THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH / NOVEMBER 3 2013 D1 The Telegraph INSIDE THE Sunday, November 3, 2013 FIRST WORLD WAR PART THREE: THE TRAGEDY OF CONSENT Sponsored by A MONTHLY 12-PART PIERRE KATE ADIE PATRICK SERIES TO MARK PURSEIGLE A landmark time BISHOP THE WAR’S How civilians were for women as vital cogs Humour as soldiers’ first CENTENARY agents of destruction in the war machine line of self-defence © IWM (Q 54220) D2 NOVEMBER 3 2013 / THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH / NOVEMBER 3 2013 D3 Sponsored by WELCOME THE BIG PICTURE Pierre Purseigle examines how the “tragedy of consent” united Europe’s people in support of the conflict. P4-5 WOMEN’S WORK Kate Adie on the “munitionettes” and the formidable female voluntary workers behind the British war machine. ne hundred years on, P6 with the benefit – and LETTERS HOME incredulity – of Anthony Richards, IWM’s head of documents, on a hindsight, the images of young nurse describing Osoldiers and supportive crowds how the bombardment of the Yorkshire coast cheerfully waving at train stations, brought the war to Britain. and of proud mothers pushing their P7 sons to be soldiers, are haunting and ART OF WAR Richard Slocombe, hard to comprehend. IWM senior art curator, How could entire nations have on Shop for Machining 15-inch Shells by Anna bought so readily into the idea that Airy, one of the first war was a good thing? And once war female war artists. was in full flow, and news of its grim P8 reality began to filter back home, LOVE AND LOSS IWM historian Nigel Steel what maintained that morale and analyses the moving sense of patriotism? poem May Morning by Testament of Youth Professor Pierre Purseigle, who has author Vera Brittain. written our lead piece in this issue, P9 describes this complicit support of ZEPPELIN DOWN Michael Ashcroft tells the home fronts as “the tragedy of the story of VC winner consent”. And that is the theme we Billy Leefe Robinson, the first man to shoot down a explore here – the third of a 12-part German airship. series that will appear each month in P10-11 The Sunday Telegraph, right up until DARK HUMOUR Patrick Bishop on how the centenary of the First World War. soldiers made light of We also look at how war was a what they feared most to get through the landmark time for women, who went horrors of war. from being excluded from much of P12 public life to becoming an essential HOME FRONT cog in the war machine. Zoe Dare Hall on Clementine Churchill and Plus we bring you all the regular her voluntary work with the YMCA. Postbox has features, including war more of your fascinating poetry, art and letters letters from loved ones from the front with who fought at the front. P14-15 commentary by IWM. CONSENT Zoe Dare Hall Cover: children cheer Queen Mary on munitions Series editor works visit, Coventry, November 17, 1917. Left: a public shrine in London TOPFOTO THE SPONSOR to remember those Heroes, George Cross prestigious award for for the past four decades, Union (IDU) and one of include being Vice-Patron Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC who gave their lives in Heroes and Heroes of courage not in the face of launching, buying, building Britain’s leading experts of the Intelligence Corps the conflict. the Skies. In each of the the enemy. He currently and selling companies — on polling. Museum, a Trustee of Inside the First World Lord Ashcroft has 12 new supplements, owns 11 GCs. Lord both private and public — Lord Ashcroft has Imperial War Museum, an War, a 12-part series, established himself as a Lord Ashcroft will tell the Ashcroft’s VC and GC in Britain and overseas. donated several millions Ambassador for is sponsored by Lord champion of bravery, incredible stories behind collections are on display He is a former of pounds to charities SkillForce and a Trustee Ashcroft KCMG PC, building up the world’s First World War VCs from in a gallery that bears his Treasurer and Deputy and good causes. of the Cleveland Clinic an international largest collection of his collection. name at IWM London, Chairman of the He founded in the US. businessman, Victoria Crosses (VCs), Lord Ashcroft along with VCs and GCs in Conservative Party. In Crimestoppers (then the philanthropist and Britain and the purchased his first VC in the care of the museum. September 2012, he was Community Action Trust) } For information about military historian. Lord Commonwealth’s most 1986 and currently owns The gallery, built with a appointed a member of in 1988. the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, Ashcroft is sponsoring prestigious award for more than 180 of the £5 million donation from the Privy Council and was He is the founder of visit www.iwm.org.uk/ the monthly supplements courage in the face of the decorations. Three years Lord Ashcroft, was made the