The following are excerpts from Bryher’s 1933 essay “WHAT SHALL YOU DO IN THE WAR"?”, published in the avant-garde cinema magazine CLOSE UP. For my 2026 New Year’s letter, I printed out and mailed physical copies of these excerpts to friends and family. Emphasis is my own. You can read the full version here.

“For the last fifteen years people have used the words peace and war so much that the sound of them means nothing at all. They have read war books, said " how terrible " and gone on to read accounts of life in the south seas or on a farm or stories of a feudal castle, as if all were equally real or perhaps better, unreal. They have signed resolutions and exchanged armistice memories and sighed (if they are old enough) for " the good old days before the war." But very few have ever made a constructive attempt to prevent the months of 1914 from being repeated on a larger and worse scale.” 190

“I do not think a pacifism of theories and pamphlets is of any use. The mass of the people desires action. In this respect both fascism and communism alike respond to primitive psychological needs. Ninety per cent, of any nation want deeds and not ideas.” 190

"If one believes that there is never a justification for war, then it is one's duty to join a peace organisation and fight for peace, not through the signing of resolutions but through an attempt to help those who are now suffering because they believed in peace. One should try to spread the knowledge of other nations among the many English in outlying villages who still believe a foreigner to be not quite as human as themselves. Remember that abstract words about peace mean very little; and that the first impressions that a child receives about another country will be lasting. If you know children, find out if their geography lessons are interesting and what they think about other nations.” 191

“But it would be advisable to join an organisation and keep in touch with it, not to come with conscientious objections discovered only on the outbreak of war. On the other hand, those who think that there are times when a resort of arms is justified, should decide what to do if there were war. What training have they? Do they know anything of modern warfare?” 191

“Remember that the last war proved to us that we have no right to demand a man who does not believe in war, to be a soldier, for we failed in our war and we have all but failed in our peace. But we have the right to demand that everyone shall choose now, and not when the struggle is upon us, whether he or she will fight or not. And if one does not wish to fight, one must think if all is being done now that can make peace possible?” 191

“What I write applies to women equally with men. They will be conscripted in the next war; already there is labor conscription for them in Germany and it is said that a similar law would be applied upon the outbreak of hostilities in France.” 191

“Let us decide what we will have. If peace, let us fight for it." 191