RECRUITMENT
IN WORLD WAR
ONE
TO DISCOVER HOW THE GOVERNMENT GOT
PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE WAR
WHAT IS
RECRUITMENT
Recruitment is when the government tried
to persuade people to get involved in the
war.
This was not just soldiers, but every one in
the country needed to help out with the war
e.g. children were needed to collect
materials to make weapons.
HOW DID THEY DO
THIS?
At first the government allowed people to
volunteer to fight in the war. Men could go
to their local signing up office and
volunteer to fight for “King and Country.”
PAL’S BATALLIONS
To encourage groups of friends and sports
teams to sign up together an idea was created
of “Pals Battalions.” Men could sign up with
their friends and were promised they would
fight together and serve together. This
encouraged huge groups of men to all
volunteer together. The most famous example
was the “Accrington Pals” and their story was
told through the local Accrington Observer
newspaper every week.
CONSCRIPTION
As the war continued, the government
brought in “conscription”. From January
1916, men between the ages of 18 and 41
who were physically fit could be called up
to join the army. Some could appeal and
not join because of their religion or their
beliefs but most were made to fight.
HOW MANY MEN
FOUGHT?
In 1914 the British army had 710,000
men.
By September 1914 they had 750,000
men and by January 1915 over 1 million
had joined the army voluntarily.
By the end of the war, almost 1 in 4 of
the total men in Britain had joined up,
that’s over 5 million men!
POSTERS
Posters became the most popular way to encourage people
to get involved in the war effort.
The posters asked people to do many things, including:
1. Fight as soldiers.
2. Women to support the men at war.
3. Children to get involved at home.
4. Ordinary people doing their duty at home e.g. growing
vegetables.
5. Getting people to hate the enemy.
WHAT ARE THESE
POSTERS ASKING
PEOPLE TO DO?
HOW DID POSTERS
WORK?
The government used three main tactics on their posters:
• Guilt to those not involved.
• Pride in the country and King.
• Selling the British army as being not just a job.
THE MOST
FAMOUS POSTER!
This is the most
famous poster of
World War One. It is
Lord Kitchener, he
was in charge of
getting people to join
the army. His eyes
followed you
anywhere you moved
around the room!
YOUR TASK!
You are to design your own poster to persuade
people to be a part of the war.
It must ask people to join the army and get people
to want to be a part of the war.
It must be colourful and have big images and big
writing to get people interested when they walk
past it.
SOME IDEAS!