A World War I recruitment poster featuring Kitchener.

At the start of 1914 the British Army had a reported strength of 710,000 men, of which around 80,000 were actually ready for war. By the end of the World War I almost 1 in 4 of the total male population of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland had joined, over five million men. Public Domain image of original Kitchener WWI Recruitment poster by Alfred Leete ? is it ely public domain, wheres it from, Pre-1928: This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... Public Domain image of original Kitchener WWI Recruitment poster by Alfred Leete ? is it ely public domain, wheres it from, Pre-1928: This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... An act of war - the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan during World War II War is a state of widespread conflict between states, organisations, or relatively large groups of people, which is characterised by the use of violent, physical force between combatants or upon civilians. ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ... The Union Flag, in its modern form, was first adopted in 1801. ...

Initial enthusiasm

The war began with a massive and unprecedented wave of enthusiasm. At the start of August 1914 Parliament had issued a call for an extra 500,000 soldiers and the response was overwhelming. By the end of September over 750,000 men had enlisted; by January 1915, a million. The enthusiasm to join and fight was genuine, showing an "almost mystical patriotism". Pre-war tensions in Ireland were put on hold, men from the UVF and Irish Volunteers both joining in great numbers — Ulster alone provided twelve battalions in the first months. Men from the rest of Ireland tended to be dispersed in English regiments for political purposes. The patriotism was classless, with the prestigious universities and public schools providing 30,000 officers from their OTCs immediately and many more officers subsequently. Sixth forms and universities were almost emptied as the war continued. 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is a Northern Ireland loyalist paramilitary group. ... Irish Volunteers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland. ... In military terminology, a battalion consists of two to six companies typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Defense of the homeland is a commonplace of military patriotism: commemorating the students at the École Polytechnique, Paris, 1814 Patriotism denotes positive attitudes by a person to their own nation, to its national homeland, its culture, its members, and to its interests. ... A professor giving a lecture at the Helsinki University of Technology A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ... A public school, in current British usage, is a (usually) prestigious school, for children usually between the ages of 11 or 13 and 18, which charges fees and is not financed by the state. ... The abbreviation OTC may refer to: Over-the-counter substance Over-the-counter trading the medical condition Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency an Officers Training Corps in the UK The Oakwood Theater Company The Overseas Telecommunications Commission This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise...

One early peculiarity was the formation of "Pals' battalions": groups of men from the same factory, football team, bank, and similar, joining and fighting together. The idea was first suggested at a public meeting by Lord Derby; within three days he oversaw volunteers sufficient for three battalions. Kitchener, the Minister of War, gave official approval for the measure almost instantly and the response was impressive. Manchester raised fifteen specific 'Pals' battalions; one of the smallest was Accrington, in Lancashire, which raised one. The drawback of 'Pals' batallions was that a whole town could lose its military-aged menfolk in a single day. The Pals battalions of World War I were units of the British Army that consisted of men who had enlisted together at special local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours and work colleagues (Pals) rather than having to be mixed... Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum PC, KBE, KCB, ADC ( June 24, 1850 - June 5, 1916) was a British Field Marshal and statesman. ... Manchester is a city in the north-west of England. ... Arms of Accrington Borough Council Accrington, in the County of Lancashire, is a small former mill town in the industrial north-west of England. ...

The government demand for men continued unabated, and after the first call in August for 500,000 men a further 3.5 million were called-for before the year's end. The pre-war calculations had supposed that the British Expeditionary Force would lose around 40% of its manpower in the first six months of fighting, Kitchener's predictions of three years fighting and a million men needed being regarded as incredible. The seven divisions of the BEF, totalling 85,000 men, had been landed in France at the outbreak of war; casualties in the first three months totalled almost 90,000. By mid-1915 this total had risen to around 375,000 men even before the autumn offensives and the rate of recruitment was falling off, for a number of reasons. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British army sent to France and Belgium in World War I and British Forces in Europe from 1939 - 1940 during World War II. The BEF was established by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Boer War in case Britain ever...

In 1914 the total available number of men of military age was 5.5 million, with around 500,000 more reaching the age each year. By late September 2.25 million men had been enlisted and 1.5 million were in reserved occupations. Of the rest the recruiters had uncovered a dismaying fact - almost two in every five volunteers were entirely unsuitable for military service on the grounds of health. When volunteer numbers fell to around 70,000 a month after the Dardanelles Expedition the government felt forced to intervene, although they initially avoided conscription. A National Registration Act created a register that revealed the number of men still available and they were targeted in a number of ways. The skills of advertising were brought to bear with posters, public meetings, tales of German atrocities, and the threat of shame. The 'Derby Scheme' used door-to-door visits to gather men to 'attest' to serve if needed. The Battle of Gallipoli took place on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli in 1915 during the First World War. ... The Derby Scheme was a voluntary recruitment policy in Britain created in 1915 by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby. ...

Conscription

With insufficient numbers attesting and the French Army in dire need of relief a Military Service Bill was introduced in January 1916, providing for the conscription of single men. In May the conscription was made universal, although Ireland was excluded from the scheme and the government pledged to not send teenagers to serve in the front line. (Plans to introduce conscription in Ireland led to widespread support for Sinn Féin and independence.) However, this had little impact on enlistments. The number continued to decline towards 40,000 a month as essential men were needed for war work and the poor health of many others remained, even as the requirements were progessively reduced. From 1.28 million enlisting in 1915 this had fallen to 1.19 million for 1916 and fell to around 820,000 for 1917. The healthy manpower was simply not there — in 1917-18 only 36% of men examined were suitable for full military duties, and 40% were either totally unfit or were classified as unable to undergo physical exertion. In 1918 the British Army was actually smaller than in 1917 (3.84 million to 3.9 million) and almost half the infantry was nineteen or younger. The French Army (Armée de Terre) is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... The name Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish), which means ourselves or we ourselves (not as sometimes incorrectly translated, ourselves alone or we alone) has been applied to a series of political movements since 1905 in Ireland, each of which claim or claimed sole descent from the original... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

The idea of conscientious objection had been included in the 1916 bills, with objectors appearing before special local groups to obtain exemption. Around 7,000 men were granted non-combatant duties, while a further 3,000 were sent to special labour camps. Many others who failed to be given an exemption were enlisted and sent to France to potentially face the threat of firing squad. This threat was more real to around 1,000 men who completely refused any form of service. They were forced into the Army and forty-one of them were later sentenced to death, reprieved only by the intervention of Lloyd George. During the war, 306 British soldiers were executed for cowardice. The Right Honourable David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, OM, PC (January 17, 1863 – March 26, 1945) was a British statesman and the last Liberal to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... Execution by firing squad in the United Kingdom has been limited to times of war, armed insurrection, and within the military. ...

See also

• British military history

British military history is a long and varied topic, extending from the prehistoric and ancient historic period, through the Roman invasions of Julius Cæsar and Claudius and subsequent Roman occupation; warfare in the Mediaeval period, including the invasions of the Saxons and the Vikings in the Dark Ages, the...

External links

• The British Army in the Great War - http://www.1914-1918.net/