19 Howard Marten, court martial statement

Howard Cruttenden Marten was a Quaker and member of the No-Conscription Fellowship. He was ‘an absolutist’ who objected to the war on the grounds of his faith. Absolutists were conscientious objectors who refused to do any war work. They believed that non-combatant or alternative service still contributed to the war effort. He was conscripted in 1916 and refused to undertake military service. By June he was imprisoned in Boulogne, France, where he was sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to ten years imprisonment. He was imprisoned at Winchester and Wormwood Scrubs and later employed on the Home Office Work Scheme. He received support from politicians who were sympathetic to his situation. His correspondents included Philip Snowden, Ramsay MacDonald and Bertrand Russell. MacDonald raised his case at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.