EARLIER this year, when the head of the British army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, called for a “citizen army” to prepare for a ground war with Russia, military conscription was suddenly in the headlines, pushed by right-wing commentators and hawkish politicians.

This provoked many people to wonder, perhaps for the first time, how would I feel if I were conscripted? What would I do? 

Conscientious objection to conscription in Britain is mainly associated with the world wars. Around 20,000 British men became conscientious objectors (COs for short) during the first world war.