‘One of us’: Class and Conscientious Objection in Britain During the Second World War

British conscientious objection in Britain during the Second World War was a classed affair. It is now remembered as a peculiarly middle-class undertaking with working-class objectors being very rare. This article examines the reality of the situation, ultimately arguing that rather than being absent from pacifist circles many working-class COs have been instead obscured in the historical record and were likely far more numerous than previously thought. Despite this, objection, and indeed the war, was deeply classed. Decisions were not based solely on patriotism, pacifism nor politics but also financial and practical concerns. At every turn during the war decisions made by COs were shaped by their class and its associated level of wealth.