Would you have fought for your country in World War One?

[chilango]

I think it's safe to say I'd have dodged the draft. When panicked rumours of conscription swirled my teenage circle at the start of the first Gulf War. I started planning to run. In WWI itself my great (great?)grandfather dodged it. Ditched the army, went AWOL and joined (I think) the merchant navy under a false name.

 

[Sue]

My grandad was in for the entire thing from the age of 17/18 I think. My dad reckoned he'd actually joined up before the war, probably for financial reasons.

It was also some random regiment in Lancashire or somewhere although he was from Edinburgh so no idea what that was about .

 

[bellaozzydog]

As a testosterone fueled brainless teen yes
Having spent most my adult life in war zones/post war zones/pre war zones Fuck that shit

 

[souljacker]

I'd have joined the Air Force and become an ace fighter pilot with many kills including the Red Baron. I'd have then gone on to become a huge celebrity after the war and would have written lots of books and appeared in films. I would go and live in Hollywood and marry Joan Crawford.

 

[Argonia]

Conchie

 

[Pickman's model]

Easy for me to say, even with an element of bravado, as my roots are in what was then a strongly republican part of the south of Ireland.

Would you have joined the citizen army or the Irish volunteers?

 

[Pickman's model]

Weren't coal miners protected?

Hundreds of feet of rock above their heads

 

[JimW]

I wonder how true it is about the pressure to enlist, anecdotally know of people who just chose not to go and got by fine because they had a place in their community that depended on a lot of other factors too. My grandad was too young but a couple of his older brothers went and I think they enlisted rather than got called up but not certain; whole family were fairly active socialists albeit socially conservative for the most part.

 

[planetgeli]

As an obvious aside, I'm from a small town of agricultural labourers (which would have made any draft dodging/objecting extremely difficult). The population of that town in 1914 would have been around 3,000. I imagine a lot of them were allowed to stay home as they were feeding the country.

The war memorial for WW1 in that town has 126 names on it.

 

[Sue]

I'd have joined the Air Force and become an ace fighter pilot with many kills including the Red Baron. I'd have then gone on to become a huge celebrity after the war and would have written lots of books and appeared in films. I would go and live in Hollywood and marry Joan Crawford.

Not WWI but not sure if you're familiar with Romain Gary. Escaped with his plane when he heard De Gaulle's call to arms, flew loads of missions, won the Legion d'Honneur, wrote loads of books, won the foremost French literary prize (the Prix Goncourt) twice, was a diplomat at the UN, married Jean Seberg, wrote a couple of screenplays, including The Longest Day...

Romain Gary - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

I'd have joined the Air Force and become an ace fighter pilot with many kills including the Red Baron. I'd have then gone on to become a huge celebrity after the war and would have written lots of books and appeared in films. I would go and live in Hollywood and marry Joan Crawford.

Is that a 'Yes', then?

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

Would you have joined the citizen army or the Irish volunteers?

Probably my heart would have been with the Citizen's Army, but they weren't very big around Clonakilty in those days. There was no conscription ever in Ireland, so not joining up would have been dead easy

 

[Argonia]

Not WWI but not sure if you're familiar with Romain Gary. Escaped with his plane when he heard De Gaulle's call to arms, flew loads of missions, won the Legion d'Honneur, wrote loads of books, won the foremost French literary prize (the Prix Goncourt) twice, was a diplomat at the UN, married Jean Seberg, wrote a couple of screenplays, including The Longest Day...

Romain Gary - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I note that he offered Clint Eastwood a duel after he had an affair with Seberg and also committed suicide. An eventful life.

 

[petee]

i had a workmate, retired last year, who was a CO for vietnam. i had him in the highest regard for that. the most i've ever done is contribute to counter-recruitment activities.

if i'd been my father i'd have been too young, if i'd been my g'father i'd have been too old.
also, ireland, and also in a very republican area. i wonder if there's been a study of WW1 enlistment from west clare ...

but if i'd been a new yorker of conscription age? there were COs for that war but i imagine i'd have felt under tremendous pressure. the xenophobia and male-baiting ginned up here was frightful.

 

[Poot]

It terrifies me that my son would have been called up. Jesus, what were people thinking.

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

but if i'd been a new yorker of conscription age? there were COs for that war but i imagine i'd have felt under tremendous pressure. the xenophobia and male-baiting ginned up here was frightful.

Some 300,000 Americans dodged the draft in WW1. They had a lot of notice it was coming. I gave a talk a couple of years ago and a woman in the audience suddenly realised why her Texan uncles had spent a year in Guatemala 1917-8.

 

[The39thStep]

Yes, I've always loved post offices.

That went over a few peoples heads

 

[Pickman's model]

Yes, I've always loved post offices.

You'd have given your name on capture as Phil Atelist.

 

[Teaboy]

Some 300,000 Americans dodged the draft in WW1. They had a lot of notice it was coming. I gave a talk a couple of years ago and a woman in the audience suddenly realised why her Texan uncles had spent a year in Guatemala 1917-8.

Those of conscription age would have had dads or grandads who would have been involved and maybe conscripted in the American Civil War. They knew what carnage was coming. Back in Britain the Napoleonic Wars were but a chapter in the history books and little heed was paid to the Crimean mess.

Increasingly I feel that from a military history perspective to begin to understand what happened in WWI you need to start at Antietam and Gettysburg etc. War had changed and few in Western Europe realised what utter carnage lay ahead.

 

[Pickman's model]

Those of conscription age would have had dads or grandads who would have been involved and maybe conscripted in the American Civil War. They knew what carnage was coming. Back in Britain the Napoleonic Wars were but a chapter in the history books and little heed was paid to the Crimean mess.

Increasingly I feel that from a military history perspective to begin to understand what happened in WWI you need to start at Antietam and Gettysburg etc. War had changed and few in Western Europe realised what utter carnage lay ahead.

They wanted 1870 and got 1862

 

[Sue]

They wanted 1870 and got 1862

I'm not sure the French wanted 1870...

 

[Pickman's model]

I'm not sure the French wanted 1870...

They wanted a war of movement

 

[JuanTwoThree]

Knowing what I know now I'd concoct some illness or get myself into a reserved occupation. Because not knowing that, I'd have certainly been caught up in war fever. You* may think you wouldn't have been. Wanna bet?

* Nobody in particular.

 

[Sue]

They wanted a war of movement

That didn't go so well... Although, on the plus side,1871.

 

[Idris2002]

That went over a few peoples heads

You'd have given your name on capture as Phil Atelist.

We lost Hannigan and Flanagan and Rafferty and Pearse
We lost O'Donnell and O'Connell and the Rasher Hanley's ears . . .

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I'm not sure the French wanted 1870...

Quick defeat, then back home soon enough. Victory's overrated.

 

[Smangus]

No, I have bone spurs , (grabs fake tan spray bottle and saunters off to golf course) ......

 

[The39thStep]

My real father was American so I'd have taken the IWW line “Capitalists of America, we will fight against you, not for you! There is not a power in the world that can make the working class fight if they refuse.”

 

[Badgers]

Probably when I was young, full of piss and vinegar.

Now nope. Not ever.

 

[Little Piranha]

More relevant to me to think what I would have done as a political woman at the time. I hope I would have joined Sylvia Pankhurst in opposing the war and continuing to campaign for representation for women, rather than adopting the gingoism of Emmeline and Cristobal, who put the fight for suffrage on pause to campaign for conscription and generally cheer on the Empire.

But then heritage wise I'm Catholic Irish so may not have had to make the call tbh...