Worn With Pride: An anthology of poetry on the dilemmas of war by pupils from Macclesfield, Cheshire

The first two years of WW1 had brought about the most unimaginable carnage and bloodshed. The regular army was decimated. The numbers of willing volunteers had virtually dried up. So, in 1916 the british Government introduced conscription, thus forcing men to enter the War. But three Quaker MPs fought in Parliament for a unique, historic decision which decreed that a man had the legal right to refuse to kill another human being on grounds of conscience. In 2016, pupils of Macclesfield were invited to create poems reflecting the agonising choices faced in times of conflict. Their poetry vividly captures these dilemmas, particularly of men who stood their ground and refused to be part of the war machine. This thought-provoking anthology of poetry, by Mcclesfield young people, reflects their inisight, compassion and hopes for the future.