Recruits standing outside a recruiting office, 1914 (c)

Postcard photograph, World War One, Home Front, 1914 (c).

As in the rest of Europe, the outbreak of war in August 1914 was greeted with popular acclaim in Britain. Around 30,000 men were enlisting every day by the end of August. By December 1915, over two million men had enlisted. Neither the Second World War nor more recent conflicts have generated anything like this degree of enthusiasm. Men enlisted for all manner of reasons, including patriotism, the desire to quit a boring job for an exciting adventure or the chance to see another country.