WHEN was someone last imprisoned in Britain for refusing to be part of the armed forces?
If you don’t know the answer, you might reasonably guess 1918 or 1945. There were conscientious objectors in prison in both world wars. Some were imprisoned during post-war conscription — so-called “national service” — so you might guess 1963, when conscription ended in Britain.
In fact, the correct answer is 2011.
Royal Navy medic Michael Lyons had been due to be deployed to Afghanistan. He was deeply disturbed when he heard revelations about the killing of civilians by US and British forces there. He told his wife: “I can’t have that on my conscience.”