Book Review – Conchies by Ann Krammer
Pub 2013
Conchies [Conscientious Objectors of the First World War] was researched and written by An Krammer. If you roll forward three years to 2016, there was the centenary of the introduction of compulsory military service, and conscription in Britain, This proved to be a challenge in terms of personal feeling, religion or political reasons for approximately 20,000 young men of military service age who refused to take up arms, and was called Conscientious Objectors – ‘COs’, ‘Conchies’
My interest lies in understanding history, as far as one can, and people. I am from a service family, indeed it would seem to go back quite a distance of a member in military service. Reading around the topic you hear of family estrangements for life (even sometimes beyond death, carried over to younger family members). On an aside, you can see parallels for those who broke the miner strikes in the past!
Conchies as a book is what I would call a primer, it is a starter for you to read and to see if you have your interests piqued, but what it doesn’t do is provide you with ways and links to continue your interest. That is left up to you and the internet.
Reading various reviews of Conchies on the internet, most have found it lightweight, and on one items the information would appear to be incorrect. The photos included are of interest and do provide another way for you to get into the topic.
On Amazon, at present the cost of the books runs from:
- Kindle edition £2.99
- Hardcover edition £0.83 – £27.30
- Paperback edition £1.18 – £27.97
Links:
- Uncovering the history of Britain’s war resisters www.heritagefund.org.uk
- Conscientious Objectors and the Peace Movement in Britain 1914-1945 – https://librarysocietyfriendsblog.wordpress.com
- Conscientious Objectors in Their Own Words – iwm.org.uk
- Where have all the conscientious objectors gone? – Moira Redmond – theguardian.com
- Amazon – Conchies by Ann Krammer – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Conchies-Conscientious-Objectors-First-World-ebook/dp/B00I5KF95S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26KNTX1F7HOPK&keywords=conchies%2Bann+kramer&qid=1697144621&sprefix=conchies%2Bann+kramer%2Caps%2C71&sr=8-1
- Beyond The Law by Charles Upchurch – Gay Book Review
This book, as I have said, is at best a primer to get someone interested. I agree with one Quaker parent’s comment who felt that it may not be suitable for some children without guidance (her child was in Primary School), it is more suited to teenagers and adults, but it has to be in context
