There's a case for conscientious objectors in World War One to be seen as heroes, according to a contributor to a radio programme on the subject to be broadcast next week.

In the second of a three-part series about pacifism in the war, presenter Aled Eirug says: “A year into the war it was evident that volunteering was not expanding the numbers to fight the expanding war. In January 1916 the Military Service Act, that is conscription, came into force. It meant that unmarried men or widowers between the ages of 19 and 41 could be forced to report for military duty.

“But as a result of campaigning by the No Conscription Fellowship, a conscience clause was written into the Act whereby people could refuse to fight on religious or moral grounds.”

Conscientious objectors fell into three categories: “alternativists”, who were prepared to undertake alternative civilian work, not under any military control; “non-combatants”, who would accept the call-up on the condition of having a non-combat role in the army; and “absolutists”, who believed that any alternative service supported the war effort.

For the Quakers, who had been instrumental in getting the conscience clause added to the Military Service Act, the decision to be “absolutist” or “non-combatant” wasn’t as clear-cut as might be imagined.

Gethin Evans, a Quaker who is researching various aspects of Quakerism in Wales, tells the programme: “When the First World War came, there was such a call on [Quakers] to be patriots that their peace testimony was challenged. Many Quakers did enlist, because they had to show their patriotism. Those Quakers who didn’t want to join the military established what became known as the Friends’ Ambulance Unit, which was an avenue for them to demonstrate their loyalty to their country without having to take up arms.

“And that fitted in with another aspect of peace testimony for Quakers – that they wished to show their support for the victims of war. They were able to support the wounded, but of course it was one-sided, because they didn’t give support to the enemy.

“This led to some complication for a small group of Quakers, who said ‘if we’re pacifists, we cannot demonstrate any support for any side’.

“For them it was an absolute matter of conscience: thou shalt not kill. It wasn’t just a matter of shooting somebody; you shouldn’t be in a situation of helping someone else to shoot them either. Therefore, they became part of the ‘absolutist’ movement.”

All conscientious objectors who were called up had to explain initially to a local tribunal why they shouldn’t be forced to serve in the military. The tribunal could either reject the application, meaning that the individual would be called up into the army, or they could allow an exemption.

If the decision of the tribunal went against the appellant, he had the right to appeal to a more rigorous county tribunal.

Convincing a tribunal could be very difficult. Researcher Rob Phillips tells the programme: “In a case in Carmarthen we have Captain Lewis, the military representative, questioning a conscientious objector and giving him a scenario where a zeppelin came over Carmarthen and dropped a bomb on to a school where there were children, and he happened to be near there, and by shooting a gun he could bring down the zeppelin. He was asked what he would do.

“The applicant, a farm worker, said: ‘I would not kill a man’. He was further asked if he would run away, or if he would take a sporting chance of bringing down the zeppelin. The applicant said: ‘I don’t think I would try’.

“Captain Lewis took another tack, asking the applicant if he would shoot a wounded horse on the farm where he worked. When told that he would shoot the horse, Captain Lewis said: ‘He’s no ground to stand on. If he can kill a horse, he can kill a German.’ The outcome of the case is not recorded.”

Around 300 conscientious objectors who failed to convince the tribunals that they should be granted an exemption were transported to France, where they were told they would be shot.

In fact the death penalty was not imposed, but some were marched to face a mock firing squad as part of a psychological offensive against them.

Most conscientious objectors were sentenced to terms of imprisonment with hard labour, and many were not released until seven months after the end of the war in June 1919.

Donald Saunders, whose father was a conscientious objector in the First World War, tells the programme: “Heroes have tended to be related specifically to people who have gone to fight. My view of a hero would be much wider than that.

“I think that a person who has principles that are for the benefit of mankind, and sticks to those principles through whatever the person is faced with, I would say they are under the banner heroes, and that is very rarely mentioned.”

Doves and Hawks Part 2 will be broadcast on BBC Radio Wales at 6.30pm on Monday, January 12.