George Barnes was a Quaker attending the nearby Streatham Meeting when he appeared before the Lambeth Tribunal on the 10th of April 1916 to argue his case as a Conscientious Objector. Like many other COs who appeared before the Lambeth Tribunal, his case was simply dismissed as illigitimate - an opinion that the London County Appeal Tribunal also shared. With his application for exemption as a CO ignored at both local and county level, George was supposed to voluntarily report to barracks as a willing soldier. Instead, he made a simple and powerful statement by refusing to do so - leading to his arrest and trial as an absentee from the army in late April 1917. This arrest was the beginning of many sentences that George was subjected to for following his conscience.

Transferred under guard to Morn Hill Camp near Winchester, George chose to disobey military orders and was court martialled, ending up with two years Hard Labour to be served in Winchester Prison. As George was sentenced in mid 1917, he was quickly transferred to Wormwood Scrubs where the Central Tribunal judged him suitable for the Home Office Scheme. After a short holding period back at Morn Hill Camp, he was sent to Dartmoor Settlement where he worked on the scheme until his final release. At Dartmoor, George joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian peace group, and was noted for his watercolours in the autograph books owned by other COs.