World War One Volunteering, Conscription, and Desertion

1. Looking at World War One Volunteering, Conscription and Desertion

2. Looking at World War One Volunteering, Conscription and Desertion • Recruitment and Mobilisation • Why people volunteered • A “volunteer” • Conscription • Conscientious Objectors • Desertion

3. Looking at World War One Recruiting • Army in Britain had 80,000 regulars and 630,000 reservists • Initial call for 100,000 volunteers led to 0.5m in first 2 months • Minimum age 18 years, no one under 19 years to fight at the front • Intensive marketing and recruitment of “Pals Battalions” 1914-1915 • Still not enough so National Registration Act summer 1915 – all males 18-41 recorded on pink card

4. Looking at World War One Recruiting • Derby Scheme Autumn 1915 – details of eligible men transferred to blue card which was sent to local canvasser • Conscription introduced for males 18-41 January 1916, extended to married men a few months later • Estimated 250,000 men under 18 joined • 1918 men 18 yrs 6 months sent to the front if trained • Conscription passed into law in Ireland in April 1918 galvanising support for Irish Independence

5. Looking at World War One How many men joined up ? In Britain 2.7m volunteered and 2.3m were conscripted In 1914 Britain had 5.5m men of military age, with 0.5m reaching 18 each year Germany mobilised 3.8m men within the first 2 weeks of the start of the war, but they still also gained 0.5m volunteers

6. Looking at World War One Why have volunteers ? • Political belief of Liberal Government • No planning for a continental war, just maintaining Empire • Small Army at 1914 – maximum 0.71m including Indian Army and Territorials • First moves, forming Territorial Army, in 1905 • Kitchener warns of the need for a major army 2-3m, to sustain a long, Continental, war in November 1914

7. Looking at World War One Why did people volunteer ? • Potential enthusiasm already present • Belief in a short war • Mass meetings • Music Hall stars • Advertising • The press • Authority figures – teachers, religious leaders • Peer pressure • The White Feather Campaign

8. Looking at World War One Why did individuals volunteer ? • Public school expectation • Unemployment • Change from normal life • Joined with friends • A “challenge” (J B Priestley) • Fighting for their country

9. Looking at World War One The marketing messages

10. Looking at World War One Empire marketing messages

11. Looking at World War One Celebrity endorsement Recruiting, as well as fund raising, happened at mass meetings led by powerful local figures And at events, not least the Music Halls

12. Looking at World War One Pals Battalions • Recruitment of people from similar occupations or towns • Peer pressure and knowing they are serving with friends and colleagues • Suggested in August 1914 and 1600 men from the City of London ( the “Stockbrokers Battalion”) enlist by the end of August • Followed by Football supporters, Sportsmen and units from industrial towns • Disastrous consequences when complete units were destroyed such as Accrington Pals at the 1st day of the Somme • Ends with the introduction of conscription

13. Looking at World War One The move to conscription 1915 • The canvasser gave each man an individual face to face interview on whether he would attest to join the forces • Those attesting had to go to recruiting office within 48 hours • Recruiting office assigned single and married men to different groups (white card) • 38% of single and 54% of married men refused to enlist • So Military Service Bill, January 1916, introduced conscription for single men • Bill extended to married men in May 1916

14. Looking at World War One A “volunteer” - Sydney Woolf A schoolmaster in Walthamstow, London born 1881 1st wife died 1913, leaving him with a 7 year old daughter Remarried on 29/7/1915 Volunteered, aged 34, on 7/10/15 Joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Secretary/Typist

15. Looking at World War One Sydney Woolf So Sydney joins through the attestment process Perhaps they got married anticipating what would happen

16. Looking at World War One Sydney Woolf Remained in England Became an Acting Sergeant Agreed to Active Service overseas 13/4/16 Son born 26/7/17 Fitness for active service reviewed 26/1/17 – Flat feet, glasses and bad teeth! Released from Army 22/1/19 Returned to teaching including Shorthand to adults Family moved to Tiptree in Essex to run the village school Not a Hero but did his bit

17. Looking at World War One Conscientious Objectors • Britain recognised the right in 1757 of Quakers not be forced into military service • All British forces were voluntary until Military Service Act January 1916 • The Act allowed Objectors to be: Absolutely exempted To perform alternative civilian service To serve in the Army’s Non Combatant Corps • Decision were made by a local Tribunal

18. Looking at World War One Conscientious Objectors • Approximately 16,000 men made the claim of conscientious objection – 0.5% of conscripts • A significant proportion were Quakers • Approx 4500 were exempted for doing work of national importance, 6500 joined the Non Combatants Corps, 6000 were refused exemption and forced into the Army • The Non Combatant Corps was an Army unit but non-fighting roles • Those “Absolutists”, who were forced to join the Army were Court Martialled, and sent to Prison, if they refused to obey orders • Prison conditions were very harsh and some died in prison • A small group numbering 50 were taken to France and, Court Martialled and given the Death sentence which was commuted to 10 years imprisonment, perhaps with the intervention of the Prime Minister • Conscientious Objectors considered to have made no contribution to the war were disenfranchised for 5 years after the war

19. Looking at World War One Conscientious Objectors –Who were they ? Local Ben Hunt – Settle, Quaker, agreed to join Friends Ambulance Unit in1916 Charles Knowles – Bentham, Quaker, Farmer and Fruit Grower, only granted exemption from fighting duties, but refused service and arrested July 1916, released due to father’s sickness in September 1916 High Profile Fenner Brockway – Journalist, Labour party member, formed No Conscription Fellowship, in prison 1916-1919 subsequently Labour politician Bertrand Russell – Philospher and prominent anti-war campaigner, short period in prison

20. Looking at World War One Desertion • All armies feared desertion leading to potential breakdown of discipline • But nations varied greatly in their approach

21. Looking at World War One Deserters Executed http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/military_justice

22. Looking at World War One Deserters • All British Court Martials and executions were carried out on the battlefield • German Court Martials were held further back with civilian support • Most Deserters were in mainland Britain and none of these were executed • Italian generals took a brutal approach to discipline hence their high numbers 80,000 British men were diagnosed with “Shell Shock” during the war and this caused some of the battlefield desertions All the British deserters who were shot were pardoned in 2006

23. Looking at World War One

24. Looking at World War One