'Learn to Defend Yourself', 1920 (c)

Recruitment poster, Territorial Army, 1920 (c).

In times of peace it was difficult to recruit men into the Regular and Territorial Army on ideological grounds and rare to find those motivated simply by the desire to serve King and country. This recruitment poster appeals to prospective soldiers' love of boxing.

The British Army has long believed that sports like boxing prepare men for combat by increasing fitness, channelling aggression, and focusing the mind.