HISTORY REVISION

THE HOME FRONT IN WW1

RECRUITMENT
When war broke out Britain had a small army of around 250,000 professional
soldiers. Lord Kitchener, the Secretary of State for War, informed the Government
that he would need at least 1 million men.
Volunteers: recruitment offices in every town and city, posters and pamphlets,
politicians toured country making patriotic speeches, so successful that
barracks were overflowing and not enough rifles, groups who knew each other
signed up together made Pals Battalions, lost whole towns, villages and
workers in one day, 500,000 first month, 2.5 million by March 1916, many
mentally and physically scarred
Conscription: many casualties needed to be replaced but volunteers not
enough, January 1916 first conscription act (single men (three months later
married also), 18-41), 1916-1918 third of men conscripted, many saw as fair
because all types of men from everywhere share burden, government could
control what occupations called up e.g. mining
Conscientious objectors: religious or humanitarian reasons, convince tribunal
genuine reason not just cowardice, non-combatant service e.g. driving
ambulances at the Front or essential work at home e.g. mining or forestry,
refused to do anything imprisoned or sent to labour camps, refused orders
then court-martialled and shot, few had sympathy, called conchies
Men joined up for many reasons. Some were convinced by propaganda, some were
inspired, some did it to fit in with friends, some wanted to get away from their life,
some wanted excitement and some thought it was their duty.

WAR AT HOME
For the first time in British history, the destruction of war was brought home, this was
total war. This showed that anyone was at risk.
Shelling: December 1914, battleships shelled towns on north-east coast e.g.
Scarborough, Whitby and Hartlepool (119 people killed)
Zeppelins: January 1915, 200 metres long and could carry 20 tonnes of
bombs, started on east coast with Great Yarmouth and Kings Lynn, total 57
raids (killed 564, injured 1370)
Gotha and Giant Bombers: May 1917 Folkestone (killed 95), next month
London (killed 162), total 27 raids (killed 835, injured 1990)
The attacks on the east coast made people fear invasion. The government
responded to attacks on coastal towns with searchlights, anti-aircraft guns and
barrage balloons. Detailed instructions were sent to military commanders on the east
coast with instructions for invasion.

CONTROL
On 8th August 1914, Parliament passed the first Defence of the Realm Acts. These
gave the Government the power to bypass Parliament and issue directives that had
the force of law. This meant that the Government could control almost every aspect
of the peoples lives.

In the early years of the war people were determined to carry on as usual. This kept
morale high and determination to win was strengthened. However, business as
usual meant eating as much as you wanted, going on strike if you were dissatisfied,
working less hard, gathering in large crowds where the Germans could bomb.
During 1915 Lloyd George attacked business as usual as well as enjoyment as
usual. He criticised wild parties, sprees, the crowds who flocked to football matches
and the theatre and alcohol (he persuaded the King to give it up and restricted pub
opening hours). He later used DORA to suspend Bank Holidays, Guy Fawkes Night,
the football league, race meetings and the boat race.

INDUSTRY

Mining: control of coal industry to run for benefit of war effort, coal owners
profits fixed at 1913 levels, Treasury took surplus, miners not conscripted,
national wage agreements so all miners everywhere earned same
Munitions: 1915 munitions crisis exposed (shortage of shells, bullets and guns
on Western Front), set up Ministry of Munitions led by Lloyd George, National
Shell factories built, existing munitions factories controlled and output coordinated, latest machinery and production methods introduced, set wages
and prices and established new systems of financial control, controlled over
20,000 munitions factories and their workers
Railways: needed to move troops around country to training camps and ports,
ran as single unified system, railway companies profits at 1913 level
Shipping: set up Ministry of Shipping 1916, requisitioned merchant ships for
vital imports, co-ordinated activities of docks and railways, increased
construction of merchant ships, imposed convoy system where merchant
ships sailed together with battleships when German U-boats sank 3.7 million
tonnes of British shipping in spring 1917

FOOD
By 1913 Britain was dependent of foreign food with 40% meat, 80% wheat, 50%
milk, fruit and vegetables and all sugar imported. As an island, these imports came
by sea meaning that during war an enemy with effective sea power could starve
Britain to death. However, British sea power was so strong that food still got through
with the situation only becoming serious in mid 1916 when shortages occurred.
In 1917, the situation became desperate when German U-boats sank a quarter of
British merchant ships. By April, Britain was done to 9 weeks of wheat and 4 days of
sugar. This led to rising prices. The rich hoarded food while the poor could not even
afford bread. Lloyd George tackled the problem in two ways:
Supply: set up local committees to persuade farmers to turn pasture into
arable land, 1918 additional 3 million acres of arable land cultivated, wheat
production risen by 1million tonnes, potato by 1.5 million tonnes
Demand: set up Ministry of Food, subsidised bread (ninepenny loaf), posters
encourage easting less bread but never rationed, set up local food
committees to organise voluntary rationing, Royal Family announced would
reduce bread and flour used, compulsory rationing, 1918 sugar, meat, butter,
jam and margarine, meat stopped rationing November 1919, butter early
1920, sugar November 1920

