Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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done so. Nevertheless, in the end, this regulation brought some fonn of acceptance of
ideological obj ection within the anned forces and brought the country one step closer to
recognising it in nationallaw. 14o
The conscientious objection and pacifist campaigns cannot be seen outside the
sphere of the demobilisation debate discussed in Chapter 10. The socialist motto "no man
and no money for the mobilisation", much brandished during the war, is itself a clear
indication ofthis.141 The campaigns were also very much part of the general non-military
attitude of the Dutch people. It is worth noting, therefore, that the conscientious objection
manifesto appeared at the height of the demobilisation, leave and landstorm debates in 1915
and 1916. It is also meaningful that in 1917 and 1918, the emphasis on all these issues
lessened. Newspapers become more concerned with the possibility of Dutch involvement in
the war and the impact of shortages on domestic consumption. As mentioned earlier, while
the military was still far from popular, the mobilisation became more accepted. This does
not take away from the fact, however, that cases of conscientious objection remained steady
and the activities of the IAMV did not stop. Yet there also seemed to be a begrudging
acceptance of the need for some military presence. The exact nature of this presence,
however, remained entirely controversial.
To SALUTE OR NOT?
The manner in which the military handled itself continued to be a prominent point
of public discussion, well illustrated by the debate surrounding the appropriateness of
saluting in the anned forces. Right from the start of the war, conscripts openly questioned
the use of saluting everyone of higher rank. As early as October 1914, the Commander-in­
Chief instructed all officers to enforce saluting among troops as the practice had become so
infrequent and little punished as to need drastic change. 142 For troops, saluting was not only
a nuisance but seemed pointless, a vestige of an outdated military era. 143 For High
Command, on the other hand, saluting fonned an essential part of the way discipline and
140 In 1923, the first law recognising conscientious objection was passed by the Dutch parliament (Boomen, Honderd
Jaar Vredesbeweging p. 202).
141 "Geen man en geen cent voor het militarisme" (Stoke, Van Aardappelmes tot OjJiciersdegen p. 27).
142 Commander-in-Chief to Commanders of Army Corps, 2 October 1914, in ARA, "Archief van het Hoofdkwartier
Veldleger" entry no. 2.13.16, inventory no. 263.
143 For more on the saluting debate, see: Moeyes, Buiten Schotpp. 147 - 148.