Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) (Web)

The white feather diaries is a social media storytelling project marking the centenary of World War I. It was initiated by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). It offers an insight into overlooked aspects of war: resistance to killing and the relief of suffering.

The website follows the lives of five young people from Britain – four men and one women -, who lived a century ago and opposed World War I. Their stories were published periodically over three years. They take us from the outbreak of war to the introduction of conscription and groundbreaking legislation recognising conscientious objection. Through daily posts the website shares their moral dilemmas and their often dangerous decisions. The records of these five diarists are presented in detail:

• Bert Brocklesby – who refused to hate his fellow man (Web)
• John Hoare – who gave up career to campaign against war (Web)
• Hilda Clark – a doctor who risked her life in a war zone (Web)
• Howard Marten – who was sentenced to death for his beliefs (Web)
• Laurence Cadbury – who saved lives, but would not kill (Web)

For those wanting to delve further into these fascinating stories, each blog entry includes rich background material about the content of the post or the diarist and their contemporaries.

The white feather diaries sheds light on the hidden stories of those whose bravery saved lives and changed British legislation, leading to a wider recognition of the legitimacy of the right to refuse to kill.  This project run from 2014 to 2016.