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Era of the Great War - recruitment
- 1. Era of the Great War Military recruitment
- 2. Military recruitment In today’s class I am learning to: • Describe the process of recruitment during the Great War • Explain why Scottish men signed up to fight during the Great War
- 3. Military recruitment When the Great War began in 1914, Britain still had a volunteer army. Until 1916 men only fought if they signed up to do so.
- 4. Military recruitment In 1914, Britain’s army was known as the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). The BEF had around 250,000 soldiers, compared to more than two million in Germany. Britain’s military strength lay in its navy.
- 5. Military recruitment As World War One would involve a great deal of land fighting, Britain needed to quickly recruit more soldiers. The government started a nationwide campaign to persuade – or force – young men to fight.
- 6. Military recruitment Men that wanted to fight had to go to a local army recruitment office. In order to join the army men had to be 18 (and 19 to be sent abroad). Many boys lied about their age, meaning some 13 year olds joined up.
- 7. Military recruitment The government recruitment campaign used posters to persuade men to fight. These images painted a glamorous and exciting vision of war to attract soldiers, or they tried to belittle men that did not agree to fight.
- 8. Military recruitment Many posters used Scottish imagery to persuade men in Scotland to go to war. This included the poet Robert Burns, using lyrics from one of his poems which encouraged men to become a soldier.
- 9. Military recruitment Dundee had a very high recruitment rate, with around 30,500 men joining (63% of men eligible to fight). Local recruitment posters helped encourage these Dundee men to sign up to go to off to war.
- 10. Military recruitment Football was used as a recruitment tool during the war. Recruitment events were held at football games. Footballers also signed up, with fans encouraged to join them. Famously sixteen players from Hearts’ team signed up.
- 11. Military recruitment Entertainers like Harry Lauder used their shows to persuade men to sign up (Lauder’s son died), including offering £10 to the first man to sign up. Famous singers such as Marie Lloyd sang recruiting songs.
- 12. Military recruitment Different methods also tried to recruit Scots. A tram in Edinburgh was turned into a mobile recruitment centre. Marches and parades were also held, often with military bands providing music.
- 13. Military recruitment There was a huge surge in recruitment; around 500,000 men had signed by September 1914. By the end of 1914, around one million men had volunteered to fight, but this was still well below the amount that Britain needed.
- 14. Military recruitment There were many reasons Scottish men agreed to join the army. Some believed it was a tradition; their fathers and grandfathers had been soldiers. Others believed the Scots had to keep their reputation as strong fighters.
- 15. Military recruitment Patriotism was a key reason that many men signed up to become soldiers. They believed that they were fighting to protect their country (and also their families), and were even prepared to die to achieve this.
- 16. Military recruitment Others went to stop German atrocities. UK propaganda highlighted German actions such as the 1915 sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania. British men were encouraged to sign up to protect innocent people.
- 17. Military recruitment Some people joined to improve their lives. Many men were unemployed or had low paid jobs so joined to get more money. Others wanted to travel and see other countries, which they could not otherwise afford to do.
- 18. Military recruitment Many men joined up due to peer pressure. Family or friends – or even people in the street – would call men that did not fight cowards. Some women gave a white feather to men not wearing uniform.
- 19. Military recruitment Pals Battalions let men sign up to fight alongside their friends. Groups in Scotland were not generally known as ‘Pals Battalions’. Scots were more likely to join an established local regiment, such as the Black Watch in Dundee.
- 20. Military recruitment Members of the Black Watch getting ready to leave from Dundee train station
- 21. Military recruitment One famous example of local recruitment was the McCrae’s Battalion (part of the Royal Scots regiment) which took 16 footballers and 500 fans from Hearts FC. Seven of the players died during the war.
- 22. Military recruitment There were different local battalions in Glasgow, and they were mostly part of the Highland Light Infantry. They took in men from groups like tram workers, former members of the Boys’ Brigade and college students.