Britain went to war on 4 August 1914. The German invasion of Belgium, the independence of which Britain had guaranteed in 1839, united the nation behind the Liberal government of Herbert Asquith. Many in Britain, as in the other warring nations, expected the war would be a short one, with the Allies quickly triumphing over Germany. There was a great deal of patriotic fervour, whipped up by the popular press and politicians, and exemplified by a rush of men to join up. In the event, the war was to last for over four years and it would change the cultural, economic, political and social fabric of Britain forever.

In Britain’s previous wars, the civilian population had almost been untouched. Now civilians were in the front line as towns on the east coast came under bombardment from German warships, and London and other cities and towns were subjected to aerial attacks from airships and aeroplanes in which 1,414 were killed and 3,416 seriously injured. Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare resulted in the loss of many lives, seriously threatened Britain’s food supplies and led eventually to the introduction of nationwide rationing in 1918.

Many other wartime measures affected the lives of ordinary people, including the Defence of the Realm Act, licensing laws and the introduction of conscription in 1916. Under Asquith’s successor, David Lloyd George, a much more centralised form of government was introduced. The war also brought about the emancipation of women and a general loosening of the class system.

Terry Charman's book, The First World War on the Home Front, is available in our shop now.