.
3) Once mobilisation begun, the recruiting offices were swamped, with an average of 33,000 men per day volunteering in September 1914, and this did not really fall until July 1915, as source D confirms, there being barely sufficient space for them to be accommodated in barracks, while demand for equipment completely exceeded supply. In the first month of the war, half a million men were recruited, while by February 1916, 2,631,000 men had volunteered for active service, while conscription, begun by the Derby scheme, placing all men aged 18-41 on a call-up list, led to only a further 2,339,000 being conscripted. It may therefore be said of the recruiting posters that they were very effective in their methods of persuasion. .
The initial surge towards war led to mass recruitment as source D suggests, however, recruitment was not equal, the majority being from either South East, or from the North, over 50% coming from these regions over the whole length of the war. Source D generally reflects the overall situation, but, being taken from a London burgh, it does only show their success in that particular area. However, the usage of female workers, due to necessity, not equality, together with the recruitment figures already mentioned above, help to prove more or less that source D, whatever its providence, (which is not at all clear) generally recruitment posters were fairly effective, the most famous being left out, Kitchner's finger insisting that "THE COUNTRY NEEDS YOU." It may be argued however, that recruitment posters really weren't needed, that men would join up anyway, from a variety of reasons from boredom, hope that conditions in the army were better than their current situation et cetera. .
Unfortunately, there is no date on this photograph so we cannot presume that it was taken before conscription was introduced and if it was taken after then it proves nothing to us.