30 July 2014 I Watford, United Kingdom [Victor Hulbert, BUC News] With giant-sized poppies on major roundabouts, Union flags flying along High Streets, and vigils and commemoration services arranged the length and breadth of the British Isles, the public are prepared for a major, sombre reminder of the 8.5 million who lost their lives during the First World War.
Monday, 4 August sees the 100th anniversary of a horrific piece of world history. Sixty-five million men attempted to kill each other over a four-year period. In addition to those killed, a further 21 million were injured and countless more were psychologically scarred.
It was called the ‘war to end all wars’, yet sadly, in Gaza, Syria, the Congo, and countless other locations, war is still very much evident. The whole concept of war leads to difficult ethical choices.
Former US President, John F Kennedy stated, “Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind… War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.”
That is a cry that Seventh-day Adventists can endorse. Traditionally a pacifist Church, during the current remembrance of those who lost their lives in WW1 we should also remember those brave conscientious objectors who took a different stance, holding out for peace and moral values in a world bent on destruction.
Imagine yourself a 16-year-old in 1914. You are one of just 2,500 Seventh-day Adventists in the UK. By 1916 you will be one of 130 young Adventists conscripted to serve in the military. As a conscientious objector – a very misunderstood person during WW1, you may well spend the rest of the war in prison, sentenced to hard labour in Dartmoor, Knutsford or Wakefield Prisons. Sabbath observance will be an issue. Profanity and general moral values as well. Your choice to keep the Sabbath may well result in a beating, or degrading jobs such as cleaning the latrines without any equipment.
Sixteen young men from the Stanborough Park area had it even harder. In a documentary film to be released shortly by the Adventist Media Centre-UK, the story is told of their conscription into the 3rd Eastern Non-Combatant Corps at Bedford Barracks on 23 May 1916, their refusal to pick up rifles on the boat over to France, and their eventual court martial and horrific treatment in Military Prison #3 in Le Harve. Two of them were to die early as a result of their injuries.
In the lead-up to the 4 August commemoration ceremonies, Pastor Victor Hulbert has also shared their story with church groups at both the North and South Camp Meetings, and in several churches. In sombre mood, members have expressed how powerful this message is.
Pastor Philip Anderson is son-in-law of one of the conscientious objectors, J McGeachey. He can show you the military service record with the last entry being the court martial and six months hard labour.
In Stanborough Park church on Sabbath, 26 July he expressed how important it is that this long-forgotten tale should be told. He was one of four descendants of Stanborough lads present in the church that day. Another, the daughter of Alfred Bird, expressed how grateful she is that this difficult and unpopular story is now being told. “Your prayer for the descendants of those young men who long ago had the courage to test their moral fibre was quite emotional. In today’s world it is a hard-to-understand story. Evidenced in parts of the world today, the futility of war is a lesson still to be learned.”
Were they right not to fight? “That is perhaps an open question”, Victor responds. “My great uncle, Willie Till was one of those young men in France. Following his story I fully agree with his decision and admire his courage. However, even though I see all war as a result of failure I can understand the need to stand up against aggression. It is a difficult issue. However, whether or not you agree with these young men, you have to admire their courage. These youths were just as brave as those soldiers who faced the enemy in the trenches.”
That is a question that Adventists who have chosen to join the military today are now having to face. Several have come up for open discussion on the issue after hearing Victor’s presentation. He responds, “They might do well to heed the age-old counsel of the Duke of Wellington, ‘Men of nice scruples about religion, have no basis in the army or navy.'”
‘A Matter of Conscience‘ will be released early September on www.hopetv.org.uk. Significant research about Seventh-day Adventists and WW1, and a video presentation on the subject can be found on a dedicated web page, http://adventist.org.uk/ww1.
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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