In What Ways Did The First World War Affect The Lives Of People At Home?

Authors Avatar

Christopher Leydon 11DW

The Home Front 1914 – 1918

In What Ways Did The First World War Affect The Lives Of People At Home?

        Recruitment and conscription played key parts in the First World War because to begin with every single British citizen who lived during the First World War was in some way affected by recruitment propaganda. Conscription was introduced in 1916 and made sure that every able bodied man in Britain was in some way recruited into fighting on the western front.

Sources A1 (i) and A1 (ii) tell us that in 1914 & 1915 the country was desperate for more men than just the army alone. Source A1 (i) is a very famous poster showing the decorated navy officer and the secretary of state for war Lord Kitchener ordering you to join the armed forces for king and country. Source A1 (ii) is a picture taken in 1915 outside Southwark Town Hall, London, that was used as a recruiting office during times of war. This picture shows that men were eager and cueing by the thousands to be recruited and join the armed forces so that they could come back war heroes. Source A1 (i) tells us that signing up was completely voluntary but the propaganda was so strong that most men joined up any way. Source A1 (ii) shows us that many men were signing up outside Southwark Town Hall, London in December 1915 and even though the recruiting was voluntary many people signed up any way to become war heroes. If you look at the picture closely you will see that many people are happy to be signing up but then again they could just be smiling for the photo.

The attitude of the Welsh that is given in Source A2 (i), A2 (ii) and A3 is one of that they are proud to be Welsh and also proud to fight for what they believe in.

It seems that the government is incredibly keen for the Welsh to join the battlefields, but because they did not meet the statutory height and weight measurements they could not be recruited... And so Lloyd George appealed to the Welsh public living in London to reconsider the restrictions so that the Welsh could fight along side the other nationalities. So that more men could be recruited these restrictions were waived.

Lloyd George used many powerful speeches to convince the Welsh living in London, and some of the phrases he used included…

  • “The world owes to the little five-foot nations.”
  • “The heroic deeds.”
  • “Thrill humanity through generations.”
  • “The deeds of little nations fighting for their freedom.”
  • “Wales must continue to do her duty”
  • “I should like to see a welsh army in the field.”
  • “The race who defeated the Normans for hundreds of years in their struggle for freedom.”
  • “The race that helped to win the battle of Crecy.”
  • “The race that fought for a generation under Glyndwr against the greatest captain in Europe.”
  • “I should like to see that race give a good taste of its quality in struggle.”

Source A2(ii) shows the growing need for men on the western front and in the end Lloyd George won the battle against  and the “5 questions for men who have not enlisted” was published and so the attitude of the Welsh to recruit rose considerably. The poster that was published read…

  1. If you are physically fit and between 19 and 30 years old, are you satisfied with what you are doing today?
  2. When walking about the streets, are you happy to see other men wearing the King’s soldiers’ uniform?
  3. What will you say in time to come when asked, “Where did you serve in the Great War?”
  4. What will your answer be when your grown-up children ask, “Dad why weren’t you a soldier too?”
  5. What would happen to the empire if all men stayed at home like you? Enlist Today!

This shows that the Welsh do not want to be left out and thought to be weaker than other nations, it also shows that they had courage and can do anything that anyone else can. The Welsh’s attitude to the First World War at this stage seems to be positive about to joining the war effort.

Source A3 shows us that the Welsh had greater participation in the war effort after 1915 when Lloyd George became minister of munitions. Source A3 tells us that because Lloyd George persuaded the Church, as the church had a great influence over the welsh public, that the war was a Crusade, they managed to get more Welsh people to recruit, as showing that whatever the church thought in those days was law.

Join now!

These three sources all tell us that because of Lloyd George the Welsh had more participation in the War then they ever would have been.

Source A4 is the Military Service Act of 1916 this is the biggest turning point of the First World War because it is effectively forcing every single able man that the country has to offer. The Military Service Act gave the men of Britain three choices, one was to enlist at once, two was to attest at once under the group system and the third choice was to wait and you would automatically ...

This is a preview of the whole essay