The Testimony
The Testimony 1914
Featuring articles on the outbreak of war; the origins of World War I; Quakers considering enlisting; the origins of the Friends Ambulance Unit and the Friends War Victims Relief Committee; white feathers; enemy aliens; machine guns; and child soldiers.
The Testimony - 1914 - WWI newspaper [PDF: 2.2 mb - new window]
The Testimony 1915
Featuring articles on enemy aliens; conscientious objection; Quaker statements against war; chemical weapons; women in World War I; Quaker relief work; Quakers in Australia; the Fellowship of Reconciliation; and militarisation.
The Testimony - 1915 - WWI newspaper [PDF: 2.5mb - new window]
The Testimony 1916
Featuring articles on resisting the arms trade; Quakers and conscription; relief work to the end of World War I and beyond; Quakers and the Nobel Peace Prize; prison chaplaincy for conscientious objectors; Ireland in World War I; and conscientious objection.
The Testimony - 1916 - WWI newspaper [PDF: 2.4mb - new window]
Hard copies of the 1916 edition are available from the Quaker Bookshop; phone 020 7663 1030 or email quakercentre@quaker.org.uk
Related Materials
A timeline of WWI events from 1914 to 1918. Available to view online or download as a PDF.
'A Subtle Resistance: Scraps from a Bootham Diary in the Great War' is a play by Bootham School York.
This introduction was delivered on 15 May 2014 at the launch of the Quakers in Britain World War I project.
These moving films give a chance for ordinary people to tell their personal story, accompanied by old photographs and illustrations from the period. Each of the six films lasts less than five minutes and can be watched separately or as a series.
This teaching resource uses original letters and photographs about the Friends Ambulance Unit. It offers relevant historical information to help children think carefully about the past.
This teaching resource uses original letters, leaflets and photographs about conscientious objection. It offers relevant historical information to help children think carefully about the past.
Watford Quakers tell the dramatic and largely forgotten stories of some of the men who refused to fight in WWI.
Stories of conscience explores the dilemmas facing those who followed their conscience in response to World War I. Using original and archive material, students of Bootham School York and relatives of WWI conscientious objectors tell the stories of ordinary people confronted by the decision to fight, volunteer for alternative service or register a conscientious objection to military service.
We will not fight is a short play. It tells the story of Bert Brocklesby's experience as a conscientious objector.
Taking a stand in WWI
This short film tells the story of an almost forgotten gathering of conscientious objectors in World War I.