This is a brief guide to researching records of British conscientious objectors.
Records of British conscientious objectors are varied and incomplete. Those records which do exist are mostly available at The National Archives and local record offices.
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What do I need to know before I start?
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Try to find out:
- the name of the person
- the date range and location to help focus your search
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What records can I see online?
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There are no significant collections of records of conscientious objectors available online.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Nominal lists of appeals (1939-1962)
Browse the Catalogue for sample documents and nominal lists of conscientious objectors during and after the Second World War in LAB 45. These are arranged by surname.
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Tribunal and Middlesex appeal records (1915-1922)
Browse the Catalogue for surviving minute books and papers of various tribunals and related bodies in MH 47 for a person who was a conscientious objector during the First World War.
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To access these records you will either need to visit us, commission research (£there will be a charge) or, where you can identify a specific record referencea unique set of letters and numbers identifying a document in The National Archives, order a copy (£there will be a charge).
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What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
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Records held locally
Search the Access to Archives (A2A) and National Register of Archives (NRA) databases to find records held in local archives.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Websites
Browse source sheets on Your Archives for information on conscientious objectors at The National Archives for the First World War and the Second World War.
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Books
Read Family History in the Wars by William Spencer (The National Archives, 2007).
Read We will not fight! by Will Ellsworth-Jones (Aurum Press Ltd, 2008).
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British Army officers after 1913
Births, marriages and deaths in the armed forces
British prisoners of war - WW1