5. How did people react to war? Pacifist approaches.

Transcription

1 5. How did people react to war? Pacifist approaches. The Big Picture : To develop student knowledge and understanding about the differing responses to WW1. In particular, a focus on pacifism and the differing ways in which courage might have been displayed. Skills: Information-processing Analysis Application Evaluation Empathy How will students be successful in their outcomes? 1. All will be able to identify what a conscientious objector was. 2. Most will understand the pressure that these conscientious objectors were under. 3. Some will be able to evaluate whether it was just as courage to be a conscientious objector as a serving soldier. Literacy: Pacifism Conscientious Objector Courage Cowardice Conscription SECTION Connect: Activate: ACTIVITY Return to If wrong was to be resisted (Page 70) from Hear My Cry. Recap on Christian ideas and recap that the idea of fighting in war might not be considered very Christian given Jesus message to 'turn the other cheek'. Explain that some people did not find the idea of war as appealing as the young men examined last lesson, including some religious people. Some due to their religious beliefs were pacifists and also known as conscientious objectors or conchies. Ask the students how they think conchies were treated and why. Discuss the idea that they were cowards and that they were given white feathers. RESOURCE Hear My Cry

2 Demonstrate: Link to the story of Bert and Phillip, two men who took very different paths. Outline the Living Graph activity: Students to draw an x-axis/y-axis on a sheet of A3. Time is on the x-axis, courage on the y-axis. Students should plot 10 events of each man s war experience on the graph depending on how much courage they think the person is showing. Students to complete a Living Graph on A3 documenting, using the information sheets about Bert and Phillip, students should plot 10 events for each over the course of the war. These accounts have been left fairly detailed, and could be edited down for differing classes depending on time/class level as appropriate. Bert s War Sheet Phillip s War Sheet Living Graph Template Consolidate: Discuss the differing lines of the two individuals. Connect with the idea that they both had to display courage in different ways and to different extents. Reveal the fact that they were actually both Brocklesby s brothers. Students should answer the question Which brother showed more courage during the war? Share some of the student s ideas. Finish by reading the Prayer (Page 85) in Hear My Cry. Link the prayer to Bert Brocklesby s commitment to his faith and his pacifism. Hear My Cry Resources for use with Hear My Cry, published by Bible Society, Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon SN5 7DG. biblesociety.org.uk/ww1

3 Bert s War Be t as f o the South Yo kshi e i i g illage of Co is ough. His fa il e e g o e s t ade a d Methodists faith - pilla s of the o u it. His fathe, as a p ea he a d agist ate, a d his hild e e e edu ated, ultu ed a d aspi atio al. Be t as a tale ted usi ia ho pla ed the o ga i hu h a d t ai ed as tea he, ut as also spo t, fu a d e e o e liked hi. At the age of he had the o ld at his feet ut, he e he ost a ted to go as to Af i a, as a issio a do to his st o g eligious faith. Whe a as de la ed his fathe a the lo al Wa Fu d Co ittee a d had the jo of s ea i g i e A e uits. The to 's e uiti g off e as ight e t to the fa il shop, a d Be t ould ha e take t o steps to sig up. At fi st he as te pted as e e o e a ou d hi as s ept up i atio alis. P iests used passages f o the Bi le, u gi g people to e list ut Be t as o fused ho a ould e e ou aged he o side i g the o a d e t thou shalt ot kill. Be t de ided to ask God hethe he should e list a d the tossed a oi to get his a s e. A e a ka le u of tails i a o told hi he ould ot go to a. Rea tio i his o u it as i sta t a d u pleasa t. He p ea hed a se o agai st the a a d as e e allo ed to speak agai. His fathe as u ged stal a ts of the to to se d hi pa ki g. Be t sta ed ithi the la a d a f ee a as lo g as joi i g-up as olu ta. I Fe ua 9, to feed the A 's o sta t eed of e, a e o s iptio fo ed e listi g. No "sla ke s" a d 'sku ks', as people like Be t e e alled, ould ot es ape. But still he ould ot go, a d as alled to e plai hi self efo e a t i u al. Its hai a, a ilita a, t ied to a gue ith Be t ut he ai tai ed "I ould e tai l ot st ike the do. No a is justified i taki g life." The off ial asked "if ou ould sa e poo o e a d hild e fighti g, ould ou ot help the?" Be t said: "I ould do est to sa e life, ut ot taki g life." Else he e, o e o s ie tious o je to as told that, as a so ialist, he ould ot ha e a o s ie e; a othe that "the e is o l o e g ou d of e e ptio efo e this t i u al a d that is death." A othe as i fo ed that he as a t aito a d "o l fit to e o the poi t of a Ge a a o et". I Be t's ho e to, the ood as gett g i ious, too. The lo al pape de a ded his sa ki g as a tea he. O e agai, his fathe as u ged to sho his so the doo. Old B o k told the : "I ould athe Be t e shot fo his eliefs tha a a do the."