WOMEN AT WORK
Although at first women the Government simply emphasised the role of women in
supporting men encouraging them to volunteer, running family businesses while
the men were away, by 1915 industry was desperately short of workers. The obvious
answer was for women to fill the gaps, however there were problems. Trade
unionists opposed the employment of women in jobs previously deserved for skilled
men. Women were paid less than men and the unions were afraid that, when the
men returned from war, they would be paid less or women would be kept on instead
of men.
Then came the munitions crisis and the need for women to be employed was even
greater. Eventually, most of the trade unions made agreements with the Government
or employers to protect mens jobs and wages (most said women should be paid the
same and the jobs return to the men at the end of the war). However, in July 1914
there were nearly 5 million women employed but at the end of the war this had only
gone up to just over 6 million. The Government tried to persuade women to work full
time, join the Womens Land Army (only 16,000 joined) or join the armed services as
nurses, cooks, mechanics and drivers.

WOMEN IN THE HOME

Women still had to run the home. The price of basic foods had doubled and some
items such as margarine, potatoes, meat, sugar and tea had become very scarce. It
was hard for women, tired from working, to even cope with shopping and cooking.
Cheap restaurants were set up and the Government set up national kitchens where
women could buy hot meals. Many landlords put up their rent to make many from the
new workers. Women, however, resisted this with rent strikes and demonstrations for
example in Clydeside where about 15,000 refused to pay and marched to the city
hall. Afraid the situation would spread, the government passed the Rent Restriction
Act with kept rent at 1913 level.
The Government paid a weekly separation allowance depending on the rank of and
number of children to the wives and dependents of all servicemen. The allowance
was turned into a pension if the man was killed. Towards the end of the war the idea
of motherhood was also encouraged. Mothers Day was introduced in 1916 and a
National Baby week was held in July 1917 with another the following year. The
National Council for the Unmarried Mother and her Child was also founded.

SOCIAL FREEDOM
Women were more financially independent during the war than before: single women
had their own money and married women were expected to manage their household
budgets alone. They began going out alone to pubs and restaurants, shortening their
skirts and some even smoked in public. Many disapproved of this with pubs in
Hartlepool even refusing to serve them. STDs among soldiers and sailors became a
particular problem. Many towns put a curfew on all women of a certain sort and the
Government issued Regulation 40D saying that if a woman infected a serviceman
with a STD she would be imprisoned (but not vice versa).

DEATH

During the war, everyone lived in fear of death. Nearly 750,000 were killed and
thousands more injured bringing tragedy to the friends and family. The War Office
notified the next of kin by telegram or post if a serviceman had been killed, reported
missing or taken prisoner. As casualties increased a standard letter form was used
but sometimes the commanding officer or a fellow serviceman would write a note.

PROPAGANDA
Propaganda was used to keep up morale, encourage support of the war effort and
create hatred and suspicion of the enemy.
Newspapers: publics main source of information, start of war correspondents
not allowed at front, Government gave summary of what was happening, early
on did not report bad news, no casualty lists published until May 1915, heroic
language used to keep morale high, soldiers knew reports were wrong,
created gulf between soldiers and people at home, could not talk to friends
and family, felt betrayed and abandoned by people who believed lies
Posters, postcards and cartoons: visual impact tremendous, first year of war
2-5 million copies of 110 posters issued, targeted at recruitment, avoided
explicit description of war, later targeted at combating war-weariness by
publicising terrible deeds of enemy and heroism of troops, set of official posed
postcards Telling the Story showing soldiers home leave telling proud parents
about the honour and glory of fighting, laughed at by soldiers
Photos, paintings and films: professional photographers officer status and
privileged access to battlefields, 4 on Western Front but Germany 50 and
France 35, early years not allowed to photograph dead and dying, first official
war artists 1916, contribute to propaganda, Lord Beaverbrook Minister of
Information 1917 wanted record of war so allowed to work more freely,
propagandist political cartoons in cinemas, persuade contribution to war effort
by mocking Germans and praising efforts of Britain in facing foe, film version
of Battle of the Somme July 1916 shown late August 1916 before outcome of
real battle known, early Battle filmed but other shots taken miles away