WW1 Recruitment Flashcards
how many soldiers were ready to be deployed in 1914?
120,000
when did Kitchener start recruiting for his ‘new army’?
August 1914
what was Kitchener’s ‘new army’?
an all volunteer army
rate of Kitchener’s army recruitment in first week
100 men an hour
who set up the British War Propaganda Bureau?
Lloyd-George
what were examples of propaganda used for recruitment?
drawings
paintings
posters
films
newspaper articles
books
what was a major reason for men wanting to join up?
ant-German sentiment
what created this anti-German sentiment?
reports such as the “Report on Alleged German Outrages”
created suspicions of German troops and generated hatred towards Germans
what major event was used to propel recruitment propganda?
the execution of Edith Cavell in October 1915
what was Edith Cavell’s execution portrayed as?
an act of heroism and bravery
encouraged men at home to act in the same way and sign up
how many men had enlisted in the first 16 months of the war?
2.5 million
who was the Director General of Recruiting in 1914?
Lord Derby
who introduced the ‘Pals Battalions’?
Lord Derby
what were ‘Pals Battalions’?
men who joined up as a part of a group would be enlisted together and part of the same battalion
groups of men included:
- work groups
- schools
- football teams
what was the reason for the introduction of the ‘Pals Battalions’?
Lord Derby believed that encouraging peers and relatives to enlist together would lead to more recruits
by September 1914 how many towns had Pals Batallions?
50
why did the formation of Pals battalions have a detrimental affect on society?
as many men from the same town would enlist and fight together, the murderous nature of war meant that these battalions would almost be wiped out all at once
this left very few men from cetain towns to return home, leaving many women widowed and supportless
which Pals Battalion was wiped out on the first day of the Somme?
Accrington Pals
what was the age restriction for enlisting?
18
how did many under-age boys enlist?
they lied about their age
how much was a recruiting officer paid and what does this suggest?
£6 for each person they enlist
therefore many recruitment probably turned a blind eye to make money
how many under-age soldiers were recruited during WW1?
250,000
who introduced the Derby Scheme?
Lord Derby
what was the Derby Scheme?
way in which men who were not enlisted were pressured into enlisting
how was the Derby Scheme a social pressure on men at home?
as part of the scheme, men had to disclose whether or not they would enlist to either a war veteran or the father of a serving soldier
must have been difficult to say NO to someone impacted by war
how many men did the Derby Scheme enlist?
300,000
how many refused the decleration required by the Derby Scheme?
1/3 of married men
1/3 of single men
what led the govt to decide on conscription?
the mass losses suffered by the BEF across the world
when was The Military Service Act introduced?
January 1916
what were the exemptions to enlistment of the 1916 Military Service Act?
- being married
- widowed with kids
- in the RN
- minister of religion
- in a reserved occupation
when was conscription extended to married men?
May 1916
when did conscription extend to British men living abroad?
July 1917
when was the age limit raised to 51?
April 1918
why was Ireland exempt to conscription laws?
the 1916 Easter Uprising showed Irish discontent
how many men volunteered between August 1914 and the introduction of conscription?
3 million
how many men were cinscripted in WW1 by Britain?
2.3 million
what was a conscientious objector?
people who refused to fight in moral or religious grounds
what were the types of conscientious objectors?
pacifists who were against war
political objectors who did not see Germany as the enemy
religious objections (Quakers, Jehovah’s Witnesses)
which act included the ‘conscience clause’?
Miltary Service Act 1916
how many men claimed to be conscientious objectors?
16,000
who were ‘absolutists’?
conscientious objectors who wanted NO role in war at all
what happened to ‘absolutists’?
they were sent to prison and suffered harsh treatment
what was the ‘Order of the White Feather’?
women would hand white feathers to men at home who did not wear uniform
intended to shame the conscientious objectors
many of these women had men in their families fighting at the front
what was the WSPU?
the Women’s Social and Political Union
what was the proposal made to the British govt by the WSPU?
the women’s rights movement would suspend their pursuit for the vote, instead supporting the war effort in full
AS LONG AS
suffragete imprisoners were released
who was the leader of the WSPU?
Emmeline Pankhurst
what changed in the outlook of the suffragette movement?
started being extremely patriotic and attacked anything deemed anti-war
less focus on the fight for the vote
who used Emmeline Pankhurst to recruit female workers?
Lloyd George
what was the new name of the newspaper of the WSPU?
Brittania
how many opposed conscription at Trafalgar Square in 1916?
over 200,000
what was the ‘No Conscription Fellowship’?
group which actively encouraged men to REJECT military service
they pushed for the removal of the Military Service Act of 1916
how many women served in some capacity in WW1?
100,000