4 The poli e a e fo Be t o e afte oo i Ma 9 a d he as take to a jail i Ri h o d Castle. The t i u al had tu ed do his plea to e e e pted f o ilita se i e a d o de ed hi to joi the a ks of the No -Co ata t Co ps. This as a u it set up to allo o s ie tious o je to s to e d afted fo o k o o - ilita p oje ts. But Be t as i the ha d o e of o je to s ho elie ed that al ost a thi g he as asked to do ould aid the a effo t. His efusals had hi se t to those da k edie al ells he e the o l light a e th ough a a o slit i the alls. Alo e a d o a pu ish e t diet of ead a d ate, he a d the othe o je to s i p iso ed ith hi sa g "Nea e God to thee" a d othe h s. All the ti e the p essu e, ph si al a d ps hologi al, g e. The e e ki ked a d eate, othe off e s t ied to goad the ith ho o sto ies a out Ge a s. But so e se io A figu es a ted othi g less tha thei heads o i g it ould lead to e olt i the a -. If the e e allo ed to "get a a ith it", the o e e ould alk a a f o the fighti g, the A ould ollapse a d the a ould e lost. While the e e i E gla d the o je to s, though ofte utall t eated, e e elati el safe. But the the o de a e to ship of the i ludi g Be t - to F a e. O e the e, the e e te h i all o the attlefield, a d the pe alt fo diso edie e as death. I F a e, so e o je to s sal ed thei o s ie es o ki g i a ula e u its a d as st et he - ea e s, a d did so a el ut still e e t happ as o e put it: "We e e just e-fitt g e to take thei pla es agai i the t e hes." It as i possi le ot to e su ked i to the a. Be t efused all of it. To hi, e e lea i g out sta les o lea i g oo ha dles to s eep the a a k a d had a a -like pu pose ehi d it. A d he ai tai ed his pa ifis i the fa e of u h tau ti g. He e e hit a k at his pe se uto s o put up a ph si al fight, as so e e e te pted to do. "We ust el o spi itual fo e. The a take e he e the ill, e e i to the f o tli e t e hes, ut the ill e e get e to aise ha d agai st fello e." U de A egulatio s, the e e o su je t to field pu ish e t fo diso e i g o de s, o e of hi h as " u ifi io " - outst et hed a s tied to a ea fo hou s at a ti e. The e e a ed i to akeshift ells, ft-s ua e lea -tos of oode pla ks. Thei ha ds e e ha d uffed ehi d thei a ks du i g the da a d at the f o t at ight. F o these the e e take efo e a ou t- a tial, k o i g the pe alt if guilt as death. Thei judges e t th ough the otio s, ut the e ould ot - ould ot - de the had efused o de s. The aited a eek fo the e di t, all the ti e su ou ded gua ds tau ti g the as dead e. The o e da the e ti e o ti ge t of o - o ata ts statio ed i Boulog e as tu ed out o the pa ade g ou d - e li ed up i a ks. O e at a ti e, a a e as alled out a d ea h of the o je to s as a hed fo a d. The the se te e as p o ou ed: "Whe o a ti e se i e efusal to o e a o de. "T ied ou t a tial a d fou d guilt. Se te ed to death shooti g." The the adjuta t o ti ued: "This se te e has ee o fi ed the o a de i hief, Ge e al Si Douglas Haig" ut afte a ds postpo ed hi to pe al se itude fo te ea s." Be t as e elie ed. But othe s e e a ge ed that the o je to s se te ed to death had es aped. As the etu ed to E gla d f o F a e, thei a i al at Wi heste statio oi ided ith the depa tu e of a t oop t ai. Wo d e t s iftl th ough the o d of elati es seei g off thei lo ed o es that " o hies" e e a ou d.

