First published 2003
A sealed train races through the darkness around wartime London. Inside, men throw desperate notes onto station platforms as they pass. Howard Marten and Alfred Evans are among these prisoners. They rejected military service during the First World War because they would not kill. The government imprisoned them and subjected them to harsh punishment for their refusal. Authorities then shipped them to France and placed them on the front lines. Military commanders delivered an ultimatum: obey orders or face execution by firing squad. The two men maintained their stance against violence. Instead of death, they received jail sentences. Their resistance helped establish a precedent. The government finally recognized that some men possessed the right to refuse combat on moral grounds. The conscientious objectors had won something valuable through their suffering.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, military-fiction, activism
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: based-on-true-events, moral-dilemma
Setting: London, France
Period: World War I
120 pages · Paperback · Hodder Children's Books
Content warnings: violence