Printed recruitment poster showing slogans regarding sinking of the Lusitania, 1915

At the beginning of the war, the British government relied upon volunteers to join the armed forces. Posters like this one were produced to try and persuade men. In the first few weeks of the war many men did join up, but by 1915 it was increasingly obvious that more were needed. In January 1916 conscription was introduced; men aged 18-41 were forced to join up.

The Lusitania was a ship carrying civilian passengers that was sunk by a German submarine on 7 May 1915. 1,193 people died and there was an international outcry. The sinking of the Lusitania is often credited as one of the reasons for America joining the war, although they did not do so until April 1917.

In England, the sinking was used to encourage recruitment, as can be seen here. It also sparked a series of riots across the country in which German businesses, particularly butchers’ shops, were targeted. In the North East, mobs violently attacked German butchers’ premises in South Shields, Sunderland, Blyth and Berwick on 15 May 1915.