The fierce image of the pointing finger of Lord Kitchener, sternly summoning Britain's youth to arms in 1914, is emblematic of the patriotic spirit that saw millions volunteer to answer their country's call. This book, originally published in 1930, tells the story of what became the 'New Armies', including the famous 'Pals' battalions, based on towns and factories of the industrial north. These men, after training, received their tragic blooding on the Somme in July 1916. Kitchener, successful Imperial commander turned War Minister and national icon, was one of the few who saw at the start of the war that the struggle would be a long one, and that Britain's 100,000 strong professional army did not have the numbers to sustain such a protracted struggle. The equipping, training and organising of armies ten times that number was a mammoth task whose successful accomplishment is well told in this valuable and fascinating book, a must for all Great War fans.