Source A: Reginald Haine, who joined the Honourable Artillery Company, recalls enlisting in the
First World War.
The extract comes from Forgotten Voices of the Great War. It was edited by Max Arthur for Ebury Press
in association with the Imperial War Museum and published in 2002.
A friend of mine phoned me and said ‘What are you going to do about the war?’ I hadn’t thought
anything about it. He said ‘I’ve joined my brother’s regiment, the Honourable Artillery Company.
If you like, come along, I can get you in.’ I left the office at lunchtime and went to City Road and
there was my friend waiting for me. There was a queue of about a thousand people trying to
enlist, all in the HAC – it went right down City Road. My friend pulled me out of the queue so I
went right up to the front. My friend introduced me to the sergeant-major who said ‘Are you
willing to join?’ I said ‘Yes Sir.’ He said ‘How old are you?’ I said ‘eighteen and one month.’ He
said ‘Do you mean nineteen and one month?’ I thought for a moment and said ‘Yes Sir.’ He said
‘Right –ho, sign here.’ So that was my introduction to the army.
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Source B: A poster published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee in 1915.
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Source C: A poster published in 1940 by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War.
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Source D: Albert Rowland recalls his time as a conscientious objector in the Second World
War.
From his contribution to the BBC’s People’s War website, provided in 2005.
I was called up by the Military Training Act of May, 1939. This was replaced by the National
Service Act in September, 1939. I refused to enlist. At that time, about 1940, I was deeply
involved as a Christian in the peace movement. Several of us organised a public meeting in at
the local Baptist Church. The meeting was packed. There were also a number of police officers
stood at the back of the hall. From then on I and a friend were watched. Later, we were found
with copies of the ‘Peace News’ and I was sentenced to five weeks’ imprisonment. After release,
I was working for an engineering firm and was set to work on a machine for filling cartridges. I
refused and was sacked. After a tribunal I was allowed to stay in my work. Other conscientious
objectors weren’t so lucky: some were moved to agricultural work; others were given ‘noncombatant’ work in the services. The most insincere group of conscientious objectors were the
‘political objectors’, the left wing, who were lazy and had no consciences. When Russia entered
the war on our side, some of them joined the armed forces.
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