Key Facts

The declaration of war was met by enthusiastic demonstrations of joy. Crowds converged on Buckingham Palace and it was after 1.00 in the morning when the Royal Family were able to get back to their beds

The popular view was that the war would be over by Christmas

Only Field Marshal Lord Kitchener declared that it would take a long time to defeat Germany - up to at least three years

Unlike other European countries, Britain had no system of conscription ie compulsory military service and so a recruiting campaign was launched to get an immediate 100,000 new recruits into the army

Posters urged young men to go into the army out of a sense of duty, patriotism, revenge for the attack on Belgium and France and to serve King and Country

Women encouraged young men to go by presenting those who did not with a symbol of cowardice - the white feather

There was also an immediate campaign against all things German, philosophers, composers and even dogs - the daschund became very unpopular and the German shepherd's name was changed to the more allied friendly alsatian. Later in the war the Royal Family changed their name to Windsor from Saxe Coburg Gotha

There was also an outbreak of spy stories up and down the country. Any stranger was likely to be labelled a spy including the man seen walking beside the railway at Houston

The newspapers were full of horror stories about the awful destruction by the Germans of towns, villages, ancient libraries and churches

Read pages 32 to 35 and answer these questions

Describe the immediate reaction to the news that war had been declared.

What view did Lord Kitchener have about the length of the war?

What was the size of the original BEF?

How were young men persuaded to join the army and how successful was the campaign?

describe how hatred of the Germans was stirred up.

What different factors persuaded young men to join up?

What were the "Pals" battalions?

Document Exercise

What point of view is being expressed in source G, page 35?

How useful is source H (page 34) on why people joined up in 1914?

To what extent is source I (page 34) typical of a young man's experience in 1914?

What point of view is being expressed in source M (page 35)?

First Experiences of the War - Help Sheet

Answer questions 1 to 6 on page 33