Very little information is known about the Conscientious Objection of William Hurley. A young man, and a member of the outspoken and highly organised Dulwich branch of the No-Conscription Fellowship, it is likely that he was called up under the Military Service Act soon after its introduction. His arrest as an absentee and transfer to military control, however, was recorded in November 1916, suggesting a long and drawn out Tribunal and Appeal Tribunal process. For William, as for many other COs, arrest after refusing to report to barracks meant a magistrates hearing and a stiff fine. After being fined, he was transferred to military control at the Longbridge barracks and, as an absolutist CO, refused to obey orders, finding himself tried by Court Martial and sentenced to six months hard labour in prison.

Conditions in prison were terrible. Wandsworth was known as a particularly cold and damp environment. COs held there in the winter of 1916-1917 complained bitterly of inadequate clothing and incredible cold. Weak from exhaustion and malnourishment, they were forced to keep themselves warm with exercise in their cramped, tiny cells. Those who could not muster the energy to tramp up and down the narrow rooms soon became dreadfully weak and ill. William was one of these COs. Though in good health in December when he was taken before the Central Tribunal at Wormwood Scrubs, his transfer to Wandsworth soon saw him fall very ill. Arriving at Wandsworth in late January, by March he was in a very fragile condition, so much so that he was released from prison by order of the Government. Seriously ill COs could be released by special order, usually to allow them to recuperate at home before being called back up to the army. Only in late 1918 and 1919 would men be permanently released on the grounds of illness.

William was released from Wandsworth on the 31st of March 1917, travelling home to Dulwich soon after. By the time he reached home, however, he was suffering greatly and it did not take long for his illness to get the best of him, dying shortly after he arrived. William was one of many COs to die at home after being released from prison. Men were frequently released not truly to recuperate, but because their illness was coming close to a terminal condition. Whether or not it was reasoned that it was better for COs to die at home rather than in prison is unknown, but the result of releasing men weakened by the relentlessly harsh conditions of prison and the privations they experienced was tragically inevitable.

Many of the Conscientious Objectors who died in this way are commemorated on the CO Memorial Plaque. William’s name is inscribed alongside 68 others who lost their lives in the struggle against militarism. They are remembered not just for the experiences they suffered through, but for the ideal - a better and peaceful world - that they looked towards.