One of New Zealand's most extraordinary stories describes the courage of the conscientious objectors sent overseas during World War I, in a brutal attempt to force them to renounce their convictions and join the war effort. Despite torture and privation, Archie Baxter and Mark Briggs held out till the end, in one of the bravest displays of principle New Zealand has ever seen. They were this country's first successful dissenters, in defiance of a militaristic, neo-colonial government that feared non-conformity.

About the Author

DAVID GRANT is the foremost authority on the history of conscientious objection in New Zealand. He re-appraises Briggs and Baxter's stand in the context of a New Zealand which has come to value its place as an independent, antimilitarist nation. BOB KERR'S paintings evoke the pathos and drama of the conscientious objectors' struggle.