'Our Quaker Dead': A Forgotten Quaker History.

This article surveys Quakers who died in the First World War in the service of their country, not necessarily as members of the armed forces, although the majority were such. The narrative highlights the context within which the Quaker Peace Testimony should be understood, especially in relation to the issue of compulsory military service. That testimony does not entail adherence to a pacifist stance, although an abhorrence of war and the promotion of peace was still paramount within London Yearly Meeting from 1914 to 1918. It was to be the issue of 'liberty of conscience' as a general principle that ensured unity within it when the voices of dissent were at times challenging and divisive. This article seeks to redress a misinterpretation of the testimony, but more importantly seeks to uncover the story of a group of men whose sacrifice has been overlooked and largely forgotten. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]