Government’s the Ashcroft Technology heroes. For information because he wants to enemy. He has also ago, he began collecting opened by HRH The Special Representative Academy and Chancellor on Lord Ashcroft, visit promote a greater written four books on George Crosses (GCs), Princess Royal in 2010. for Veterans’ Transition. of Anglia Ruskin www.lordashcroft.com understanding of the bravery: Victoria Cross Britain and the Lord Ashcroft has been a He is Treasurer of the University. His numerous Follow him on Twitter: First World War and Heroes, Special Forces Commonwealth’s most successful entrepreneur International Democratic other charity roles @LordAshcroft D4 NOVEMBER 3 2013 / THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH / NOVEMBER 3 2013 D5 Sponsored by PEOPLE AT WAR BRIGHTON DEVON LONDON MUNICH LONDON LONDON TOPFOTO, GETTY he demonstration that took place at war. As the Socialist Pioneer of Northampton put it in longer than anyone had expected and took its heavy PEOPLE POWER of war enthusiasm. “What a lot of maudlin nonsense Munich’s Odeonsplatz on August 2 1914 1916, there could “be no peace while the frightful toll, commitment to the war effort began to shift in Clockwise from bottom is written and preached about war as a purifier, a – to celebrate Germany’s declaration of menace of world domination by force of German 1915 as nations began to question the mounting left: Hitler joins those toughener of moral fibre, a stimulus to wholesome war with Imperial Russia – has achieved armed might looms about and above us”. human and material cost. celebrating Germany’s discipline, etc… All this is a travesty of the tragedy of The tragedy of consent declaration of war on iconic status in the memory of the First Such was the strength of consent that it became Nations’ consent rested on the assumption that the the whole ghastly business. … Our boys […] nurse TWorld War. Thanks in no small part to the photograph difficult in Britain to show opposition to the war. state would protect and provide for the families of Russia on August 2 , no false heroics about it, I can tell you. Our boys showing a youthful Adolf Hitler in the boisterous Legislation such as the Defence of the Realm Act in those who fought for the nation. Strikes and protest 1914; a recruiting rally in frankly acknowledge what the alternative to defeat crowd, it has come to encapsulate the enthusiasm 1914 curtailed civil liberties, while churches, volun- did not express opposition to the war but reminded Brighton featuring injured means in this war and tell you they prefer to die with with which European populations were deemed to tary organisations and individuals sought to stamp employers and the state of their obligations. Indian troops; crowds in honour than survive with shame.” have welcomed the outbreak of the Great War. out opposition by suppressing and condemning dis- Critics of military recruitment, taxation, supply Trafalgar Square rejoice Consent had given way to a reshaping of global Hitler later confessed that, “overpowered by stormy WѕѦ ёіё ѡѕђ ѝђќѝљђ ќѓ EѢџќѝђ ѠѢѝѝќџѡ ѡѕђ Ѥюџ ѓќџ Ѡќ senters. Keir Hardie, the Scottish socialist and labour and shortages of food or coal could not be altogether at Britain’s declaration of nations, unleashing new political forces that saw enthusiasm, [he] fell down on [his] knees and љќћєӓ ѡѕђѦ яђљіђѣђё ѡѕђѦ Ѥђџђ ѓієѕѡіћє ѓќџ ѡѕђіџ leader who was also a staunch pacifist, routinely saw silenced and such issues threatened to undermine war on August 4, 1914; mass movements for change – and real change thanked Heaven […] for granting him the good for- his speeches in 1914 disrupted by hecklers. the legitimacy of the state, tearing apart each popu- conscientious objectors across many nations and societies. tune of being permitted to live at this time”. ѐѢљѡѢџђ юћё ћюѡіќћюљ іёђћѡіѡѦ, ѠюѦѠ Pіђџџђ PѢџѠђієљђ Across nations and social classes, people were lation’s belief in what their country stood for. protest on Dartmoor in The First World War demonstrated the transforma- Clearly impressed and shocked by such a display convinced of the necessity of war, which they justi- As shortages and inflation undermined living 1917; Smithfield meat tive potential of total war. As Halévy put it: “The of nationalist fervour, the philosopher Bertrand fied, as the cultural historian John Horne put it, out standards, strikes and demonstrations broke out over market workers make world crisis of 1914-1918 was not only a war – the war Russell “discovered to [his] horror that average men legacies of the conflict, these images of enthusiastic to war – German occupation and domination – was of a sense of war as “legitimate self-defence”. On “profiteering” and “shirking” as well as working their point; women of 1914, but also a revolution – the revolution of and women were delighted at the prospect of war”.