Transcript Slide 1
BRITISH RECRUITMENT WWI ‘C’mon boys, let’s join up…’ • The British Expeditionary Force had well under a million men before war was declared on 4 August 1914. • There is no national service in Britain. • 500, 000 men signed up in August alone……… WHY??? The Recruitment Campaign • 7 August, Lord Kitchener begins the campaign – men aged 19 to 30 • 33,000 men PER DAY sign up (13 times the number of pupils at WHS every day) • By the end of August the age was increased to 35 • By 1915, 2 million men had volunteered How was this achieved? • Initial enthusiasm for war (remember ‘MAIN’) ‘The romance of it, the mystery and uncertainty of it, the glowing enthusiasm and lofty idealism of it’ Private Thomas Bickerson • Propaganda • Pressure from society • Order of the White Feather PROPAGANDA!!!! • What does this word mean? The organised spreading of beliefs • What forms do you think it could take in 1914? Posters, newspapers, music, pamphlets ‘Let’s get organised….’ • The British War Propaganda Bureau (WPB) set up in August 1914 • It was set up by David Lloyd George (Chancellor of the Exchequer) • JOB: officials meet in secret to discuss how to promote British interests during the war The next few screens show different posters aimed at increasing the army. Can you spot the methods they used to encourage men to enlist??? (think about the ‘N’) So, what did you spot?? • What kind of images were used to show men in the armed forces? • What language was used? • Is there anything relating to revenge? • Look again at this poster. What does it mean? So, what do we know? • The British Army in 1914 was small • There was a recruitment campaign as well as propaganda • Enthusiasm • Pressure from society • Millions volunteered MANY OF THESE MEN WOULD NEVER COME HOME There were no images like this in the propaganda. This is a young, dead soldier photographed by Geoffrey Malins. He has never been identified. Millions died like this all over Europe.