4 out of 5 Stars

I can see it as having a particular value in the hands of a teacher or battlefield guide seeking testimony, though it has an interest for anyone interested in the British Army of the First World War

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Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)

Great War historian and prolific author Richard Van Emden will need no introduction and in Volunteers he draws upon his own archive of interviews with veterans, personal memoirs, diaries, letters and published books, to examine what motivated, initially, 100,000 men to answer Herbert Kitchener’s call for volunteers to form a new citizen army in the opening weeks of the War. Van Emden goes on to chronicle the experiences of these early volunteers as they grapple with the challenges of becoming a soldier and begin to learn what lies ahead of them. This is not an account of the War nor of the great and good, or high and mighty, who directed it, but rather a story of human endeavour, experience and emotions told by these patriotic volunteers in their own words before they went to fight. Drawn from many different walks of life and all classes of society, most were unfamiliar with the customs, traditions and protocols of the British Army and what shines through these amateur soldiers’ stories is a certain naivety, innocence and boyish excitement. Many of these young men were experiencing regular meals, fresh air, physical training and discipline for the first time and enjoying the comradeship of new friends. It is easy to see from these accounts how, before they even left for the front, these experiences were to change their lives and the social attitudes of Britain for ever. With the very topical debate in the UK, and elsewhere in the West, over the urgent need to consider how a civilian army could be recruited, trained and mobilised to meet the growing threat to peace and security Volunteers is a timely and stark reminder of the challenges and clear signal that the needs, fears and expectations of potential recruits was very different in 1914 to today. Recommended.

Clive Elderton, MHS Bulletin, January 2024