Recruitment in the First and
Second World Wars
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tv/wwi100th-anniversary-volunteeringconscription-11916
In the first World War as
there was no conscription,
posters were used to
persuade men to enlist
The Order of the White Feather
Men were made to feel cowards for not joining up
This white feather was
sent to William Weller
in Wolverhampton
despite the fact that he
was excused from the
armed services on
medical grounds and
for doing vital war
work.
Men outside a recruiting office 1914
Conscription was introduced in 1916
Conscription in the Second World
War
• Men between the ages of 20 and 21 had been
called up for 6 months training from April
1939
• On Sept 3rd the day war broke out the
National Service Act introduced conscription
for all men aged 19-41. men aged 20 – 23
were the first to be called up
• http://www.britishpathe.com/video/fornational-safety-and-british-freedom-conscripti
Men in Recruiting Stations
First World War
Second World War
Conscientious Objectors in the First
World War
‘Conchies’ were ridiculed
Postcard 1916
Conscientious Objectors in the Second World
War at Dyce Work Camp Aberdeenshire
Local Defence Volunteers at Hatfield
1940
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V3SqxU
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Those too old, too young or not physically fit to be
enlisted joined the LDV or Home Guard. It was soon
known as ‘Dad’s Army’
Some people poked fun at the
Home Guard
Clips from ‘Dad’s Army’
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V3SqxU
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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Uw5eY
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The Role of Women in Both World
Wars
• In the First World War all women who worked
for the war effort were volunteers.
• In the Second World War women were
conscripted in Dec 1941
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QgKDfBW
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(the film was made before conscription was
introduced)
First World War
Munitions workers
Land Army
Voluntary Aid
Detachment
(Nursing)
Second World War
Conscription of Women
From spring 1941 every woman in
Britain aged 18-60 had to register
with the Government.
In December 1941 the National
Service Act was passed this made
the conscription of women legal.
Single women, aged 20-30, were
called up first.
By 1943, 90% of single women and
80% of married women were
employed in jobs related to the war.
The Women’s
Auxiliary Air Force
(WAAF) was
created in 1939.
The main reason
was to release men
to fight on the
front line.
The women of the
WAAF carried out
almost all the
men’s jobs except
flying in combat.
Members of the
WAAF – Flight
Mechanics
These women were
responsible for
things like aircraft
maintenance and
controlling barrage
balloons.
Propaganda Posters of the Second World War
The Women’s Royal Naval Service,
like the WLA, was first formed
during the First World War.
In April 1939 the WRNS, or
Wrens, was reformed. Like with
the WAAF the WRNS main
purpose was to free up men to
fight the war.
The women who joined were
usually from families living near
the ports. Between December
1939 and June 1945 the number
of Wrens rose from 3,400 to
72,000.
Members of the
Women’s Land
Army
Wrens rolling out a torpedo from a
submarine in 1943.
Women making barrage
balloons in Manchester.
During the First World War the British
Government established the Women’s
Land Army. This army of women
workers was reformed in 1938.
Women who joined were usually from
towns and cities.
The women were noticed for their
outfit of green jerseys (jumpers), brown
breeches (trousers) and brown hats.
The women did a variety of jobs from
milking and general farm work to
cutting down trees and catching rats.
By 1944 80,000 women worked on the
land. The WLA lasted until 1950.
Princess Elizabeth (The Queen)
aged 19 in the ATS, 1945
Exam Board 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.
Source A
Exam Board Source: B
• A poster published by the Parliamentary
Recruiting Committee in 1915.
August and September 1914 – a surge in recruiting
After a relatively slow start, there was a sudden surge in recruiting in late August and early
September 1914. In all, 478,893 men joined the army between 4 August and 12 September,
including 33,204 on 3 September alone – the highest daily total of the war and more than the
average annual intake in the years immediately before 1914. Apart from a bedrock of patriotism
and a widespread collective sense of duty to King and Empire, two factors, in particular, helped
to generate this boom in enlistment. One was the formation on 31 August of the Parliamentary
Recruiting Committee (PRC), which placed at the disposal of the War Office the entire network
of local party political organisations. The assistance which the PRC provided included the issue of
a series of memorable recruiting posters designed by leading graphic artists of the day. Another
key factor in stimulating enlistment was the granting of permission to committees of municipal
officials, industrialists and other dignitaries, especially in northern England, to organise locallyraised ‘Pals’ battalions, which men from the same community or workplace were encouraged to
join on the understanding that they would train and, eventually, fight together. Many other men,
however, enlisted for adventure or to escape from an arduous, dangerous or humdrum job.
Source B:
•
Britain’s army at the beginning of the First World War was
relatively small and professional. There was no conscription
of population before 1916, and so recruitment of volunteers
in large numbers became a huge challenge. The
Parliamentary Recruitment Committee was set up at the start
of the War, and chaired by the Prime Minister, Herbert
Asquith. It used local political party associations to form a
network which campaigned through the circulation of leaflets
and posters, and organising rallies and other public events.
Considerable social pressure was brought to bear on men to
volunteer, and those who did not risked vilification as
‘shirkers’ or cowards. For many men, however, awareness of
their responsibilities towards their families as wage earners
proved a compelling disincentive to volunteer. Often, the
levels of compensation offered to the families of men who
enlisted were not sufficient to avert the risk of destitution to
wives and children or elderly parents. Posters like this used
that powerful sense of duty to family, but instead suggested
that, in the future, children would hold their fathers to
account on the service that they performed for their country
rather than the social protection that they ensured for their
immediate family. This poster shows a sophisticated use of
art and imagery in provoking a powerful emotional response.
These visually strong examples are among the best
remembered, and more commonly reproduced, war posters.
However, British recruitment posters were often much
simpler in design, using only text and single colours.
Exam Board Source: C
• A poster published in 1940 by the Royal Air
Force in the Second World War.
Source C:
Exam Board 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.
Source D: