Witnessing for Peace in WWII
Islwyn Lake worked in Friends Ambulance Unit teams in Holland and Germany during WWII. He was one of just a few FAU members captured by German forces and ended the war in Stalag 257 prison camp.
Interviewer: Was there anything that made you feel that pacifism may not have been right [in WWII]?
Islwyn Lake: At that time we didn’t know hardly anything at all about what was happening in the concentration camps. Had we known, would it have been different? But after knowing all the horrors of Nazism, one can understand people taking arms to get rid of Nazism for the world. But even then, side by side with that, it was so very important that there was a very, very small separate section of us who would give a peace witness. I never questioned that.
— Islwyn Lake, 2016
Served in the Friends Ambulance Unit in WWII
Today’s Invitation
Believe in the importance of witnessing for peace.
This Week’s Query
When have you taken a stand against violence?
How did it feel? Share your response!
Banner image: Todd Drake
Read the source of today’s quote
