scots on the western front - voluntary recruitment Flashcards
many scots volunteered due to a sence of duty and patriotism
government recruitment campaigns and use of posters made men feel guilty and as though it was there duty to sign up.
In particular the famous poster of Lord Kitchiner had a significant imact on scots as he himself said “I feel certain that scotsmen have only to know that there country urgently needs their service”
Many scots also enlisted in pals betalions
this was a promis that where posible men from the same freind group, workplace or local area would be sent to fight together.
7 scots batalions where set up as pal batalions. McRaes Battalion was made up of hearts football club players and supporters and within just 6 days 600 hearts suppoerters joined up
some scots enlisted as a result of unemployment and poverty
the opertunity to escape poor living conditions and the chance to earn a steady wage was most encouraging.
Recruitment in East Lothian stood at 36% were coal minning had collapsed and unemployment was high compared to 20% recruitment in Ayrshire where coal minning was still profitable
many scots enlisted as a result of peer pressure
Many felt pressure from freinds, family and government propiganda.
Stories of Scotswomen aproaching men with white feathers where common and would further their feelings of guilt
the scottish clan tradition led to scots volunteering
recruitment methods in the highlands focused on past highland clan culture and traditions such as the legacy of the Jacobite rebellion
Men felt it was their duty to keep this up and the Queens own Cameron highlanders formed with young men in Inverness
the duty to defend belgium led to scots volunteering
britain had an aliance with belgium and so honoured her commitment when gerrmany invaded.
war propiganda Bureau ran several public stories of aleged rapes on women and using babies heads as footballs. Scots became acustomed to seing these headlines about german soldures and believed them
the government ran an extremly successfull recruitment campaign
government reccruitment posters and offices began imediatly after the outbreak of war.
By the end of week 1 of the campaign 22,000 scotsmen in glasgow alone had signed up
scots enlisted due to a sence of adventur and enthusiasm.
many young scots boys and men had never left the country and it was believed that the war would be over by christmas so an adventure with freinds seemed too good an opertunity to miss at the time.
John Copper a recruit to the Dundee Blackwatch retells the day he enlisted: ‘boys went joyfully… we all had a pathetic faith that we should come back somhow….’
