A Manx historian has released his third book which looks at the history of conscientious objectors in the Isle of Man.

Written by John Manley and titled 'Manx Conscientious Objectors - Enemies Of War', the book mostly focuses on the period covering World War One and World War Two.

Talking about the book and why he thinks the topic is important, John said: ‘I believe that the story of Manx conscientious objectors is a forgotten part of Manx history that deserves recognition today.

‘The story of the men during the First World War was a very dramatic story, involving social ostracism, abuse, isolation and long terms of imprisonment. Many of the men were handed white feathers, as a symbol of cowardice, by family and friends.

‘These men, because of their religious and political convictions, defied conscription during both world wars, and suffered employment and electoral discrimination.

‘Much emphasis has previously been placed on the bravery of those men who fought and died in the trenches, whilst the bravery of those men who refused to kill other men was ignored.

‘They too, however, were courageous men, despite being portrayed by officialdom as cowards and traitors.’

John also explained that he had to discover on his own who these specific men were, due to a lack of records on the subject and ‘few local people knowing anything about the subject’.

He added: ‘The research required initially compiling my own database of conscientious objector cases, as there was no existing list to begin with.

‘The process therefore was difficult, because I was on my own, and, with little initial information already in existence, I had to discover for myself who these Manx men were, how many of them had existed, their individual background stories and exactly what happened to each of the men.’

This isn’t the first book that John has written and published since his recent retirement.

His first book, published in 2023, was the previously untold story of eighteenth-century Captain Henry Corrin of Peel, who emigrated to the Caribbean/Central America and became famous and wealthy in exporting mahogany wood and turtle shell worldwide.

The second book, published in 2024, detailed the history of Manx seaside entertainments, including theatres, dance halls, music halls, and cinemas. It was titled 'Pleasure Domes and Picture Palaces - The Story of Seaside Entertainments on the Isle of Man'.

Talking about what he learnt from the two previous books, John said: ‘The writing of my previous two books had taught me that I was most interested in revealing stories which remained relatively unknown in the island.

‘Those untold stories interested me, and therefore I hoped that they would interest my readers too. In the future, I will continue to search for topics which remain relatively obscure in the island.’

'Manx Conscientious Objectors - Enemies Of War' is priced at £19.99, and is now available at the Bridge bookshops in Port Erin and Ramsey, the bookshops in the Manx Museum and House of Manannan, WH Smith in Strand Street and online at https://ferrypublications.co.uk/