The British Home Front during the First World War

• August 1914- Britain declared war on Germany
• involved millions of fighting men and many families were involved
• the violence of war was brought to mainland Britain
• shelling, zeppelins, Gotha and Giant bombers 

Volunteers:

• massive recruitment drive (propaganda etc)
• 500,000 signed up within the first month
• families deprived of their sons/brothers/fathers/husbands
• many never returned

Conscriptions:

• casualties increased- replacements were required
• compulsory for 18-41 year olds who were single to join and then married men
• 1/3 men were conscripted
• vital work e.g. mining could still be conducted efficiently

Conscientious Objectors:

• convince tribunal- reasons genuine and not cowardice
• ordered to drive ambulances etc instead -->refusal, prisoned and sent to labour camps
• refused cases --> ordered to army or 'conchies' were shot 

1. Controlling Industry --> run things for the benefit of the war

2. Controlling food production and distribution --> rationing etc

3. Business as usual --> normally run

Defence Of the Realm Act, 8th August 1914

Rationing 1917:

• sugar, meat, jam, margarine and butter were rationed because merchant ships were being sunk etc

Minister of Munitions:

• shortage of shells, bullets and guns on the Western front
• increase production of armaments

Censorship (Good news only):

• made it sound like Britian were doing well all of the time
• make Britons more motivated

Conscription:

• compulsory for all single men 18-41 and then married men also 3 months later
• 1/3 men conscripted

• did the jobs of men and ran their families
• took on more careers which were unexpected
• supported men joining the army 

Newspaper reports:

• early in the war, bad news was not reported
• casualty list published May 1915
• specific language used to keep morale high such as 'wastage' = death
• most 'fell' it was not specifically stated that they had died 

Posters, postcards and cartoons:

• millions of copies of different posters produced in 1st year 
• most targetted at recruitment
• combat war-weariness --> published terrible deeds of the enemy
• postcards showed scences of a child leaving home and being honoured etc

Official photographs, films and paintings:

• photographers given officer status and accessed the battlefields
• Britain had just 4
• artists used to collect records of the war
• films were aimed to persuade people to contribute to the war effort by mocking Germans and praising Britain