Why British Men Enlisted in the British Army in 1914 Essay

Why British Men Enlisted in the British Army in 1914 When Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, Europe erupted. The Austro-Hungarian Empire invaded Serbia; Russia sends troops to its borders with Austria and Hungary. Germany declares war on Russia and France and marches into Belgium and Britain declares war with Germany and her allies. Although Britain already had a well-trained professional army, it was far too small to be able to stand a chance against the huge German army that was more than three times its size. As a result of this Lord Kitchener immediately went on a recruiting campaign calling on all men aged between 19 and 30 to enlist in the British Army. There was a huge response,†¦show more content†¦Posters were very effective and created a picture of Germans who would run their bayonets through women and rape them. Lord Derby had the idea of pals battalions, these were battalions of people who volunteered to join the army in the same area. This scheme inspired local and civic pride, this meant that soldiers would not just be fighting for the British Empire, but for their town or city and friend and family. This was particularly effective as it encouraged friend to enlist at the same time, if one was left behind there would be no one they new. It had a similar effect as peer pressure - if you did not join up you considered a coward by your friends. This worked well in North England and Scotland, where places like Hull raised four regiments and three regiments from Liverpool went over the top of the trenches on the first day. Women too played a vital role in the recruitment process. The Order of the White Feather was a group that encouraged women to hand out white feathers to men not in uniform in public as a sign of cowardice - the white feather being a symbol a coward. This really pushed men to go as they would not want to be seen as a coward in public. The suffragists used their considerable publicity machine to call on men to join the army. The mothers union produced posters urging mothers to get their sons to enlist. Some posters published byShow MoreRelatedAustralia s Involvement During World War I911 Words   |  4 PagesAustralia’s involvement in World War 1 was very important. World War 1 went from July 28th 1914 to November 11th 1918. It lasted 4 years over in Europe before it died down to a complete stop. There were long term tensions that caused the war and there were a lot of treaties and alliances involved. World War 1 started when Germany and Britain went to war on July 28th 1914. The war outbreak was greeted with great enthusiasm in Australia and other countries all over the world. There were many causesRead MoreAustralia As A Part Of The Commonwealth1501 Words   |  7 Pagesand patriotically defended Great Britain at the outbreak of World War One (WWI) in 1914. 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