5 "The ai as ele t i, e otio s at fe e pit h," Be t e alled. "People hissed at us a d hu led i sults." He sa g h s to hi self to stead his e es. He se ed his ti e i i ilia p iso s. He ould se ail ags fo the Post Off e ut ot oal ags fo the Na. He as o sta tl i t ou le a d still hou ded fo his eliefs. The p iso haplai told hi he as "a disg a e to hu a it ". But the e as so e s path fo his ause, a d, sig ifi a tl, it as i high pla es. Leadi g Li e als i the go e e t had ee u eas a out o s iptio a d fo i g e to fight, ut had o ed to the de a ds of the A. Whe told of thei t eat e t, the P i e Mi iste de la ed it "A o i a le" a d o de ed that o o s ie tious o je to i F a e as to e shot fo efusal to o e o de s. It as this that had sa ed Be t f o fa i g a fi i g s uad. He sa out the a at Maidsto e jail, as eleased i 9 9 a d e t ho e. His fathe stood at the doo to g eet hi. The sa e ould ot e said fo the to sfolk of Co is ough. "I as su p ised ho itte lo al feeli g as agai st e," Be t said. "I had p o ed self si e e a d I thought the ould gi e e edit fo it. But o." No s hool ould gi e hi a tea hi g jo a d he had to o e a a to fi d o k. His o s ie e the led hi to Aust ia to help i ti s of the a. But he Be t said he as goi g to help the people ho had killed he othe, the lo al lass, o e a sop a o i his hu h hoi, ealised the e e o eadi g f o diffe e t so g sheets. Thei e gage e t as o e. She a ied a a he o. Be t e a e a issio a i Af i a, the etu ed to tea hi g i E gla d. He e e lost his o i tio s a d as a hi g i a Ba The Bo p otest sho tl efo e he died aged. A ou t adapted f o : B othe s At Wa To Re dell, Mailo li e We Will Not Fight Will Ells o th-jo es, Au u P ess

6 Courage Brave Normal Scared Time

7 Bert and Philip Meet On A sunny summer's day on the cliffs above Boulogne 1916, a young English officer, fresh from training, looked longingly across the Channel to the White Cliffs of Dover in the distance. He thought of the battle ahead - he was one of hundreds of thousands of men being herded towards the trenches in Flanders for what history would call the Somme Offensive, among the bloodiest confrontations this world has ever seen. But Second Lieutenant Philip Brocklesby had a more pressing concern. He was desperate to see his older brother, who he knew was also in France. "I sat on a grass hummock and waited," he recalled many years later. "Then some 40 men came marching up the hill and I saw Bert in the centre ranks "I shall never forget how his face lit up when he saw me." There was, however, a sad and sinister slant to this emotional family reunion, because Bert was not a fellow soldier, a brother-in-arms, but a prisoner under escort - and about to be sentenced to die. Bert - teacher, choirmaster, gentleman and scholar - was a conscientious objector whose deep religious faith barred him from fighting and killing. "God has not put me on this earth to go destroying His children," he said on the day war between Britain and Germany was declared in He would not put on a uniform, pick up a rifle or take orders. And now, two years later, he was prepared to sacrifice his life for that belief. Philip had decided differently. Like millions of other young men, he dutifully took up arms against his country's enemies. But there was no family rift. Philip, on his way to the front, had risked a charge of going absent without leave (AWOL) to track down Bert for what could be their last meeting. They talked for half an hour and it was "a joy" to both of them. Two months later, Philip marched his men towards the German machine guns just one of the 60,000 British soldiers killed or wounded on the first day of the Somme Offensive. But still Philip, despite having been tested in battle and seen two thirds of his comrades fall around him, had no hard feelings for his pacifist brother. Instead, he wrote in admiration: "I wish I had your faith, Bert." He told their mother: "I'm right proud of him." Account adapted from: Brothers At War (Tony Rendell, Mailonline) We Will Not Fight (Will Ellsworth-Jones, Aurum Press)

8 Courage Brave Normal Scared Time