Throughout the war Davidson criticised the use of what he considered immoral methods of warfare by the British side. Most of his objections were made privately to political leaders, but some were public, and he was bitterly attacked for them. Mews records "hate mail flood into Lambeth Palace". Davidson protested against the false information put out to hide British military reverses, the use of poison gas, the punitive bombing of Freiburg in April 1917 and the targeting of non-combatants. In 1916 he crossed to France for an eight-day visit to combatant troops at the front.