ABSTRACT
This paper seeks to contribute to the people understanding of the difficulties involved in arriving at and sustaining non-violent conviction in time of war through an examination of the experiences and responses of two individuals-both women-during the First World War. As Bennett's work demonstrates, Brittain did become a staunch advocate of non-violence in the 1930s. Depriving the young of their full possibilities for emotional development is less detrimental than depriving them of their lives; this examination of Brittain's experience does suggest, however, that it is one overlooked dimension of the way in which the Great War damaged a generation of young people. In conclusion, Vera Brittain and Flora MacDonald Denison are contrasting figures, both in age and in nationality. In both cases, the influence that ties to men who participated in the war could have on women is illustrated.
