Changes in Recruitment 1790-1918

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Recruitment during the wars against the French, 17

Press gang:

  • Seize men from port towns, with or without Naval experience, for service in the Navy.
  • Replaced with a Quota system, each country had to provide a certain number of volunteers based on the population of the country.

The recruiting sergeant:

  • Get a man drunk, get him to agree to join up and make him physically take the King's Shilling- legal binding indication that a man had volunteered to serve in the army
  • Stoppages would reduce pay by almost 80%
  • Criminals were also a good source of recruitment, fines could be paid if the criminals joined the army. 
  • Daily ration of rum would also offer incentive for alcoholics to join
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The end of impressment

  • Not continued after 1815
  • Due to too many seamen and not enough ships 
  • The Royal Navy was the most attractive part of the British army, the idea of ruling the waves was in particular attractive. 
  • Pay was also higher, seamen were given fixed terms of service and a pension 
  • Royal Navy Reserve formed in 1859
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Recruiting volunteers

Specialist recruiters:

  • Regimental headquarters, use of persuasion to encourage men to sign up

Print media:

  • Literacy rates increased, meaning that the use of propoganda became more effective and valuable.
  • It became cheaper to print colour posters and add attractive images. By the first world war, hundreds of different recruitment posters had been designed and used.

Terms and conditions:

  • Pension after 21 years of service
  • Soldiers and sailors became seen as respectable and servicemen were proud t wear their uniforms in public. 
  • National pride & music hallsongs encouraged and embodied this change in attitudes

Recruitment and the economy:

  • Poverty- steady pay from the army encouraged men to join when the economy was performing poorly. 
  • Irish poverty meant that irish regiments were always full and ready to fight
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Recruitment and the First World War

Pre-Conscription:

  • The BEF did not have the necessary manpower to make a significant contribution
  • British and Commonwealth forces numbered millions compared to the professional force of over 100,000.
  • Each town was asked to provide a battalion of men for the war effort in September 1914
  • Pals battalions played an impotant role in the Somme. 

Conscription and recruitment problems in 1915-16:

  • A force of 70 divisions was needed to stop the Germans from enjoying an overall advantage
  • Lord Derby was placed in charge of a scheme where every 18-41 was asked to promise to join up if they were needed. Only half of single men and 40% of married men were willing to do so. 
  • Military Service Act 1916- calling up of single men. Further developed to include marrried men by the Second Military Act. 
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