Duty Calls
‘It will all be over by Christmas so if you want to see anything, join up quickly’
Lance Corporal Harold Hayward, 12th Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment
When war was declared men were pressured from every side to do their duty for ‘King and Country’. The streets of Bristol were transformed by brightly coloured posters, marching soldiers and the drums of military bands. Over 55,000 Bristol men enlisted. Many volunteered in the first few months, expecting a short and glorious war; many more were later forced into military service by conscription. Those who could not fight were still encouraged to do their bit. Men and women who dared to oppose the war on political, religious or moral grounds faced harsh treatment from the authorities and were shunned by their neighbours.
When war was declared men were pressured from every side to do their duty for ‘King and Country’. The streets of Bristol were transformed by brightly coloured posters, marching soldiers and the drums of military bands. Over 55,000 Bristol men enlisted. Many volunteered in the first few months, expecting a short and glorious war; many more were later forced into military service by conscription. Those who could not fight were still encouraged to do their bit. Men and women who dared to oppose the war on political, religious or moral grounds faced harsh treatment from the authorities and were shunned by their neighbours.