Using the information in the sources and your own knowledge, in what ways were the lives of the people at home affected by the First World War?

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Carly Harwood

Coursework – Assignment One – The British Homefront

Using the information in the sources and your own knowledge, in what ways were the lives of the people at home affected by the First World War?

War was declared on Germany on 2nd August 1914. A world war like this had never been experienced before and many people did not know what to expect. Many of these people thought that it would be over by Christmas of the same year. But it wasn’t. It affected the British people in many different ways. This is what I am aiming to investigate.

The most obvious and immediate affect of the war was recruitment. Traditionally Britain had relied on voluntary recruitment, and the government decided this should continue, backed by an official recruitment campaign, e.g. posters, leaflets, stirring speeches by government ministers and regular stories of German atrocities etc. These things proved very effective to begin with; many people were encouraged by the recruitment campaign and thought it was their duty to remain loyal to their country. They were proud of their country which the Germans were seen to be threatening. Half a million young men signed up in the first month.

An example of the posters used to encourage the men to sign up is the one in Source B. It was issued in 1914 and features Lord Kitchener, a successful former soldier who later became the Secretary of State for War, pointing at the reader. This attracted the readers’ attention straight away, making them feel like they were being directly targeted. The writing on the poster proclaims ‘Britons’ [picture of the Lord Kitchener] ‘Wants you. Join your country’s army.’ This text made the young men reading the poster feel valued as individuals who could help their country. It also appealed to their patriotism at a time when morale was high. The declaration of war had even been celebrated by many people, and support for the war effort was extremely high. Many other posters were issued, often aimed at women who were encouraged to persuade their sons, boyfriends and husbands to join the army.

However, as the war progressed, this support declined greatly. In September 1914, 436 000 men signed up to the army. But by December 1915 these figures had fallen to just 55 000. Public morale was at an all time low. The enormous numbers of casualties on the Western Front could not be hidden from the public, and women who had encouraged the men in their family to fight for their country now received telegrams from the War Office informing them their loved ones had been killed, wounded or were missing. The shocking reality of the war was proclaimed from every newspaper and people were horrified. The government now had a huge problem; voluntary recruitment would soon not produce enough soldiers to replace the dead and wounded. Also the volunteer system was damaging Britain’s agriculture and industry (with millions of its workers fighting in the army), and it was seen as unfair. It annoyed people that some of the fittest and most able men had not volunteered. Their solution to the problem was conscription – compulsory military service.

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The Military Service Act was passed in 1916, bringing conscription into force for men aged 18-41. Eventually many people welcomed conscription.

However, some of those people who had not volunteered before conscription was introduced still did not join up. They were ‘conscientious objectors’ or ‘conchies’, and opposed the war for political or religious reasons. They were sentenced to go to prison, to do hard labour or they went to the Front to work in field hospitals or as stretcher bearers. They were often shouted at by women who thought of them as cowards, or presented with a white feather, ...

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