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Officers with hat of a conscientious objector, WW1
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Officers with hat of a conscientious objector, WW1
Page from The Bystander showing two officers holding the battered remnants of a bowler hat belonging to a peace crank orator in Trafalgar Square, London. The magazine comments that the behaviour is not becoming in officers and gentlemen and that they should not take any part in breaking up political meetings. In fact, a week later, The Bystander magazine was forced to publish an apology. The men were in fact recruiting officers and had been handed the hat after a scuffle. Date: 1916
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Media ID 14146975
© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans
Battered Bowler Bystander Conscientious Meeting Meetings Objector Objectors Recruiting Recruitment Remnants Trafalgar Officers
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative image from The Bystander magazine, dated 1916, captures a moment of tension and controversy during the turbulent years of the First World War. The photograph shows two uniformed officers, their expressions serious, holding the battered remnants of a bowler hat. The hat, once a symbol of respectability and order, now lies in their hands as a grim reminder of a clash in Trafalgar Square, London, between peace activists and military recruiters. The caption accompanying the image expresses the magazine's disapproval of the officers' actions, stating that their behaviour was "not becoming in officers and gentlemen." At the time, the public was divided over the issue of conscientious objectors and the methods used to recruit men for the war effort. The image, therefore, stirred up strong emotions and sparked debate. However, a week later, The Bystander was forced to publish an apology. It transpired that the officers were not breaking up a political meeting, as initially reported, but were in fact recruiting officers. They had been handed the hat after a scuffle with an objector. This revelation served to further fuel the controversy, highlighting the complex and often ambiguous nature of the political and social landscape during the First World War. This historical photograph offers a fascinating insight into the tensions and uncertainties of the time, and serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and contradictions of human behaviour during times of conflict.
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