01923 269599 or heroes@watfordquakers.org.uk
Whatever the Penalties: Taking a Stand can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/WhateverThePenalties
