World war one resource pack launched
Quakers in Britain have released a free resource pack
Quakers in Britain have released a free resource pack that tells the stories of the early stages of world war one from a Quaker perspective – Witnessing for peace on the centenary of World War I. Paul Parker, recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting, said: ‘This is the beginning of a four-year project for Quakers in Britain during which we will tell the untold stories of those who refused to fight in world war one.’
The pack contains a newspaper featuring articles by present-day Quakers and original 1914 contributions to the Friend, peace education materials, an audio play about members of the Rowntree chocolate family, a timeline of the Friends’ Ambulance Unit and images from the Quaker archives.
Paul Parker explained: ‘We found powerful and moving stories in our archives of those who were, for their conscience, imprisoned, tortured, ridiculed, sentenced to death or forced to be child soldiers. Today many countries, including Finland and Greece, still do not recognise people’s right to refuse to serve in the armed forces. Around the world prisoners of conscience are tortured.’
Local Meetings across Britain have also responded to Quaker witness during the first world war. Ealing Meeting in London have devoted their spring 2014 newsletter to the theme of peace.
Editors Elizabeth Cave, Sue Flemons and Anne Wade write: ‘Several contributions refer in various ways to the two world wars of the last century. More than one go on to make comparisons between peace at an international level and peace in a domestic or personal context. And then there is the contemporary situation, with protests and representations against nuclear weapons.’
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