Thought for the Week: An open mind

Peter Hancock considers the tolerance and intolerance

by Peter Hancock 29th June 2018

I was conscripted in 1954, in my teens, long before I knew anything of conscientious objection or pacifism. I was posted to the Royal Engineers to train as a field engineer in skills connected with weapons and explosives use, bridge-building, mine clearance and so on. On a number of occasions I said I was not prepared to kill anyone on behalf of the monarch, and that I would like to be transferred to the Medical Corps. Engineer NCOs and officers seemed unfazed by this and my training continued.