Conscientious Objectors Commemorative Stone

In 1994 a stone commemorating "men and women conscientious objectors all over the world and in every age" by Hugh Court[1] was unveiled in Tavistock Square.

On 15 May 1993, International Conscientious Objectors' Day, a public appeal was launched by means of a letter in The Guardian, headed by Sir Michael Tippett.

However, when the PPU's architectural adviser, Hugh Court, and sculptor, Paul Wehrle, went to Cumbria in search of a stone, they were so attracted to a naturally shaped piece of grey-green volcanic slate, some 400 million years old and rather larger than the size originally envisaged, they chose that.

The PPU decided upon the form of words for the stone with an addition of "Their foresight and courage give us hope", written by a Dublin wordsmith.

Around the left, top, and right edges: TO COMMEMORATE MEN & WOMENCONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS TO MILITARY SERVICEALL OVER THE WORLD & IN EVERY AGEIn the centre: TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVEESTABLISHED ANDARE MAINTAININGTHE RIGHT TOREFUSE TO KILLTheir foresight andcourage give us hopeAlong the bottom edge: THIS STONE WAS DEDICATED ON 15 MAY 1994INTERNATIONAL CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS' DAYAlso in Tavistock Square is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, sculpted by Fredda Brilliant and installed in 1968 and a cherry tree planted in 1967 in memory of the victims of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.